Round 9: Another disappointing loss

Unfortunately, having Hayes back was not enough to secure a victory.

And really, I thought the Saints outplayed WB most of the game.

Riewoldt is still playing like a champion.  I thought Dal Santo had a better game this week.

But what else can I really say?  It gets a little old waiting, week after week, for things to turn around; to see the kind of play we saw against Carlton in Round 7.   And do I really need to write at length on how frustrating it is to lose when they had the lead midway through the last term?  If you want to know about all there is to know about the disheartening feeling of losing a lead, just read up on North Melbourne's season thus far.

Well, I guess WB was due for a win.

Congrats to Adelaide

Well done to the Adelaide Crows, who pulled off a huge come-from-behind victory against North Melbourne in Round 9 this weekend.

They were down by as much as 30 points with less than 5 minutes remaining and somehow managed to eat away at NM's lead until finally scoring a goal with 16 seconds left to take a one-point lead.  NM was unable to get even a possession after the center bounce, and the Crows walked away with a thrilling victory.

Wouldn't want to have been in the NM locker room after that one.

Sam Kerridge, who looks nothing like a 20-yr-old newbie, was incredible with six goals and many great plays in the clutch.  Hats off to the entire side.

What makes footy so awesome?

As someone who discovered footy as an adult (i.e. an American), I have spent a bit of time pondering what makes this sport so cool.
Is it the tremendous feats of sport on display in every match?  The way the game flows?  The speckies?
I'm sure it's a little of each.

I'll expand on some of my favorite aspects of the game and the way it's played in the AFL in some upcoming posts (too much to cover in one entry).  In any case, if you're an Aussie, you likely haven't given a lot of thought to this since footy has been a part of your experience since birth.

Well, now we all have the chance to identify what we so love about footy, and it's not just for the sake of academic reflection.

In an unexpected, but flippin' awesome, move, the AFL is actually taking input from fans before moving forward with rule changes.  See the article here: article.  There is a pretty cool survey for you to take: fan survey.

I encourage everyone to take the survey. It's not often a governing body seeks input in this way, so this is a chance we should not miss.

Greatest trio to never win a Premiership

When I first started following footy in about late 2009, I fell under the erroneous impression that St. Kilda was one of the great clubs.  And I suppose if you place a lot of stock in nostalgia and history, then they are.  After all, they are one of the originals, the clubs that were there when professional football really became a thing.  But if you measure greatness by winning, then they're kind of not so great.  In 2009, however, they were fantastic.

The 2009 Saints were one of the most dominant teams in history.  Unbeaten through the first 19 rounds, they finished the home-and-away season with only two losses.  Then they powered their way through the finals to meet Geelong in the Grand Final.  But they didn't take home the flag.

The next year they weren't nearly as strong, but they still had talent and guts and were able to return to the GF for the second consecutive year.  That turned out to be one of the most exciting, memorable matches of all time.  And while it reinforced the idea in my mind that the Saints were a perennially strong team, the club still failed to win a Premiership.

Since then, I've spent some time looking at league history and stats, and I now realize St. Kilda is more of an also-ran than a powerhouse.  Yet, three current players at the club are actually among the best to have played the game: Riewoldt, Hayes, and Milne.  Riewoldt and Milne both rank high in several categories, including career goals.  Hayes may not have a lot of flashy stats, but his abilities on the field are unquestioned.

All three of these players have had stellar careers, careers that cannot last more than a few more seasons.  Looking at the current state of things, it seems very unlikely the club will win a Premiership before one or all of this group retires.  What a disappointment that St. Kilda will have had these outstanding players, who've shown great loyalty to the club, for so many seasons and fall short of the ultimate prize.

The media have asked Riewoldt about this; he has of course downplayed the significance noting that there's more to life than winning it all.  I've never seen the question put to Hayes or Milne, but I suspect their responses would be similar.

Brendon Goddard was in a similar position at St. Kilda, and I now wonder whether not winning a championship was a big part of his decision to leave the club.  When the Saints were training in Colorado this past year, I asked Milne why he thought Goddard had left and he indicated it was predominantly a salary dispute.  But the prospect of not winning may have been weighing on Goddard's mind and got him thinking about leaving.

Anything can happen in the next few seasons, and of course I'd love to see St. Kilda bring home a Premiership.  Still, if they don't manage to win, I think these three players will be remembered as one of the best trios to play nearly their entire careers together without achieving the highest benchmark of success.

How many phones must die?

Is there no better way for a coach to express his frustration than to slam the phone receiver on the desk?

And is it a requirement for the job of Collingwood coach that you have the shortest, most-explosive temper possible?  I mean Malthouse was bad enough, but Buckley usually looks like he's about to put a fist through a wall.  But, then, in my mind Magpies is synonymous with jerk.

Seriously, you don't see Watters or Lyon doing that, do you?  Well, Lyon looks closer to comatose than livid most of the time, but still.  And I realize StK is not exactly the model of success, but even Chris Scott and Alastair Clarkson seem to be able to control themselves, and they are at the helm of very successful clubs.

So can we just be civil, please?  And leave those poor phones alone?

The ship's not turned around yet

Before round 7 I saw a chance for St. Kilda to right their ship by beating Carlton and beginning a move up on the ladder.  And, wonderfully, they came through.  They were lively, coordinated, and impressive.  Their hand-passes were purposeful and accurate, they took most of the marks they could, their defense was sound, and their kicks were well-placed.  Most importantly, they won.

So I thought this might be the start of something great.

I was wrong, it turns out.  Sunday's match against the Crows was almost too painful to watch, after the first quarter.  I realize they lost by 40 points, which isn't they worst result ever or even close to it, but the way they played was abysmal. 

Did they get any sleep the night before?  I'm not sure they took more than 10 marks the entire second half.  It was like they were trying to catch their breath the whole time.  Which meant Adelaide was able to take marks in their forward fifty to their heart's content.

One player I have to call out is Rhys Stanley.  I hate to pick on him, since I think he shows massive potential and will be a great player someday.  But right now, he looks bewildered.  He takes very few marks, hardly ever tackles anyone, and has given away 13 frees while being awarded only 2.  Every time the ball comes toward him, he's behind his man.  He's just getting beat, plain and simple.  I know he put a lot of time into his physical conditioning, and takes the game very seriously.  But I really think he needs to take a few weeks at Sandringham until he can figure out how to win the ball again.

I'm just hoping Hayes comes back soon, and somehow Watters is able to light a fire under his players.

Geelong vs. Collingwood was a fantastic contest

I watched the last half of the Geelong-Collingwood game from Round 8, and boy, was it worth it.

At half-time, Geelong trailed by 26 points.  One of the announcers even remarked that, while the Cats had found a way to win every week through the first 7 rounds, it looked like their streak was about to end.  And then began one of the more dominant quarters of footy I've seen.  By three-quarter time, Geelong had built a 13-point lead.

The final term was a lot better for the Pies, and they ended up winning.
So ultimately the outcome was a little disappointing to me, as is the case any time Collingwood wins.

But, whoa, that was an exciting game.

What's with the body slams?

So, I've been watching footy for about four years now, and been a serious fan for about three.
And for the life of me, I still can not figure out the purpose of the body slams everyone throws in between play.

Honestly, what's the deal?  Everyone's walking back to position after a goal or behind or waiting for a ball-up and dudes are slamming each other.  You can see them make eye contact and line up for the hit.  No one gets hurt, it has no impact on the match, and no one gets in trouble.  And they all do it. 

And for every body slam, there are ten straight-up punches.

What's the point?  Do they just feel tough?  Does it show how dominant you are?  Is it some bizarre sign of respect?  Do the chicks dig it?

I just don't get it.

A Season On the Brink

After six rounds, the Saints have just enough season left to salvage.
They play Carlton on Monday night; the Blues are a good team, but beatable.

With Gwilt back for the first time in five rounds, there will finally be a leader in defense.  Roberton has been good, but that hasn't been enough.  Stanley has played admirably in front of the goal, but I think it's clear he simply does not understand the position yet.  With Gwilt on the field, Stanley can move to half-forward where he'll likely be much more effective.  Of course, Hayes will not be available, which presents a challenge.

What can be said about the season so far?  A few players have consistently played well: Riewoldt, Hayes, Montagna, and Roberton.  That's good, especially since Riewoldt has not been outstanding the last couple seasons.
But what about Milne and Kosi?  Milne's been okay (not great), Kosi has been very disappointing, and both of them have shown some extremely poor judgement that has cost them suspensions.  Scott Watters needs to crack down on this; it's unacceptable.

Several important pieces need to fall into place, though, if St. Kilda is to have any hope of salvaging the season.

Dal Santo needs to get back into form.  He's been all but invisible through six rounds, and it's hurt the Saints' midfield significantly.  The other mid-career players need to start having a greater impact too.  Steven, Fisher, Newnes, McEvoy, Jones, and Armitage.  They've all been pretty meh the entire season.  They don't all need to be stars, but we need to see more possessions, disposals, tackles, and quality kicks to the forward fifty coming from this group.

No more injuries for Hayes.  He's simply too important.  I would also love to see Schneider back in the line-up, and playing well.

The young players need to play consistently.  Stanley, Saad, Milera (when he gets the chance), Siposs, Ross, and Lee have all shown great promise, but can't seem to follow through on expectations.  I realize they're all very young, but to have any chance at a respectable record, these players must start playing better.

So, in summary, the whole team needs to step it up.  Easier said than done, I know.  And not really much of a plan for improvement.
But if they can start clicking, they can do a lot more than they have so far.
And who knows, they could even make the finals.

But it has to start this round.

The Inaugural Post

So, I've finally decided to start this blog.
Originally, I had envisioned it as a general footy blog, but for now, it will focus mostly on St. Kilda, since they're my team.
I will try to include some posts on other footy topics along the way, fwiw.
I hope you enjoy it.
Thanks for reading.