They might be susceptible to teams who move the ball quickly - they looked their worst against Essendon* and the Roos were looking ok employing similair tactics until they ran out of fit players...
This makes guys like Stevo Simpson Bower Armfield crucial this week...
Really need to get numbers to each contest and get in front early to put them on the back foot.

IMO their only significant weakness is a lack of leg speed.

_________________
'The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule it'
H.L. Mencken

If Bentley is picked for this game I'll spew up.

I'd be happy to see Robbo come in for some smartarse work that he's becoming famous for.

_________________
end of message

I think this match will be won or lost in the midfield.

I don’t believe we have the skill to “chip” the ball through their zone, so we’ll have to beat it with run and carry.

I don’t feel good about this match, as we don’t seem to play well against teams who zone well.

Saints by 24.

Prove me wrong lads! Prove me wrong!

_________________
I AM DISENFRANCHISED

I reckon we will jump them early but go in at qtr time something like 2.5 to 2.0 and then be slightly behind at the half. Then get blown out in the 3rd and bring back some respectability to the scoreboard late in the 4th

To win this we must must convert early

_________________
*(grow - fun - gah)

Yeah but whatabout your whataboutism.

If Bentley is picked then we are tanking

_________________
It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to paint it

I hope they don't change too many players,as they played so well as a team against the Lions.perhaps it is as much about team chemistry as individual's stats,body type etc..?
Although there are some nay sayers about Cloke and Wiggins....They were great when they were Lords a Leapin' in the early rounds.
i guess the Chief is still injured though?
I think Cameron could come back and play a great game for us,just as Hoops did.
Otherwise,I'd be happy with last weeks team.

_________________
That’s not a political statement — it’s a harsh reality, and we must act,” she said. “He is a clear and present danger to the things that keep us strong and free. I support impeachment.”

Grro - you just might be on the money.

_________________
"our electorate seeks less to be informed and more to be validated." Sad times.

Only one way to have have a chance against the saints ... PLAY MAN ON MAN .. thats it .. in a nutshell.

_________________
I am as mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more!!!

Setanta didn't take one mark playing as a forward against Brisbane.
If he is picked this week it should only be as a defender....and to play on Kosi.
The Saints defence is much stronger than Brisbane's so we need to look at alternative options. I'd like to see Kreuzer spend more time up forward this week.

_________________
'The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule it'
H.L. Mencken

I appreciate your comments...but IMHO we really need to forget about Cloke and Wiggins....I know this may be difficult for some...but I say we all give it a red hot go and see what happens.

_________________
"Truth, for the tyrants, is the most terrible and cruel of all bindings; it is like an incandescent iron falling across their chests. And it is even more agonizing than hot iron, for that only burns the flesh, while truth burns its way into the soul"     — Lauro Aguirre

That is not correct. I recall him taking a mark on the run in the third quarter and would have had a shot from 40 m out, but a free kick was given against Simmo. But I take your point.

I would keep Setanta as he is a good defensive half forward option to complement Fish, given his tenacity, and speed. Also provides flexibility if defensive match ups are not working.

_________________
Scott, things aren't as happy as they used to be down here at the unemployment office. Joblessness is no longer just for Philosophy majors - useful people are starting to feel the pinch.

oooh...I could not possibly do that short of this season..or without many hours of councelling!
In the words of George Michael..
Have al little Faith...(brother)
Regarding the post about Setant...he most certainly did take a fabulous mark down forward...and I still have faith in him too.
If someone has to come in...then my vote right now is for Mitch(shoulda bin nominated round 1)Robinson.
I ask you this guys...who among you BELIEVES,somewhere gut deep that we can actually win this game?
If the entire team is ON..and plays with their heart and soul ..then....
I say YES WE CAN!

_________________
That’s not a political statement — it’s a harsh reality, and we must act,” she said. “He is a clear and present danger to the things that keep us strong and free. I support impeachment.”

If Bentley gets picked I will stake out Kernahan's office until he agrees to give the members of the match committee a decent grilling.

No Bentley
No Wiggins
No Cloke

If Hartlett gets picked, then they had better have a flowering good plan for him.

Hadley might get picked to give us some fight in the guts - if so he needs to step up and not go missing.

Keep Setanta on Kosi, rotate Jamo and Bower on Crybaby Riewoldt.
Let AJ take Montagna, and Carrots to start on scumbag milne and see if hes needed elsewhere.
Gibbs can take Hayes

If Yarran gets a guernsey then he needs to tackle nonstop.

Saints SHOULD win this, but if we give them a run for it I will be happy.
Its a measure of our improvement that we have wins in the bag, and have the luxury of just going for broke and letting the young guys do their stuff.

I will be keeping a close eye on Grigg if he plays in this game...

Wonder what Ratts and the MC are thinking ...

WIN EVERY BATTLE.
The away side last week was more experienced, looked more even ... do they leave the side more or less unchanged against the Saints and go for the win with your "best team" on the park. THis being the strategy, the side is either unchanged or looking for Banno to be a "surprise inclusion" for Houla this week. He'd be good on a Goddard or even a Gram and this adds a hardened defender with a mature body and good height to the mix.

OR

LOSE A BATTLE, WIN THE WAR.
Given that the Saints are a better side and the expectation is a loss ... does the MC do as we did against Geelong in the preseason and rest some senior players who may be sore (eg. Jammo, Thornton, Stevo, Houla etc.), give them an extended break and bring in the youth to experience the pressure that the best teams bring to the table. This would freshen up some players for the run towards finals. Then play the likes of Austin, Yarran, Robbo and Anderson. Finals being the end goal, the development of kids and resting of key players may be a solid option. Problem: they don't want a thumping.

OR

Something completely different ...

_________________
"It was like calling your ex girlfriend after a night on the booze, just a really bad decision".

The odds are stacked against us. We're young and upcoming.

But I believe we have a good chance to knock them off...gut feeling.

Why?

Because we've played well to get the 2 wins up and we have a great desire for 3 in a row,
More importantly, the Saints have not really been their best in the last 2 weeks, and I was hoping they were still undefeated when we played them to give them a false sense of form. That's the case so maybe the piueces are falling into place. King is out and that is good.

They are beatable, and I reckon this is the 1 bogey team we may knock off this year followed by Swans the second time around.

We can play like it's the last game of the year; we have a break afyer this weak.

I expect our guys to go in hard and bruise them.

We have to take them on and run with the ball in packs...diagonally forward we can cut them up. Fev, Kreuzer forward with Fisher closer to the goals. I prefer Setanta to take on Reiwoldt...I don't expect a miracle but a good contest and push Reiwoldt out of the forwardline. Reiwoldt is in red hot form. Thornton can take care of Kosi...he's done it before.

JUDD Murphy Gibbs Stevens Simpson Scotland Carrazzo Joseph...sounds good doen't it. That's what the Saints midfield is thinking, Let them worry about us and lets go for it right from the start.

As for Cloke and Wiggins, I wanted them dropped because of bad form...in essence I felt that we were carrying them and they were not contributing enough to be included.

Fish and Cloke will always be exploited for a lack of leg speed and forward pressure by the top teams, and I don't see them as our future. If they are in form well lets consioder them against weak teams. As for Wiggo, if he can get theta NAB form and form of rouind 1 and 2, yeah he should be considered, but he's not a given.

_________________
Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

..that's right, he took quite a high mark in that instance.. ..but also i remember he coming straight up at chf and taking a good mark at full pace vs a hard/fast kick coming in like a bullet.. ..he's looked the pick of the bunch in regards to our options used thru chf (slim picking i know)..

_________________
..if you can't be good, be good at it..

there is no magic formula to beat the Saints... its that simple... play man on man and put pressure on them all game and watch how they crack and panic and change the way they usually play...


The Kangaroos is an average team that beat them up to half time and then ran out of legs as they were 2 down....


This is a game we are not expected to win nor should we win if we follow logic and common sense, however i am more interested in the fact that i do not want us to be blown out by a 10 goal margin by simply showing no pressure and no fighting spirit...


just for the record, the Saints have been toying with us in the last 11 encounters... at times, they made us feel like school kids

The great news is, There is NO Milneeeeeeeeee this timeeeeeeee lol

I think we can match it with them in the midfield and I agree that their weakness is their leg speed. I would play AJ on Montagna as he is their quickest and most important midfielder who they use to bounce and carry the footy through the midfield (he apparently is number 1 in the AFL in distance carried)

Unfortunately our defence is a concern.

No Waite to drop back and now no Thornton (as he will not play due to a leg injury). He is still our number 1 defender and would have taken Kozi. With Bower sure to go onto Reiwoldt then we may be looking at promoting Hartlett for Kozi and maybe also Austin.

The boys are confident and give themselves a chance.

The rabble is ripe for the picking but Thornton is a massive lost !!

_________________
Life is made up of 3 things: Pre-Season, Post Season & Footy Season.

..if thornton is out it'll hurt us as he's been v.good as the 3rd option helping out fellow defenders.. ..i'd first use bower on revolting, setant/stonecold on kosi.. ..snotland as 3rd man up.. ..jamo's shoulder doesn't seem right for any of those 3 tasks..

..AJ to go on monty, Army on milne (maybe jamo?)..

_________________
..if you can't be good, be good at it..