St Kilda match day thread

[erica]

Probably because the players are not programmable robots but are human and thus subject to making mistakes. Or maybe they just wanted to let the saints think they had a chance before they crushed them.

[Primmy]

I like your style Erica.

And may I say, you signature pretty much describes Sunday's game.

[wolftone57]

It was pretty dewy, you saw the number of people that slipped and fell over during the game. Sure the ball was just as slippery as well. I guess you could compare that to the Western Bulldogs game where we did look a lot slicker. *shrugs*

I was talking to a member who told me it is the grasses they use in the surface. He says that years ago when they used Cooch and Kikuyu the thought was that the stops used to get gaught in the runners and cause injury. They changed to a multi combination grass that is softer with no runner but the problem is that it stays moister longer and causes players to slip.

[Nico]

I watched the game from far away places and thought it was a very gutsy win. We knew the Saints had a lot at stake and they played accordingly. That last 4.10 minutes on the clock was outstanding.

[Nico]

What a great game by Malceski. He has restored my faith with regards to his toughness.

Must say I downed a few nervous stubbies in the tense last quarter.

[wolftone57]

I thought the major problem, other than a bit of tiredness after the Perth trip, was kicking. Our delivery and goal kicking sucked for most of the game. For most of the season we have been pretty good to wonderful in these departments. Just moments that come to mind, AJ out on the full was the worst kick in years, the kicking down the members wingto a pack for nearly 10 minutes at one stage was just frustrating. It was bomb and hope as though it was all too hard. That could have been due to the Perth trip tiredness or it could have been part of the plan, if so it didn't work.

There were moments of brilliance, the last 5 minutes, second quarter where we should have buried them if not for wayward kicking for goal. It was a hard fought win but I don't believe this Saints side a real top eight side. Definitely not top four. They are a fringe eight side and that is all. They get teams to play at their level and scrag, scrimmage and hold on all the time.

I was a bit peeved in the last quarter to see the full defensive press used. That is nobody at all in our forward half for much of the first half of the last quarter. It was painful as we couldn't get the ball much past half way and if we did it came back again as we had nobody to take it. That is a part of our game I thought gone but maybe not, DAMN!!!

[SwansFan1972]

For those that went to the game, any reason why there was so much fumbling, good players were fumbling - hope Goodes finds his touch soon !!!

Yep - plenty of reasons . . .

Sun was in and out all day, along with two (maybe more) showers. Temperature was all over the place too - with sun out felt like ten degrees warmer! Wind was all over the place - was breezy then still, then back again all afternoon. The bomb site at the Paddo end was clearly affecting ALL players kicking to that end and was certainly not limited to the swans players struggling to convert down that end. Our six straight points in the first quarter were matched by the Saints doing the same in the last quarter. We remarked to each other on arriving what a different feel the ground had with the stand pretty much entirely smashed up compared to even a few short weeks ago. There was some big piece of ducting hanging behind the goals that looked like it was ready to drop. It was distracting to us in the O'Reilly concourse, so who knows what effect it had on the players!!!!

I seem to recall that accuracy was a problem at the MCG a few seasons back when the old Northern and Olympic stands had been torn down and looked much like the SCG does at the moment. Maybe there is a 'missing grandstand effect' - taking away the familiar spots that players aim at could be messing with their heads!

Probably was just one of those days and in the final wash up our boys handled it better than theirs. They've been handling pretty much everything (with a few exceptions) better than other teams all year too, as evidenced by games won and ladder position. Milne kept them in it. Kleenex was his usual inaccurate self (probably Kosi's fault for belting him - again) but he should be used to that by now! Umpires had their usual few howlers, but at least we got some of them - the second bite of the cherry to Reg was one of the softest frees in years, but hey, we'll take those if the three blind mice are going to hand them out. Both frees involving Goodes were a joke too - he slipped and got smashed under a bloke but gave away a free (still no-one knows what for) then he copped the cheapest of cheap shots getting belted in the back at the end of the third quarter, but they got a free in the middle before play restarted.

Top win - winning ugly when needed is priceless.

[Primmy]

With the inappropriate frees being given against goodsey all the time, does that mean he is the new Barry Hall?

[stellation]

What a great game by Malceski. He has restored my faith with regards to his toughness.

I'm with you there, Nico. I've almost become a broken record on it since Nick came back into the seniors, purely because it's just shocked me- at the game on the weekend I was surprised at just how much of a change there's been with how hard he goes at it, he was getting across to spoil/going hard at the ball/trying to burst through guys instead or circling around more on to his boot. Good on him.

[Go Swannies]

Me too re Mal - he's certainly doing everything on the defending side of his game with tackles and blocks. Even better, he seems to now realise his limitations so doesn't get caught with the ball or being rushed into a bad decision any more - the things that drove me mad earlier this season. I was watching him on the weekend and remembering what a great player he was for us before his knee issues.

[Mr Magoo]

Yep - plenty of reasons . . .

Sun was in and out all day, along with two (maybe more) showers. Temperature was all over the place too - with sun out felt like ten degrees warmer! Wind was all over the place - was breezy then still, then back again all afternoon. The bomb site at the Paddo end was clearly affecting ALL players kicking to that end and was certainly not limited to the swans players struggling to convert down that end. Our six straight points in the first quarter were matched by the Saints doing the same in the last quarter. We remarked to each other on arriving what a different feel the ground had with the stand pretty much entirely smashed up compared to even a few short weeks ago. There was some big piece of ducting hanging behind the goals that looked like it was ready to drop. It was distracting to us in the O'Reilly concourse, so who knows what effect it had on the players!!!!

I seem to recall that accuracy was a problem at the MCG a few seasons back when the old Northern and Olympic stands had been torn down and looked much like the SCG does at the moment. Maybe there is a 'missing grandstand effect' - taking away the familiar spots that players aim at could be messing with their heads!

Probably was just one of those days and in the final wash up our boys handled it better than theirs. They've been handling pretty much everything (with a few exceptions) better than other teams all year too, as evidenced by games won and ladder position. Milne kept them in it. Kleenex was his usual inaccurate self (probably Kosi's fault for belting him - again) but he should be used to that by now! Umpires had their usual few howlers, but at least we got some of them - the second bite of the cherry to Reg was one of the softest frees in years, but hey, we'll take those if the three blind mice are going to hand them out. Both frees involving Goodes were a joke too - he slipped and got smashed under a bloke but gave away a free (still no-one knows what for) then he copped the cheapest of cheap shots getting belted in the back at the end of the third quarter, but they got a free in the middle before play restarted.

Top win - winning ugly when needed is priceless.

Funny what you say about the ugliness of the stand (or whats left of it) . I went down onto the ground for kick to kick and it was amazing how distracting that demolition work is at that end. In fact it may get worse once its down as the white of the football stadium next door almost blends in with the posts on the right facing side. Definitely was a factor for players missing at that end.

[wolftone57]

Funny what you say about the ugliness of the stand (or whats left of it) . I went down onto the ground for kick to kick and it was amazing how distracting that demolition work is at that end. In fact it may get worse once its down as the white of the football stadium next door almost blends in with the posts on the right facing side. Definitely was a factor for players missing at that end.

Agree with the fact it was distracting but our kicking didn't improve in the second going to the Randwick end. We kicked 6 points in the first and 7 in the second the only difference being we kicked 4 goals in the second compared to 1 in the first. In fact we kicked 4 goals without a miss in the third to the rubble end and 6.2 in the last to the Randwick end. It is distracting and I'm sure it is not just kicking at goal that is effected. I thought some of the field kicking in the first quarter was woeful. Especially to the lead in the forward line

[wolftone57]

I'm with you there, Nico. I've almost become a broken record on it since Nick came back into the seniors, purely because it's just shocked me- at the game on the weekend I was surprised at just how much of a change there's been with how hard he goes at it, he was getting across to spoil/going hard at the ball/trying to burst through guys instead or circling around more on to his boot. Good on him.

I agree Stel a few weeks in the Two's sometimes does a player wonders it gives them a new passion for the game. You take Teddy in 2010 when he came back he was the best and still is to this day.

[SwansFan1972]

Agree with the fact it was distracting but our kicking didn't improve in the second going to the Randwick end. We kicked 6 points in the first and 7 in the second the only difference being we kicked 4 goals in the second compared to 1 in the first. In fact we kicked 4 goals without a miss in the third to the rubble end and 6.2 in the last to the Randwick end. It is distracting and I'm sure it is not just kicking at goal that is effected. I thought some of the field kicking in the first quarter was woeful. Especially to the lead in the forward line

You are right - kicking in general was pretty poor all day! Maybe the invisible effect of the missing stand (i.e. the new wind dynamic at the ground) was causing the most problems?

Whatever the cause, after the start the Swans had, would've been a brave person to bet that the Saints would finish with more behinds in their final score!

[DamY]

Yah we had the yips in the first quarter, took the captains and leaders to stand up and turn that around. I knew Sam wouldn't get that goal, it was a lot of pressure on him. Was also pretty surprised McGlynn didn't get his through either but oh well.