Game Day Round 16, 2019: North Melbourne v St.Kilda *BILLINGS' 100TH*

[jwikked]

Billings deserves a win he saved us against the GC, twice.

We won in Billings 1st game and we won in his 50th game, so the omens are there.

 

[Snake_Baker]

We won in Billings 1st game and we won in his 50th game, so the omens are there.

If you reckon the saints are going to be on today than you should get on to the 24.5+ @$1.90 at the TAB.

They are good odds, especially against a side like North which generally blows a lot of goal shots.

 

[Pardon me]

If you reckon the saints are going to be on today than you should get on to the 24.5+ @$1.90 at the TAB.

They are good odds, especially against a side like North which generally blows a lot of goal shots.

Mate, Big Ben Brown night be the Coleman leader after today...

 

[Dr Spaceman]

We won in Billings 1st game and we won in his 50th game, so the omens are there.

 

[VDS66]

Can't see it happening, but I hope we get up for JB and the boys in general.

Can't be much fun losing all the time.

 

[BigPowerForward]

North handball more than any other team in the competition and by a long margin. If we don't bring our pressure game today they will slaughter us. The tackle count will need to be high. We played the same game style last year, so we should know how to counter it. Interestingly, North allow the opposition more scoring shots per I50 than any other team in the competition. If our forwards can get enough looks it, this game could be a close one........provided we kick straight of course or North kick worse than us!

 

[Cornish]

Kangas by 22 points after trailing most of the day.

Hoping the Saints prove me wrong, but i have lost a fair bit of optimism lately.

 

[SaintersUnite]

Game day in my home town.......anyone coming down ? Part of me always gets annoyed when there are games here as Tas have paid a heap to both North and Hawthorn to play here. We should be strong enough as a state to tell the AFL to get stuffed and stop giving them money.

Will swallow my pride, take my young bloke along and rug up..after half time it will be damn cold.

Jack Steele is a big in for us, dunno much about North except they have obviously been going well under Shaw. It should be us who play a hard brand of footy make North accountable.

Would also like Clark to have a run in the middle but do not reckon Richo will let that happen

Is there anyone you all want me to watch closely today?

Hey mate if possible could you keep an eye on Coff when he’s out there? Want to see what his overall task seems to be, whether to be defensive to his man or looking to create space. Cheers, have a great day at the game.

 

[Verdun]

Will do mate, be good to have a focus.

Cracker of a day down here, coaching a game of basketball then heading straight to Bellerive

 

[Snake_Baker]

Mate, Big Ben Brown night be the Coleman leader after today...

1) His kicking has been off.
2) He's playing on a solid defender today.

 

[Browny2Carlisle]

Just keen to watch some of our young guys out there. Should be a good lesson for them against some really physical opponents

 

[AirWinmar]

Brown will kick 6, and on a cold day in Tassie our goalkicking will rival Freo’s yesterday. We’ll get blown away early but make it vaguely respectable through the second half. North by 6 goals.

Nathan Brown is playing for Sandy this weekend mate. Be unlikely to kick 6 from FB as well

 

[Verdun]

Ben Brown is a confidence player .....if he gets a couple early he coukd have a big one. Couple of his brothers are very handy basketballers especially the 15 year old Luke( other brother Cam plays for Hobart Huskies as well. Luke could be anything if he gets his head right, ......hope he stays with bball and North don't pinch him!

 

[Dr Spaceman]

Interestingly, North allow the opposition more scoring shots per I50 than any other team in the competition. If our forwards can get enough looks it, this game could be a close one........provided we kick straight of course or North kick worse than us!

Hopefully Dixon has adapted his basic teachings to take in the peculiarities of Blundstone Arena and the Hobart weather conditions

 

[Gosaints12]

Saints to jump out of the box early to the tune of me cheering in my living room.

QT- North 3.0.18 to 5.6.36

Zebull to start getting it out of the centre as north kick 4 goals to one as the saints start to lose it.

7.3.43 to 6.6.36

Saints to respond of the back of Bruce and Membrey taking everything out of the air and Billings and Gresham to perform like Hayes and Montagna back in the day. Zebull silent after a 20 disposal first half to have two kicks in the quarter Cunnington still striving hard having ten disposals.

3qt 7.3.43 to 10.9.63

In the final quarter the saints play a horror 20 minutes, (out of 30) in which North kick 5 goals to Saints one behind, but with 30 seconds to go Billings kicks truely and the saints lead by 1 point, before Thomas kicks a dribbler that is intercepted before crossing the line by DMac handing the saints a 11.10. 76 to 12.3. 75 victory.

Saints by a point, probes not but I was feeling like story telling this morning.




On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Rizz64]

Great to see sandringham plays like the seniors.....clear the forward 50 completely and bomb it long to no one...

 

[BrutThough]

Let's just win. No reason why we cant. Billings deserves for his teammates to turn up and play all 4 quarters in his milestone considering all the times he has bailed them out.

North are due for one of those classic let down games. They have actually been talked about in the media this week, with people praising their game style and suddenly giving their players credit. Time to give them a reality check that they aren't a finals team (just like us).

Saints by 19. Membrey to kick 5. Newnes to get 28 and 4 goal assists. Gresh to kick the ball at a reason rate today.
Steele to embarrass Cunnington after the AFL article today about him being the "best handball ever".
Battle to finally get his rising star nomination.

 

[Circus]

I live an easy 15 min drive away from Bellerive and have a complementary ticket to the game due my membership. But I'm not going. Even if we win we are delaying the inevitable.

I'll continue my membership and have no illusions about the challenges facing the next coach, or how long it might take to be consistently competitive. But I'm over this long twilight of nothing much more than "significantly pleasing effort."

Hopefully Richo will do the honourable thing and resign in a couple of weeks and not stick to mathematically possibilities to hold a role for which he is not suited and has no longer term tenure.

On the other hand I don't accept our list, the uninjured/ill list, is as poor as our game plan allows. I'm a strong believer in getting games into kids and giving them the licence to play their footy in the manner that got them onto an AFL list in the first place. Obviously coaching and strategies are essential but not to the extent it suffocates the entire team. Which is where we've been for a long time.

So, regardless of the result today I can't bear to watch a team that has the death rattles. I look forward to watching a Saints team play with flair, excitement and joy. Hopefully towards the end of the season but certainly next year!

 

[Verdun]

I live an easy 15 min drive away from Bellerive and have a complementary ticket to the game due my membership. But I'm not going. Even if we win we are delaying the inevitable.

I'll continue my membership and have no illusions about the challenges facing the next coach, or how long it might take to be consistently competitive. But I'm over this long twilight of nothing much more than "significantly pleasing effort."

Hopefully Richo will do the honourable thing and resign in a couple of weeks and not stick to mathematically possibilities to hold a role for which he is not suited and has no longer term tenure.

On the other hand I don't accept our list, the uninjured/ill list, is as poor as our game plan allows. I'm a strong believer in getting games into kids and giving them the licence to play their footy in the manner that got them onto an AFL list in the first place. Obviously coaching and strategies are essential but not to the extent it suffocates the entire team. Which is where we've been for a long time.

So, regardless of the result today I can't bear to watch a team that has the death rattles. I look forward to watching a Saints team play with flair, excitement and joy. Hopefully towards the end of the season but certainly next year!

Feel your pain Circus, also believe we should get games in to kids and play in challenging positions with an attacking game style.

Where you at - im in south hobart?

Hoping for some of that today, will report back

 

[Circus]

Feel your pain Circus, also believe we should get games in to kids and play in challenging positions with an attacking game style.

Where you at - im in south hobart?

Hoping for some of that today, will report back

I'm in West Hobart Verdun. By the way I love your commitment and your username, or whatever its called!

In the days the Saints played in Launceston, almost always against Port or Adelaide some mates and I never missed a game. And can only remember seeing one win! And we were quite ok in those days in the early Grant Thomas era. I remember Cane Cornes was invariably BOG and was the difference between the teams.

Anyway I hope you have a great day and that our young blokes play to their potential!

 

[Diehard Saint]

I'm in West Hobart Verdun. By the way I love your commitment and your username, or whatever its called!

In the days the Saints played in Launceston, almost always against Port or Adelaide some mates and I never missed a game. And can only remember seeing one win! And we were quite ok in those days in the early Grant Thomas era. I remember Cane Cornes was invariably BOG and was the difference between the teams.

Anyway I hope you have a great day and that our young blokes play to their potential!

Saw the Saints thrash Hawks in Launceston just two years ago.
You never know.

 

[triggering bro]

What footy?

Did anyone just see Gamebred assassinate Ben Askren?

 

[Kildonan]

I would love to see Billings rewarded with a win for his milestone match.

North come into this match with an expectation to win. Shaw has tried to make sure their players don't get ahead of themselves and to reinforce that it is their intensity and pressure that has led to their current form.

Clubs will be able to negate the new tough North, and North will cop injuries and suspensions playing the way they currently do, but for now it has been a successful strategy.

The Saints (and a plethora of other clubs) have also focused on imposing that pressure game and hardness. It was a feature of their first five matches resulting in four wins and a loss by under a goal in Perth. It is difficult to maintain that level of intensity - especially with its concomitant attrition rate - and this is the true story of St Kilda's drop in performance - the loss of first choice personnel through injury.

The good news for the Saints is that we are starting to get players back. In the coming few weeks we can expect to see the return of White, Phillips, Webster, Lonie, and Steven and a few players need to be managed (like Hannebery who is likely to return shortly).

It is interesting to note that our ruckman, Rowan Marshall, who has been absolutely starring in that role was recruited as a forward who can take rotations in the ruck has been forced to take on that role full time. If he were to succumb to injury the Saints would be force to play Sam Rowe as first ruck - such is the state of our tall brigade.

As we replace injured players with young players, the ability to maintain a pressure game falls away. Those that have come in and have been able to hold their spot are a credit to themselves and to the fitness staff. Paton, Wilkie, Coffield, Clark, Battle, Hind, Long and Parker all had few or no AFL matches under their belt but have performed admirably for us. Many were mature aged recruits - so they had a fitness base but no matter what level you have played, the AFL is more demanding. That these players have been able to do what they have this season augers well for future seasons.

On retrospect, the Saints' performance against Richmond may not have been as disastrous as some have painted it, especially when you look at the Gold Coast match yesterday. I am disappointed that Brown wasn't selected as I think his negation is first rate, his stats don't show how much he contributes but the performance of his direct opponent does.

If we have analysed the North game plan and devised strategies to weaken their pressure AND we apply plenty ourselves we will win this match.
The players need belief. The coaches imparting strategies and roles willo help in that, but the main thing they need is to see their efforts yield results.

 

[Saint Shags]

If the VFL is any indication we are in for a very very long afternoon.

 

[Drake Huggins]

Have you ever seen a less intimidating and frightening face than that one? I don't think JB would scare anyone.