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Yes, it's Round 7 and St Kilda are on top; which I don't think anyone would have predicted at the start of the season. I mean, the general consensus was that they had a list that was rated as perhaps bottom of the eight, if that. Then the cream of that list was decimated by injuries, which had people thinking that bottom of the eight was out of the question. But here they are, first!
Of course, now that I've started talking about them, I'm realising that since I've only seen one St Kilda game this season, I'm not really qualified to analyze the reasons for their success. But hey, not really knowing what I'm talking about, has often not stopped me from voicing opinions in the past, so I might as well put forward a couple of conjectures. Firstly, has Ross got some sort of brand new game plan? That is, even with Lyon spending a few years out of the game, it's hard to see him quietly accepting that he'll never be a premiership coach and happily forgetting about the game. Instead, it's easier to imagine him in his shed or home office, going over what went wrong in the past, formulating new ideas and tactics, running simulations, and generally dreaming of vindication. So, in that time, has he come up with something that other coaches are finding difficult to counteract? Or perhaps another possibility is that Brett Ratten was a worse coach than people thought? Which meant that the St Kilda list was actually better than people thought and now Ross has just wandered in to enjoy the benefits.
Anyway, I'll be watching tonight's game against Port with interest.
The first Saturday game is the Lions hosting the Dockers. After their poor loss against the Bulldogs last week, it's starting to look like the Dockers list was overrated by many at the start of the season. While it's too early to start saying things like, "season on the line", they really need to start putting in some decent performances. Can't really see that happening away to Brisbane, but maybe a honourable loss will have them feeling better about themselves?
Speaking of trying to get over a poor performance, the next game is us hosting the Giants.
Next up is the Bulldogs and the Hawks. I'd probably find an upset win by the Hawks amusing, but that might be a bit too much to hope for and I won't be actively barracking for it.
Then it's the Demons v Kangaroos. I expect the Kangaroos to make a statement here. The statement being that Harley Reid is not necessarily going to Hawthorn.
Though of course, the other possibility is that he goes to the Eagles, who are long odds to beat Carlton. I'd possibly prefer an upset here. Which I guess means that I've forgiven the Eagles for 2006.
Now we're on to Sunday with the Bombers and the Cats at the MCG. It's hard to know how I feel about this one. Would I like to see the Cats dish out another thrashing, so the thrashing that they dished out to us is at least a little bit more explicable? Or would I like to see an arrogant and half-arsed performance, that led to an upset loss? Hmmm.
Then it's the Tigers v the Suns: which should be a better match than the 16th v 14th ladder positions would suggest. Both teams have plenty of talent, despite some key injuries, and both teams will be keen not to see the top eight receding into the distance.
The final match is the Crows hosting the Magpies. And I suspect that the Magpies are a case of having a better list than people thought, because the previous coach wasn't all that great. That is, at times in the Buckley era, the Magpies probably got higher picks than was strictly justified, to rebuild what was rated as a mediocre list. When in actual fact, the problem was having a mediocre coach, while the playing list was actually fine. Though of course, the father son rule has probably helped them of late.
Of course, now that I've started talking about them, I'm realising that since I've only seen one St Kilda game this season, I'm not really qualified to analyze the reasons for their success. But hey, not really knowing what I'm talking about, has often not stopped me from voicing opinions in the past, so I might as well put forward a couple of conjectures. Firstly, has Ross got some sort of brand new game plan? That is, even with Lyon spending a few years out of the game, it's hard to see him quietly accepting that he'll never be a premiership coach and happily forgetting about the game. Instead, it's easier to imagine him in his shed or home office, going over what went wrong in the past, formulating new ideas and tactics, running simulations, and generally dreaming of vindication. So, in that time, has he come up with something that other coaches are finding difficult to counteract? Or perhaps another possibility is that Brett Ratten was a worse coach than people thought? Which meant that the St Kilda list was actually better than people thought and now Ross has just wandered in to enjoy the benefits.
Anyway, I'll be watching tonight's game against Port with interest.
The first Saturday game is the Lions hosting the Dockers. After their poor loss against the Bulldogs last week, it's starting to look like the Dockers list was overrated by many at the start of the season. While it's too early to start saying things like, "season on the line", they really need to start putting in some decent performances. Can't really see that happening away to Brisbane, but maybe a honourable loss will have them feeling better about themselves?
Speaking of trying to get over a poor performance, the next game is us hosting the Giants.
Next up is the Bulldogs and the Hawks. I'd probably find an upset win by the Hawks amusing, but that might be a bit too much to hope for and I won't be actively barracking for it.
Then it's the Demons v Kangaroos. I expect the Kangaroos to make a statement here. The statement being that Harley Reid is not necessarily going to Hawthorn.
Though of course, the other possibility is that he goes to the Eagles, who are long odds to beat Carlton. I'd possibly prefer an upset here. Which I guess means that I've forgiven the Eagles for 2006.
Now we're on to Sunday with the Bombers and the Cats at the MCG. It's hard to know how I feel about this one. Would I like to see the Cats dish out another thrashing, so the thrashing that they dished out to us is at least a little bit more explicable? Or would I like to see an arrogant and half-arsed performance, that led to an upset loss? Hmmm.
Then it's the Tigers v the Suns: which should be a better match than the 16th v 14th ladder positions would suggest. Both teams have plenty of talent, despite some key injuries, and both teams will be keen not to see the top eight receding into the distance.
The final match is the Crows hosting the Magpies. And I suspect that the Magpies are a case of having a better list than people thought, because the previous coach wasn't all that great. That is, at times in the Buckley era, the Magpies probably got higher picks than was strictly justified, to rebuild what was rated as a mediocre list. When in actual fact, the problem was having a mediocre coach, while the playing list was actually fine. Though of course, the father son rule has probably helped them of late.
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