Round 5: the other games. Form, it's a mysterious thing.

[707]

............
I was struck watching tonight's game how many of St Kilda's team - their core players - are imports from other clubs. Steele, Crouch, Hill, Higgins, Butler, Membrey, Carlisle, Howard who all played tonight, plus Jones, Hannebery, and Ryder who would all be automatic selections if fit, and McKernan, Frawley and Wood who aren't in their best team but are likely amongst the best of their depth.

Doesn't say much for their drafting nous over the last decade or so......................

Read that Carlton are trying to lure Adam Cerra away from Freo. Reading your post about the Saints being a foreign legion of players, without looking at their list, I reckon Carlton is very similar, using cheque book recruiting.

[bloodspirit]

#interpret-gate ?

Interpretate definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

Nice one, MW! Love it.

[Nico]

Heard a St Kilda caller on SEN today scathing of the trading of Hanners and Jones to St Kilda.

[liz]

Heard a St Kilda caller on SEN today scathing of the trading of Hanners and Jones to St Kilda.

The trading to, or the trading in? Presumably the latter. The trading out is looking like a decent piece of business (albeit slightly sad in the case of Hanners, purely from a sentimental perspective, given he was a warrior for us for several seasons).

[O'Reilly Boy]

The trading to, or the trading in? Presumably the latter. The trading out is looking like a decent piece of business (albeit slightly sad in the case of Hanners, purely from a sentimental perspective, given he was a warrior for us for several seasons).

Agreed. Very similar to the trading out of Malceski to GC. Devastating on an emotional level; brilliant list management otherwise.

[KTigers]

Obviously St Kilda trading in Hannebery was a big risk for them considering his body was very much broken at the time. It's not like they
didn't know. I think he has only played about a dozen games for them in two and a bit seasons. His body is wrecked because of what
he did for us over many years. I have a framed photo of the Malceski goal in the 2012 GF and the expression on Hanners face is priceless.
It's hard not to have a soft spot for him.

[Ludwig]

I've been critical of the Saints' list management strategy, especially the for what they gave up to recruit Brad Hill and the cost of the Hanners contract, but had to admit last year that it all seemed to be coming together for them from their high priced recruits to rookie draft picks, like Rowan Marshall.

This year things have turned on its head. Everything appears to be going wrong, from injuries to poor form. It's hard to believe how a player with Hill's credentials and proven ability can fall off the rails so quickly. It's almost as if he's lost his ability to play footy at the most rudimentary level.

[SwanSand]

I've been critical of the Saints' list management strategy, especially the for what they gave up to recruit Brad Hill and the cost of the Hanners contract, but had to admit last year that it all seemed to be coming together for them from their high priced recruits to rookie draft picks, like Rowan Marshall.

This year things have turned on its head. Everything appears to be going wrong, from injuries to poor form. It's hard to believe how a player with Hill's credentials and proven ability can fall off the rails so quickly. It's almost as if he's lost his ability to play footy at the most rudimentary level.

I reckon he was supposed to be the icing on the cake. Unfortunately the list is now stacked with players who think that they are all icing on the cake and no one is doing the hard stuff. Again quality of a player doesn’t go down that quickly without losing fitness, so it has to be structural to how they set up and how they are being coached. Maybe there is overcoaching.

They will need to get players who want to go to St kilda coz they think they can play their best footy rather than get the best money.

[Blood Fever]

Obviously St Kilda trading in Hannebery was a big risk for them considering his body was very much broken at the time. It's not like they
didn't know. I think he has only played about a dozen games for them in two and a bit seasons. His body is wrecked because of what
he did for us over many years. I have a framed photo of the Malceski goal in the 2012 GF and the expression on Hanners face is priceless.
It's hard not to have a soft spot for him.

Great player for us for a decade

[Markwebbos]

Up there with "instinctual"

I presume the noun form is “interpretatation”

[Markwebbos]

The trading to, or the trading in? Presumably the latter. The trading out is looking like a decent piece of business (albeit slightly sad in the case of Hanners, purely from a sentimental perspective, given he was a warrior for us for several seasons).

I thought Hanners was the “big fish” the Saints recruited as a demonstration to other potential trade targets.

In that sense it’s been a success.

[liz]

I thought Hanners was the “big fish” the Saints recruited as a demonstration to other potential trade targets.

In that sense it’s been a success.

I never understood why the Saints chose to offer Hanners another two years - on the same money, so the media reported - as the three year contract they were taking over from us. Given his injury history that was a pretty significant risk. An option (his option) for an extension if he played a certain number of games might have been smarter. Though I guess that might not have been sufficient to lure him to the Saints.

[Mel_C]

Maybe it's some kind of new AFL deal? If you have to miss a week because of the concussion rule, you get to be a Channel 7 commentator.

Or it's a way for Selwood to be paid money outside the salary cap so that Geelong can afford to pay all their recruits.

[dejavoodoo44]

Or it's a way for Selwood to be paid money outside the salary cap so that Geelong can afford to pay all their recruits.

Since the AFL doesn't seem to publish any details about third party player payments and the like, we can only imagine what the rorts might be.

[Thunder Shaker]

We play the Saints twice in the last 11 rounds, at about the time they're likely to be giving up their season and are starting to play the kids. They could be good for some percentage.