What is going on???

[DarrenR]

Well after a season of 19 straight wins, we have two improbable losses, and we have to think why?

Are we one-trick ponies who have been worked out by other clubs?
Are we paying the price for meddling with winning form by resting players?
Are we training so heavily for the finals that we fatigue during games?
Are we focusing on other processes, that results are immaterial?
Have we played clubs that have players that can beat our game plan?

Ross does not seem too concerned but I have to say I am . As the pies and dogs seem to be hitting form, we seem to be losing form and confidence. At the moment we seem to be heading into a final series that on form we will go out of in straight sets. Particularly worrying, is that we stressed the importance of winning contested football and yet lost it against both the bombers and the roos. What is going on???

 

[SaintsManMat]

I will take option 2 for $500 Alex

Resting players against Hawthorn has stuffed our chemistry and form, IMO

 

[bubblegoose]

I'll go all in on option 4 thanks Darren

 

[krusden]

dazza,

we've played two clubs in two weeks an lost, right?

One - was the bummers. we lost on the last kick of the day after being 43 points down against a side that was busting its gut to make the eight.

Two - was against a north team. who named a new coach last week. THUS their side was full of players playing for their north melbs future IMO and impressing their new coach. we also basically lost on the last kick of the day after being 32 points down.

All these two losses say to me is: if we get behind we can come back. and 32 points or thereabouts is our limit.

we're 19-2. remember that

 

[Look2Me4Guidance]

I'm sure all of us have an opinion on this brothers. There's so many ways to look at it.

Last week I felt we were very poor given we had less than 300 possessions for the match and yet we had a legitimate chance to win the game.

This week, things are back in the right direction with 370 odd possessions. The defence was back with holding the Roos to 64 despite them kicking 50% of their score in the opening 17 mins of the game. We dominate the inside 50's. We get beaten at the tackles, but still have 70+, not the worst thing.

Here is where I worry.

We win the hitouts for the day quite convincingly with both King and Gardi have more HO's than McIntosh who has been a very good ruckman this year. Despite this, we get smashed at the contested ball, not good.

Heavy training load I can take to an extent. However that does not transcend to poor decision making. Why persist to kick to Riewoldt when he is vastly outnumbered?

Decision making moving forward what was cost us the game yesterday. You can argue about the contested ball, but we lost the game by 5 points. Our structure was off yesterday.

I feel really ill today. It's all part of the journey for sure, but we were as flat as anything yesterday. Sunday can't come quick enough, it's time to right the ship brothers.

These blokes deserve it. Everyone to the G on Sunday please. It's time to get behind the brothers and begin our tilt at September glory.

Get up em you mighty Sainters.

 

[krusden]

These blokes deserve it. Everyone to the G on Sunday please. It's time to get behind the brothers and begin our tilt at September glory.

Get up em you mighty Sainters.

as mark mclure (spelling?) said yesterday - we will have a point to prove against the dees on sunday. bottom side or not its our first run on the g and I'd think rossy will be pushing the boys to get a feel for the ground and cut loose.

i'm looking forward to watching us pulverise the bottom side.

 

[we57st]

I think an important thing that's contributed to our past 2 losses has been losing the centre clearances - by this I don't mean the hitouts but the actual centre takeaway. Yesterday in the 1st quarter that was patently obvious with Swallow the main instigator for North. Hayes was a big loss in that aspect of the game and I think he is hugely underrated in terms of importance to our team.

The other thing I will put down to being a mental thing. It is hard to be up physically AND mentally for 22 weeks of a season, especially at the tail end when you are playing sides in the bottom 8 and are already guaranteed to finish top at the end of 22 rounds.

In some ways, I think the Hawthorn game was a pivotal one. When we chose to "rest" those gun players, many people called it flirting with our form and thought we would lose. Instead, what happened??? The players that came in - Armitage, Begley, Steven, McEvoy among them - stepped it up a level and played with a hunger and desperation that showed they knew they only had the one chance to show enough to maybe get a finals gig.

Then what happened - the "rested" players came back in, almost to a man and everyone (players included????) believed that we would win the last 3 games of the season against relatively non-threatening opposition. Instead - we've lost 2 out of 3, and each time the opposition has looked hungrier and more desperate to win the contest.

What needs to happen - EVERY player to be put on notice. NO ONE'S place in the team is guaranteed or to be taken for granted. The team should be chosen on the previous week's performance, NOT on reputation or sentiment or anything else. I have every faith in Ross Lyon to lay down the law and see this through, as he has done in the past.

If we show Melbourne the same scant respect we have shown Essendon and North Melbourne, make no mistake - we WILL be beaten. Ladder positions are irrelevant at this end of the season when certain teams are playing their last games of the year, and other teams are more concerned with self-preservation.

We supporters hurt with every loss, we have followed this success-starved club forever, and at the very least, we deserve to see our team give 110% out on the field each week.

 

[HoldenMCaulfield]

as mark mclure (spelling?) said yesterday - we will have a point to prove against the dees on sunday. (...)

It's Troy McClure.

You may remember him from such films as "we will have a point to prove against North Melbourne next week".

 

[krusden]

It's Troy McClure.

You may remember him from such films as "we will have a point to prove against North Melbourne next week".

come to think of it he speaks slowly like Troy!

 

[Murraj1966]

All i can cling to, is that the Hawks lost to Ninthmond last year in their lead up to the finals, so it's not "World is ending" yet.

 

[frednirk]

I have nothing to cling to.

My panicky stkilda supporter instincts are overwhelming me.

My pants have been crapped.

Once again...i'm relying on miracles. A few rounds ago i dared...just started daring to think we were a champion side. Losing 2 in a row to beatable sides is an annoying wakeup call. Suddenly we look mediocre at all levels.

 

[Persevering Saint]

Look.

Our two main ball-winners from the centre - Lenny and Ball - were out. That will not be the case in the finals.

It was a dead-rubber game - we didn't even have a streak to play for.

Contested possessions, which is the stat everybody's picked up on (and rightly so): these are as much a reflection of WILL as they are SKILL. All the boys that were out there on Sunday still had the skill to win the contested ball. They just didn't want to. And Why? Because it's a dead-rubber waste-of-time match, among an established squad of about 26 players who aren't really competing as much as they think they are for spots in the Finals. And because the only way that those players won't play in Finals and get their chance to prove their worth when it matters, is if they are injured. Because Sean Dempster and Luke Ball were out of last year's campaign not because of skill, will or anything else, but because they'd got injured just before.

I was at the game yesterday - they pulled out of contests ALL THE TIME. Tackles were even more softly laid than they were against Essendon. And you know what, I don't blame them. They don't want to risk injury. But come the finals, that same ferocity we know and love will be back.

Mark it. Whether we play the Doggies or the Wobbles in Week 1, we will lose the first quarter by about, say, 3 goals. Then, we'll be back in the swing, and it'll be on - like, really on - again. The opposition will not know what the hell just hit them.

 

[Murraj1966]

Look.

Our two main ball-winners from the centre - Lenny and Ball - were out. That will not be the case in the finals.

It was a dead-rubber game - we didn't even have a streak to play for.

Contested possessions, which is the stat everybody's picked up on (and rightly so): these are as much a reflection of WILL as they are SKILL. All the boys that were out there on Sunday still had the skill to win the contested ball. They just didn't want to. And Why? Because it's a dead-rubber waste-of-time match, among an established squad of about 26 players who aren't really competing as much as they think they are for spots in the Finals. And because the only way that those players won't play in Finals and get their chance to prove their worth when it matters, is if they are injured. Because Sean Dempster and Luke Ball were out of last year's campaign not because of skill, will or anything else, but because they'd got injured just before.

I was at the game yesterday - they pulled out of contests ALL THE TIME. Tackles were even more softly laid than they were against Essendon. And you know what, I don't blame them. They don't want to risk injury. But come the finals, that same ferocity we know and love will be back.

Mark it. Whether we play the Doggies or the Wobbles in Week 1, we will lose the first quarter by about, say, 3 goals. Then, we'll be back in the swing, and it'll be on - like, really on - again. The opposition will not know what the hell just hit them.

Your ideas intrigue me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

 

[Cuz2Plugger]

No one knows what's going on, we'll only find out in the finals

 

[RustNeverSleeps]

Don't think the wheels are quite falling off just yet.

No injuries and nothing to be unduly worried about except a minor lapse in form.

The bit of doubt creeping in makes for an exciting finals campaign.

 

[mark73]

I think an important thing that's contributed to our past 2 losses has been losing the centre clearances - by this I don't mean the hitouts but the actual centre takeaway. Yesterday in the 1st quarter that was patently obvious with Swallow the main instigator for North. Hayes was a big loss in that aspect of the game and I think he is hugely underrated in terms of importance to our team.

The other thing I will put down to being a mental thing. It is hard to be up physically AND mentally for 22 weeks of a season, especially at the tail end when you are playing sides in the bottom 8 and are already guaranteed to finish top at the end of 22 rounds.

In some ways, I think the Hawthorn game was a pivotal one. When we chose to "rest" those gun players, many people called it flirting with our form and thought we would lose. Instead, what happened??? The players that came in - Armitage, Begley, Steven, McEvoy among them - stepped it up a level and played with a hunger and desperation that showed they knew they only had the one chance to show enough to maybe get a finals gig.

Then what happened - the "rested" players came back in, almost to a man and everyone (players included????) believed that we would win the last 3 games of the season against relatively non-threatening opposition. Instead - we've lost 2 out of 3, and each time the opposition has looked hungrier and more desperate to win the contest.

What needs to happen - EVERY player to be put on notice. NO ONE'S place in the team is guaranteed or to be taken for granted. The team should be chosen on the previous week's performance, NOT on reputation or sentiment or anything else. I have every faith in Ross Lyon to lay down the law and see this through, as he has done in the past.

If we show Melbourne the same scant respect we have shown Essendon and North Melbourne, make no mistake - we WILL be beaten. Ladder positions are irrelevant at this end of the season when certain teams are playing their last games of the year, and other teams are more concerned with self-preservation.

We supporters hurt with every loss, we have followed this success-starved club forever, and at the very least, we deserve to see our team give 110% out on the field each week.

Agree and disagree on a few aspects. Hayes will obviously make a difference, had've we played out the game the way we did yesterday, St.Kilda would've lost the last 3 encounters, and yes you're success starved. A guy like Barker would've killed to play amongst the array of players you have now. Combining his heart and courage with a Lenny Hayes and a Nick Riewoldt type skill and you will win a flag tomorrow.

 

[jackmac7]

I have nothing to cling to.

My panicky stkilda supporter instincts are overwhelming me.

My pants have been crapped.

Once again...i'm relying on miracles. A few rounds ago i dared...just started daring to think we were a champion side. Losing 2 in a row to beatable sides is an annoying wakeup call. Suddenly we look mediocre at all levels.

Settle down Sainters.

let's just take a look at the Bulldogs who a couple of weeks ago who were in the same dilemma as we find ourselves in now. Beaten by the eagles and in a form slump. The word out of the kennel was this 'heavy training phase' which is what the saints are going through now. Yes the dogs have peaked before us but remember they are gunning for a top 4 spot.

We are not motivated enough for games against bottom 8 sides at the backend of the season when we had already sewn up the minor premiership. Players have definately had one eye on that first final and who our opponent will be, this was Addressed in a team meeting after sunday's game stated by joey from an article on the saints website. Our tackle and contested ball count is well down which reflects our lack of intensity that we have brought to the table the last 2 weeks. Are players trying to look after themselves or something else?

We have played poorly the last 2 weeks looking very flat and we lost both games by less then a goal.

Maybe playing on the G' for the first time this year a week before the finals and smashing the Dee's will give the players that sniff of september. Plenty of goals and high fives is all I want to see.

 

[Sainters66]

We are all feeling the pain, the anxiety and the anticipation. Hopefully, this will serve as a big wake up call. It has also taken the heat off us a bit as having to carry the mantle of favorites. Colonwood can have that; but I do FEAR them. I just hope we don't do a Port circa 2002-2003!

 

[IllBeTheJudge]

I'll take option 4 with a side order of 3

I don't fear any team. I'm sure our boys don't either

With the sort of game the Pies are playing lately, they deserve to be equal bookie's favourites for the flag IMO, but I certainly don't fear them. We can beat them, and if required, I believe we will beat them

 

[Armwarmer]

I must admit that I was disappointed with both our losses, especially last week's game against North.

But, I agree that the intensity of the players is waning a bit in these final weeks because they (smartly) don't want to risk injury.

If I could choose between us going into the finals with a 22-0 record, but in doing so risk a few injuries; or going in with 20 wins and a full squad, I'd definitely choose the latter.

Ofcourse it's a problem if we go into september with our confidence down a bit. But I don't necessarily think this will be the case. The team knows that they could have beaten Essendon or North. They just didn't want to risk getting injured and put the whole team's attack on the premiership in jeopardy.

 

[sauce_head]

Rest easy everybody. Cartlon's 1995 side was the best I ever saw a football club play.

Check out their form that season. I think you will be plesantly suprised...