Saints to Win Wizard Cup

[Darkhour]

The Age also reports that the Saints have set themselves to win the pre-season Wizard Cup competition.

"With such a young list we have to forge a mentality in there of winning at all costs every single time they step out on to the park. So we're going in to win it. It gives them enormous belief and self-esteem, some pretty good by-products. And the $200,000 doesn't hurt either," coach Grant Thomas told The Age.

 

[Z_K]

Well. That's it then.

 

[noodle]

Going to do a Port and burn themselves out in the pre-season.

 

[Portia]

Fremantle will win it.

What is so incredibly taxing about pre-season games that people reckon teams burn out by playing them?

 

[BrainOfMorbius]

Originally posted by Porthos
Fremantle will win it.

What is so incredibly taxing about pre-season games that people reckon teams burn out by playing them?

Depends where you play them all. If they're mostly at home they're not particularly taxing at all.

 

[Squeak]

They might as well go for it. Success breeds success, possibly even for St Kilda.

 

[SCRAY72]

I'm off to the TAB now and put $20,000 on the Saints for the Wizard Cup so I can pay off my mortgage by Mid-March.
I'm excited like Big Kev, thank you Grant Thomas

 

[afc9798]

I think the argument about Port winning the Cup and burning out is pretty thin when you look at their record last year in particular. That said, I do hope that my club uses the Wizard Cup as preparation for the younger players and to try out the forward structure. I would suspect that either Freo or St Kilda would not be a bad bet to win the pre-season prize this year.

 

[The Doctor]

Originally posted by SCRAY72
I'm off to the TAB now and put $20,000 on the Saints for the Wizard Cup so I can pay off my mortgage by Mid-March.
I'm excited like Big Kev, thank you Grant Thomas

Didn't Terry Wheeler once say something similar, got off to a flyer, but ended up with egg on his face?

 

[MarkT]

I don't think it's a burnout thing. However it is more difficult to be "up" from February to Late September than from April. I don't see much downside to having a big preseason comp.

MM uses the comp. as a training/education exercise at best and see's it as an inconvenient interruption to his program at worst. Other coaches like to practice winning more than anything else. Some clubs need the impetus of success to attract a reasonable membership. St.Kilda fit both the latter categories. IMO Port would be best suited to using the comp. as an opportunity to try different game plans and positional placings. They have proved they can win preseason games, it won't make a difference to membership and it hasn't counted for anything come September - or even March/April.

 

[Portia]

Port AFL preseason grand finals: 99, 01, 02
Port AFL finals appearances: 99, 01, 02

It does seem that a good preseason sets you up for a good season.

 

[hotpie]

Originally posted by Porthos
Port AFL preseason grand finals: 99, 01, 02
Port AFL finals appearances: 99, 01, 02

It does seem that a good preseason sets you up for a good season.

How did Port fare in those finals series? Did they look a little flat at the end of the year?

 

[Pessimistic]

Of course the Hawks of the eighties had no trouble with the pre-season and then the grand final. Hawks still take the pre-season seriously and there is a great atmosphere at the preseason GF - Its all true fans and not a suit in sight.

 

[Port01]

Originally posted by hotpie
How did Port fare in those finals series? Did they look a little flat at the end of the year?

Compared to the years we had a bad preseason and the players were just binge drinking?

 

[Portia]

Originally posted by hotpie
How did Port fare in those finals series? Did they look a little flat at the end of the year?

In 99 they looked outclassed, in 01 maybe after the Brisbane final & 02 I don't reckon so. The loss of our fullback in the last couple of rounds in 01 and 02 I'd say were bigger impacts than a couple of practice matches 24 weeks earlier.

 

[Joffaboy]

Originally posted by Porthos
In 99 they looked outclassed, in 01 maybe after the Brisbane final & 02 I don't reckon so. The loss of our fullback in the last couple of rounds in 01 and 02 I'd say were bigger impacts than a couple of practice matches 24 weeks earlier.

I think the above quote seems an accurate reflection on how The Power travelled in thoses three years during the final series. They certainly didn't look flat in 02 series. Mabye a tad complacent when it came to Collingwood, or mabye got a bit ahead of themselves, but flat, no I would say not IMHO.

The Saints are right to to talk up their chances and put not wholly unreal expectations on themselves.

About half a dozen Saint players have been quoted as saying the Saints have to step up and be a finals contender this year. So why not start out with the preseason Cup.
In 1996 the Saints won the preseason. Now to most clubs, yhis means little, but to success starved Saints fans it was just unbelievable that we actually won something. It kicked off momentum that eventually led to a GF in 97. Not a premiership, granted, but some smidgeon of success at any rate.

As many of you have posted, the Saints have put together a very good young list due to them being *****house (in the words of GT).

It is time to instill a mindset of success, and why not start with the Wizard Cup?

 

[hotpie]

Originally posted by Joffaboy


As many of you have posted, the Saints have put together a very good young list due to them being *****house (in the words of GT).

It is time to instill a mindset of success, and why not start with the Wizard Cup?

Collingwood also bit a great young list, thanks to being crap, and nearly pinched a Premiership. They didn't find it neccessary to go 100% in the practice matches, and they ended the year with relatively fresh legs in September.

Like MarkT says, prizemoney and Membership may be good reasons to go hard in the Wizard Cup, but I don't think players careers are aided at all by this.

 

[nut]

With a young list youn are better off peeking later in the season. Young players seem to burn out. Ask Geelong.

 

[Portia]

The point is that even the winner doesn't go 100% in the preseason games. Look at Port's usual preseason approach - they'd blow the opposition away in the first half, then coast for the rest of the game...thats a long way from playing at 100%.

 

[Joffaboy]

Originally posted by hotpie
Like MarkT says, prizemoney and Membership may be good reasons to go hard in the Wizard Cup, but I don't think players careers are aided at all by this.

The above are two good reasons to try and win the Cup.
The Saints are in a totally different position to the Pies.
We need the money, the membership and to get that winning feeling going through the club. Collingwood has the money, the members and has just made a GF.

Malthouse has always had the luxury of not worrying about the preseason. When with WC he used to bring the ressies over to play in melb.
Now with the Pies, he doesn't have to worry about finances the way other clubs do.

Success breeds success, and the Saints have been cr@p for too long.

Start with the preseason and see where it takes you.

 

[hotpie]

Looks like a Saints vs Power GF

May the best preseason team win.

 

[Joffaboy]

Originally posted by Porthos
The point is that even the winner doesn't go 100% in the preseason games. Look at Port's usual preseason approach - they'd blow the opposition away in the first half, then coast for the rest of the game...thats a long way from playing at 100%.

Exactly. And it is really only one extra game if you make the final.
(I think it is still a round robin).

Geez, the way the Saints got injured last year, they may as well go all out to win the preseason, at least it would be something.
And how all out can you actually go? It is, after all, the preseason, and the games are used for match conditioning, as well as being there to win.

 

[Joffaboy]

Originally posted by hotpie
Looks like a Saints vs Power GF

May the best preseason team win.

lol - oh well something to hang our hats on if the season turns out to be a poor one.

But then again, the Saints have always got the Rising Star and early draft picks to look forward to

 

[morgoth]

Danger

So what happens if the Aints crash out in the first round? I would suggest that people will just shrug their shoulders and say 'same old, same old'. Things must be grim as they are getting in the press every opp they get and this would be designed to get memebers and more important sponsors. A first round loss would be a disaster after this crap.

They play Hawthorn who will be keen to atone for a bad 2002 and also to protect their turf in Tassie; not easy. Far better IMO to adopt a quiet approach and 'just do it'.

 

[St-KriS]

Well its good to see that the pre-season competetion winner has already been decided.