Saints 3 draws in 5 games, including NAB cup. Should we be concerned with the form of the Saints and Goddard?
I'm not sure what you'll do though - surely you won't cut him. I won't be making him captain (again) until I see a bounce in his scores.
Its 3 from 9 in proper games or 4 from 14 if you include NAB. Goddard will be fine and as for the Saints it's only round 2 of what is a 26 week season for ultimate glory.
Wouldn't be too concerned about Goddard - didn't do anything for most of the match and still got to 100. Crank him up to 25 possessions and he'll be back to 120+.
Meataze hit the nail right on the head. Goddard is still too good to score less than 100, even when he does get towelled up by the BOG player (Deledio). Don't move him, you'll only regret it.
Yep and yep. Did the same last year against Port at AAmi where he barely had an influence yet raised the bat for a 100 + change. I'd be more concerned about players in your squad that look to be in career best form but can only seem to pull 80's and 90's.
And you have to have someone to bring in... Who're you going to replace him with? You know as soon as you do he'll start tearing it up and make you trade him back in at a $$ loss! Come to think on it, trade him out... Maybe then he'll start scoring for the rest of us!
Essendon has been St.Kilda's achilles heel over the past 2 years... but for whatever reason (short pre-season, lack of motivation) it is not looking good for us...
Perhaps Thunda is concerned by the hit we are all about to take on Goddard's price. He is a set and forget 100. No matter what score you get out of an alternative, your opponent will always have that 100 to fall back on. All the right noises are starting to come out of the coach and Joey, so the Saints will turn it around and Goddard's scores will climb accordingly. My only concern would be that he is currently playing all over the field and showing signs of frustration (but expected for a perfectionist). While the paparazzi are calling it a premiership hangover, it is more likely the pre-season shenanigans. Except for Hayes, the talent is there, so it is all in the head.
I predicted before the season that the Saints would roar through the mid to late part of the year. Not sure if that will happen if they rebuild totally. Wise heads should say another crack with the current team, but to slowly put in 1-2 younger players per week rotating them through. The impact of the late preseason and the aging bodies cannot be underestimated but personally if I were Ross Lyon and the fitness guys, I wouldn't be giving the players easy treatment over the bye week, in fact I would be making training physically testing for them. If not the commando courses that Hawthorn did in Bulleen all those years ago, something like what Mark Williams did to the Port boys. The Saints players need a dose of reality, similar to what the Arizona trip did to the Magpies. Massive climbs done without time to recover, and the Pies players were going "what the hell is going on?" but then realised yep that's the requirements to improve for the next season. The Saints are still stuck in the "what's going on" and until they snap out of it, will continue to struggle and lose winnable games. Brisbane at the Gabba is no gimme followed by Adelaide at Footy Park and Carlton at the fast track, then Hawthorn. Ouch. I could see them being 1-1-5. 3-1-3 would be the pass mark I would be setting.
On St Kilda I think this is pretty much where it's at: [embed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myyWXKeBsNk[/embed]
I don’t know what to say, really. Three minutes till the biggest battle of our professional lives all comes down to today. Now either we heal as a team or we’re gonna crumble, inch by inch, play by play, 'til we’re finished. We’re in hell right now, gentlemen, believe me. And, we can stay here -- get the shit kicked out of us -- or we can fight our way back into the light. We can climb outta hell one inch at a time. Now, I can’t do it for you. I’m too old. I look around. I see these young faces, and I think -- I mean -- I made every wrong choice a middle-aged man can make. I, uh, I pissed away all my money, believe it or not. I chased off anyone who’s ever loved me. And lately, I can’t even stand the face I see in the mirror. You know, when you get old in life things get taken from you. I mean that's...part of life. But, you only learn that when you start losing stuff. You find out life’s this game of inches. So is football. Because in either game, life or football, the margin for error is so small -- I mean one-half a step too late, or too early, and you don’t quite make it. One-half second too slow, too fast, you don’t quite catch it. The inches we need are everywhere around us. They’re in every break of the game, every minute, every second. On this team, we fight for that inch. On this team, we tear ourselves and everyone else around us to pieces for that inch. We claw with our fingernails for that inch, because we know when we add up all those inches that’s gonna make the f@ckin' difference between winning and losing! Between livin' and dyin'! I’ll tell you this: In any fight, it’s the guy who’s willing to die who’s gonna win that inch. And I know if I’m gonna have any life anymore, it’s because I’m still willin' to fight and die for that inch. Because that’s what livin' is! The six inches in front of your face!! Now I can’t make you do it. You got to look at the guy next to you. Look into his eyes! Now I think you’re gonna see a guy who will go that inch with you. You're gonna see a guy who will sacrifice himself for this team because he knows, when it comes down to it, you’re gonna do the same for him! That’s a team, gentlemen! And, either we heal, now, as a team, or we will die as individuals. That’s football guys. That's all it is. Now, what are you gonna do?
@Terry. In part it's per-season play time. It wouldn't be a premiership hangover, I think you have to win one to have a hangover, and to that end the Pies seem fine. I think Lucas is on the money. Running some youg players through the team and a tweaking of the game plan might help.
St Kilda late start to pre-season, that's their own fault apparently Collingwood finished playing football the same time as they did last year and started pre-season couple weeks earlier please another excuse
@Lucas. Reading through these commments I always thought that you were a fairly knowledgable fellow. My opinion of you just rose somewhat higher, however, with the Any Given Sunday reference. I assume James Gwilt will fill in for Willie Beamen. Speaking from the pain of a Hawthorn supporter, the Saints want to be real careful to arrest this slide quickly. It's amazing how soon you go from thinking "It's just a bad couple weeks, we'll turn it around" to needing to win 9 of your last 11 to make the 8.
@ Midge If they dont find their form very quickly we will turn into the run home after our 2nd bye in round 14 with possibly only 2 wins & a draw. Have a pretty tuff draw coming up. Round 5 vs Brisbane (GABBA) Round 6 vs Adelaide (AAMI) Round 7 vs Carlton (Etihad) Round 8 vs Hawthorn (MCG) Round 9 vs Melbourne (Etihad) Round 10 vs Fremantle (Perth) Round 11 vs Collingwood Round 12 vs Bulldogs Round 13 vs Geelong BYE Now on our day we can beat any one of those teams but on current form its not pretty with what we've put up so far.
Wakelin said yesterday that after Pies lost in 02 and 03, they had the 'gf hangover' and that was why they finished 14th in 04. I can see that happening to Saints if they don't pull their fingers out of their dates. The bye could actually be a blessing in disguise. It gives them time to get smashed on the track for a week, as well as reflect on wtf is going on in their heads. If they come out and smash Brisbane, they will be ok. if they are crap and/or lose up there - SEASON OVER (maybe).