Preliminary Finals and the Wash-up

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Friday:- Just where do St Kilda stand in the greater scheme of things after their Friday Night defeat by Sydney?
1. Is their list as good as everyone continues to talk about?
2. It is obvious that injuries have taken their toll, but other teams have been able to cover for theirs, so why not the Saints?
3. Their much vaunted list does not seem to have any depth and appears to end at about Player 20, with the others being fair to average. Is this a problem with their recruiting people and, if so, what are they going to do without Harvey or Gehrig if they decide to give it away?
4. Will Matt Maguire rue his poor effort for the rest of his playing days. Surely it will become one of the focal points for the sledgers in future and, in a way, mirrors St Kilda's culture.
5. Methinks we have seen the last of the St Kilda Force for another few years.

Saturday:- Adelaide played above all expectations this year and performed remarkably well, can they continue?
1. Surely Neil Craig's coaching strategies will come under stringent examination during the off season and be countered next year.
2. Retirements and age must hurt them next year.
3. Generally a meritorious year and a terrific debut by Craig. Will still have nuisance value next season.

― Westener (Westener), Monday, 19 September 2005 04:05 (twenty years ago)

1. No
2. St Kilda has some awesome players but I believe their list falls away quite dramatically after the top eight or so players. These 8 players include Riewoldt, Kositskche and Hamill who have all missed large chunks of the season.
3. 20 is being generous. They are screwed when G Train and Banger leave.
4. Hall has a blackbelt I believe, if anyone knows how to smack a pressure point, it would be Big Bad Bustling.
5. Disagree. The Saints aren't done with quite yet, although Thomas should probably be under more scrutiny than he currently is.

1. The major focus with Craig is about preparation and getting the athletes ready at the right time of the year, something St Kilda should take note of. I don't think that this focus is something that you can effectively target from an opposition point of view.

2. Who will retire exactly? The Cows have climbed the ladder because players like Bock, Henstchell, Mattner and Rutten have stepped up. Any drop off from experienced players will be compensated by further improvement of players of the type mentioned above.

3. A good year by the Cows but the key factor is injuries or lack of. It might be down to preparation but there is an element of luck involved as well. The worst thing the Cows can do is to say 'maybe next year' and not think about the lessons of 2005. Like Port Adelaide before them, they threw away the flag by losing that home final. West Coast and Sydney did not do that and they are in the Grand Final.

regards,

REB

― Rik E Boy (Rik E Boy), Monday, 19 September 2005 20:53 (twenty years ago)

The prelims threw up the following
1. The season lacks a standout team like in recent seasons.
2. St Kilda will never win a premiership with Thomas as coach, Ackland as no1 ruck and playing injured players.
3. Geelong threw away a real chance to win a flag, they must be spewing after watching how the saints played
4. West coast despite having all their guns firing, could/should have lost the game to a side that played crap for all but 20 minutes.
5. Sydney are the ultimate in team, and in my opinion will shut down the WC midfield and without that the eagles have nothing else.

― jsa, Monday, 19 September 2005 21:37 (twenty years ago)

1. Is their list as good as everyone continues to talk about?
Yes. But taking in underdone players hurt them immensely. Their coach is a joke. And if he stays, he should get a conditioner in there - the number of hammies and calf injuries suffered by the Saints is a joke.
Guys like Milne, Guerra and Goddard are not big game players. Thommo and Peckett should give it away.
McGuire got belted when not expecting it. Walls is a total knob for suggesting he stayed down. If the whistle doesn't blow in 2 or 3 seconds, you are not going to get a kick, so you won't stay down.

Craig seems a great coach. The kids who were not quite there previously have stood up (Hentschel, Bock - REB's list exactly) - give the Cows an uninjured Johncock and I reckon they could have won.

Swans can shut down any team - their unsung 2nd string midfielders in Ablett, Buchanen, Schneider and Bevan are all fast and strong. Swans to win by 4 goals - with or without Bazza.

― Bennö (Bennö), Monday, 19 September 2005 22:57 (twenty years ago)

I thought Walls was a knob for crapping on about Maguire staying down as well. As if he could stand up to anything a tenth as hard as that. Arseclown.

regards,

REB

― Rik E Boy (Rik E Boy), Tuesday, 20 September 2005 01:06 (twenty years ago)

Robert Walls the big tough guy, what a joke. Id like to see him cop a full pucnh in the ribs, no in fact id like to see him cop one straight between the eyes.

― jsa, Tuesday, 20 September 2005 01:11 (twenty years ago)

Fair go..Robert KnoWalls should be commended in unifying the football community...everybody hates him LOL.

regards,

REB

― Rik E Boy (Rik E Boy), Tuesday, 20 September 2005 01:53 (twenty years ago)

Walls could take a punch as well or badly as anybody in his day, but unfortunately that doesn't stop him being a knob, any more than Derrrrr-mie. Maybe that was the problem, both of them copped too many in the days before helmets.

Walls also says Hall should be rubbed out, even while saying the punch was nothing and Maguire milked it.

Are Supernaut still looking for a new lead singer for their reunion tour?

― Fred Nerk (Fred Nerk), Tuesday, 20 September 2005 06:19 (twenty years ago)

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