Saints Blew It

[visiting saint]

Thanks for the civility and not rubbing it in. Appreciate it. Am a die hard long term Saints member and I really thought today we'd throw off all the baggage of being perenially rubbish. Reckon we've got one or two more years with a fair crack with this group. Will be tougher next year for sure. The scum will be better, the Bombers will be pressing towards the top and the Bullies will be bloody hungry. Adelaide, Geelong, Brisbane. Tough just to earn a crack at the flag.
Where did we lose it? Poor conversion. Milne running in in the second - he's got a paddock - plenty of time and the game's running St.Kilda's way. He kicks it, it's a real team lifter, Saints are 13 points up, have kicked the last four goals and momentum is well and truly with us. Instead he butchers it, butchers it again, McQualter misses, Geelong take it up the other end and bang. All square again. In the end you can't give a team like Geelong a chance to get up when you've got your foot on their throat. Not that it was at that stage, but the chances to drive home the inside 50 and possession dominance and go in to half time with a three or four goal lead - up in smoke.
Reckon Schneider was stiff in the last with that free - but the umpiring is never an excuse. Thought the umps were reasonable overall.
Re Hudghton vs Dawson - the general consensus amongst Saints fans is that Lyon made the right call. Max is an awesome stopper and had we played a team with a FF like Fevola or Richo then IMO Max would have got a guernsey. But he provides bugger all run out the back half and his disposal is average. Heart and soul of the club, sad for him to see him sitting in the stand but right call IMO. Dawson made a couple of errors but he's been great all year and deserved his spot. Hard to see a Saints back half providing much run with all of Dawson, Blake and Hudghton. Dawson's disposal has also been excellent all year.
Agree Taylor did a good job on Roo. He was sharing the load with Mackie and Harley and it's a tactic that worked well for the Cats. The weather made it tough for the big fellas as well.
Who was my old man? Prefer to remain anonymous. Didn't make that much of a splash. Played a few seasons. Was a country boy who came to the Saints from the Hampden League.

[swoodley]

Today was the first GF for years where I honestly would have been happy for either team to win.

After the game, I watched the OneHD coverage because I love all the after game interviews etc.

One interesting stat was that there was something like 214 tackles laid which is the 2nd most ever since they started counting. It also beat the previous GF tackle record by over 100 tackles which says a lot for the pressure that both side maintained throughout the game.

All up, although the Saints will be devastated, I liked Reiwoldts speech where he made sure to remind his team to feel the pain....given a reasonable run with injuries, I see no reason to think that they won't be back there again next year.

And kudos to Ross Lyon...his post match interview was all class =D>

[Windy_Hill]

Visiting Saint - commiserations friend. It hurts, I know. But this is what you and other St Kilda fans have got to do. You have to start believeing that you are good. You have to believe your team is a champion team. You have to believe that you can build a side that can play in Premierships regualarly and with luck, win a few. I sense that many Saints fans are thinking, damn, we miss out for another 10 years before we have another chance. You gotta believe that the next chance is only 12 months away.

For all of Essendon's success, we also lose a lot of Grand Finals. In my life we have lost a Grand Final 5 times!!!! So you gotta be patient

Remember - Cats lost in 89, 92, 94, 95 and 08 for wins in 07 and 09

You have to just focus on getting back to the big one more often and then some of the pressure will be gone

The great think about footy is there is awlays next season!!!!

[Mrs Mercuri]

Visiting Saint- i really feel for you guys. My sister was in tears when they lost and she barracks for Ess!!! It is certainly a hollow feeling, it took me a while to get over 2001.

Hopefully this loss does to your boys what it did for Geel this year.... give them ever more hunger and drive for next season. Some of your players were found wanting though in certain stages of the match.... Schneider and Milne in particular.... i think you should give some of your young guys thatmissed out in the GF today more opportunities next season to prove their worth.

Today aside, you have had a great season.

[5Alive]

So personally disappointed in the Saints diving early on I was early on going for them but chganged very quick Im afraid hate seeing that in our game..... was a trully great game and has inspired me to get to 2010 GF no matter what my first...... excuse the dribble had a few but so proud to be a AFL supporter today

[visiting saint]

Visiting Saint - commiserations friend. It hurts, I know. But this is what you and other St Kilda fans have got to do. You have to start believeing that you are good. You have to believe your team is a champion team. You have to believe that you can build a side that can play in Premierships regualarly and with luck, win a few. I sense that many Saints fans are thinking, damn, we miss out for another 10 years before we have another chance. You gotta believe that the next chance is only 12 months away.

For all of Essendon's success, we also lose a lot of Grand Finals. In my life we have lost a Grand Final 5 times!!!! So you gotta be patient

Remember - Cats lost in 89, 92, 94, 95 and 08 for wins in 07 and 09

You have to just focus on getting back to the big one more often and then some of the pressure will be gone

The great think about footy is there is awlays next season!!!!

Much obliged for the kind words. You too Mrs.Mercuri. You're right. With our history the tendency of many Saints is to imagine another shot at the big one in another ten years or more. It's our history hanging off our leg like a ball and chain. I really thought today we'd kick it off.
Yes the window is not closed. Agree with some posters here suggesting that some more young guys need to come through. This year we would have seen more of Armitage, Geary, Steven but it's hard to break into a side that wins all the time. Watch out for a young fella named Rhys Stanley. Lots of Saints fans very excited about him.
It's just that until the monkey is off our back by winning a flag in the modern era, many Saints fans will struggle to have a default optimistic outlook.
I beleve though, that for the first time in my life that the club is actually being managed properly. The board have made all the right moves IMO and the move to Seaford is a good one. The club's actually focused on footy and long term sustainability and have the people in management to deliver. Lyon has been great and we're not the off field financially struggling rabble that we were for so long. Thanks again for the kind words. f*** it hurts doesn't it.
And when I think of the draft picks that bloody Grant Thomas pissed up against the wall. Two first rounders, three second rounders and a couple of others on players like Barry Brooks, Fergus Watts and Mark McGough. f*** me. They were all after Roo, Kosi, Hayes, Dal, Montagna and Sam Fisher. Five high draft picks for absoultely nothing.

[Rossoneri]

Say what you like about Reiwoldt, he is in the top 3 players in the league. Never seen a forward run as far and as hard as he does. Brought a stack of contests to the ground where he was so far out of position originally, it would have simply ended up being an uncontested mark to Geelong. The small forwards let Saints down today, big time.

[Madden]

Feel incredibly sorry for you VS and Saints fans in general. You were the best team all year and the best team for 3 quarters yesterday.

Unfortunately I thought, despite the misses early, that you were completely outplayed in the last quarter, particularly at the stoppages. You're not gonna win too many GFs kicking 2 goals in the second half and none in the last quarter.

[visiting saint]

Feel incredibly sorry for you VS and Saints fans in general. You were the best team all year and the best team for 3 quarters yesterday.

Unfortunately I thought, despite the misses early, that you were completely outplayed in the last quarter, particularly at the stoppages. You're not gonna win too many GFs kicking 2 goals in the second half and none in the last quarter.

Thanks to you too Staggy. Appreciate the kind words.
Agree with you re the last quarter. All sense of system went out the window in the last. There was a lot of get the ball and chuck it on the boot to a contest. A lot of slapping it forward to gain 20 metres before another stoppage. Geelong were too physically strong in the end and the quality of their small brigade won out. The ability of Ablett, Selwood and Chapman to stand up in tackles was key. f*** me the sun still came up but I'm flat as a pancake.
You also make a good point about only kicking two goals after half time. Three finals - thirty goals. Not enough. Too dependent on Roo and Kosi. Milne and Schneider didn't stand up - Chapman did.
Am absolutely gutted today. Worse than yesterday. Didn't sleep last night, replaying the game over and over. Carved up. Tears. Just completely empty.

[Mrs Mercuri]

Feel incredibly sorry for you VS and Saints fans in general. You were the best team all year and the best team for 3 quarters yesterday.

Unfortunately I thought, despite the misses early, that you were completely outplayed in the last quarter, particularly at the stoppages. You're not gonna win too many GFs kicking 2 goals in the second half and none in the last quarter.

Yep i thought that as well... i just had a horrible feeling that the Cats were going to win... the Saints just couldnt get any clear possessions and werent scoring when they eventually did get inside 50.

[robrulz5]

Say what you like about Reiwoldt, he is in the top 3 players in the league. Never seen a forward run as far and as hard as he does. Brought a stack of contests to the ground where he was so far out of position originally, it would have simply ended up being an uncontested mark to Geelong. The small forwards let Saints down today, big time.

I don't know how he didn't get more Brownlow votes than he did, I thought he would be top 3.

It's amazing the amount of work he does. The conditions didn't suit him yesterday as he likes to jump early and take marks at full stretch, if St.Kilda had played in the wet more often perhaps he could have had more of an influence.

[Mrs Mercuri]

Riewoldt definately works his butt off thats for sure.,.. almost snapped his neck in a marking contest on Sat, he is so hard at the footy.

[Crazyman]

Riewoldt definately works his butt off thats for sure.,.. almost snapped his neck in a marking contest on Sat, he is so hard at the footy.

Yes, but that might not have happened if he had tried to take the ball out in front instead of on his chest like he always does...he is a great player, but not a 'great' mark IMO...

[Sismis]

30 marks more than anyone else in the comp this year. Only Richo took more per game.

[bomberdonnie]

Riewoldt definately works his butt off thats for sure.,.. almost snapped his neck in a marking contest on Sat, he is so hard at the footy.

Yes, but that might not have happened if he had tried to take the ball out in front instead of on his chest like he always does...he is a great player, but not a 'great' mark IMO...

Taking the urine no?

[Crazyman]

Actually, no, I am not taking the piss. If you watch his games, he tries to take most marks on his chest...I know the G/F was wet, but look at how he tried to take is marks...As I have stated, he is a great player and can be very good to watch, but most marks he takes are on the tit and not out in front ala J Brown, W Carey, M Lloyd, Richo, etc...

[visiting saint]

Actually, no, I am not taking the piss. If you watch his games, he tries to take most marks on his chest...I know the G/F was wet, but look at how he tried to take is marks...As I have stated, he is a great player and can be very good to watch, but most marks he takes are on the tit and not out in front ala J Brown, W Carey, M Lloyd, Richo, etc...

Actually agree with you Crazyman. He's not as good a contested mark as guys like Johnno Brown, Richo and Lloyd and his contested marking is not as good now as it was early in his career. He always makes a contest though and rarely gets out marked. Roo actually takes a lot of marks on the lead on his chest. His phenomenal workrate in presenting again and again and again is a big part of taking so many marks. When he does take an overhead grab it's often reaching at full stretch and backmen have sfa chance of punching it away from him when he does that. He's not weak in this area, but actual contested body on body overhead grabs are not his strongest suit.