Wow there are actually some intelligent posters on BF... couldnt agree more! These same morons are the ones saying how good it was we won the last 9 from 11 games where did that get us??? NOWHERE
We need gun players comming in through the draft dont give me this winning culture bullsh1t, how was St Kildas winning culture before they picked up goddard and reiwoltd etc in the draft??? Look at them now...
It was 2000-2002 that they finished at the arse end of the ladder, during which time they picked up Goddard Riewoldt Ball Kosi Dal Santo.
In the 5 years before the Saints picked up these guys: in 95 they finished 14th, in 96 they finished 10th, they finished top in 97 and played in a GF, 6th in 98 playing in the semi finals, 10th in 99 missing the finals by 1 game and %.
Come 2003 they won 11 games finished in 11th, 3.5 wins ahead of Geelong & 4 wins ahead of us, 2004 they finished 3rd, 2005 they finished 4th, 2006 they finished 6th, 2007 they finished 9th missing the finals by half a game, 2008 they finished 4th and last year they finished runners up.
So outside the 4 years where they finished 14th(95), 16th(2000), 15th(2001) & 15th(2002) they haven't finished any lower than 11th since the middle of the 90's. Thats 11 years of mid table finishes or better and yet people like to use them as an example of how tanking works. If anything the Saints are an example of how creating the right culture at a club and having everyone do all they can to maintain that culture can bring sustained success and keep a side in with a chance of ultimate success.