You know that game kids play when there is something spooky like a scary movie and you watch between your fingers because you kinda don’t want to watch and you kinda do. I half-watched St.Kilda half-play last night on the TV. It was the most reluctant I have ever been to watch a game. Gone is the enthusiasm of the last few years, that feeling of excitement and what will the game bring. I could barely poke a space between the fingers in front of my eyes to peek.
There were only a few new players, Stevens, Stanley, Armitage, but mostly the Grand Final side which looked slow and baffled. They started off with a quick few goals but it was a struggle after that until the final quarter. The most surprising for me was the different Brendon Goddard, even though he played better, he made three errors of passing the ball within a small area of confusion in front of opposition goals which led to turnovers and goals for Brisbane.
The Brisbane Lions played well and dominated for most of the game. Their forward and defensive pressure was good and they looked as if they scored more easily than St. Kilda. It had started well with a number of goals to St. Kilda but Brisbane answered in the second half of the first quarter. St.Kilda didn’t score again until 35 playing minutes later.
I started playing solitaire on my IPhone. I couldn’t bear to watch and so I didn’t. I half-listened to the TV commentary and wouldn’t look unless I heard some forward pressure and scoring.
Brisbane’s inaccuracy hurt them because if some of that was converted to goals, they would have beaten us easily.
It was a close game throughout, only a few goals kicked and then the other would kick. The commentators joked about another draw. I liked Brisbanes young guns who have gained confidence and think they will do well soon.
Stevens was very good for the Saints, as was Montagna and Milne stood up better with two goals. Shneider was back and did some good solid goaling to end up with 3. Riewoldt was there competing but got frustrated that the ball spent so much time at the other end, giving the Brisbane Lion forwards more attempts at goal.
We did some terrible passes backwards and had the ball taken away. We made amateur holding the ball runs that led to 2 free kicks to Brisbane, both with 50 metres attached to them. Again, if Brisbane had made better of these scoring opportunities, we would be done like a roast dinner.
Kosi did nothing, Stanley did nothing. A defender accidently stood on Kosi’s ankle in the last quarter and it looked ugly. A few players went down, Fisher looked like he’d hurt a hamstring but returned and seemed OK. McWalter came on as a sub and Stanley went off, injured I think. Minnie played with some energy when the rest looked tired.
It was a damp, hot night in Brisbane, but St.Kilda turned on some goals in the last quarter to get a decent 3 goal lead and Brisbanes attempts to get back in the game were too late.
A win is a win but when they showed who St.Kilda were playing the next 8 rounds, I cringed. We can’t get away with playing like this against the Crows, Blues, Hawks, Demons, Dockers, Magpies, Bulldogs and Cats. Then in round 14 we have another bye and go against some weaker teams but play the Pies, Swans, Kangaroos and Blues to end the season. Ugly as.
It is true that Brendon Goddard is out of contract at the end of this year and in negotiations, and why do I feel like he’ll choose to go somewhere else? He’s looked so out of sorts over the last 4 weeks, is it internal conflict? When he’s not playing well, we don’t play well. He was more in the game yesterday and that lifts us to be able to win by 13 points.
Gone is the pleasure in watching “Saints Footy”. In its place is watching a drama unfold and wanting to wait until the end of the game to know the results. Then I can relax. Perhaps I’ll only watch replays and not live games for a while. After the last couple of years, my nerves are shot and I wonder if my boys feel the same.
PS: Reading the Footy Almanac from last year, at Round 5 Anzac weekend St.Kilda won and were 5-0. What a difference a year makes.
About Yvette Wroby
Yvette Wroby writes, cartoons, paints through life and gets most pleasure when it's about football, and more specifically the Saints. Believes in following dreams and having a go.
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Why on earth will they not play Reiwoldt at centre half back? Leave Goddard in the middle and floating forward, and put Kosi on a bus to Tasmania.
Yvette, there’s been such a visible change from last season in the general demeanour of the group it invites speculation as to what is going on.
Art therapy might come in handy if things don’t improve.
Cheers
Yvette,
The question marks indeed still remain. I’m going to cut them some slack based on the unexpected heavy conditions, but I’ll note some of my txt messages during the game included: “we are embarassing”, “the whole club needs a year off – supporters too”, “they don’t know if they’re coming or going”, “up for 5 minutes, down for 15”, “Lenny wouldn’t stand for this garbage”, and “waiting for someone to flick a switch that aint there”.
Kosi should not have played. They fell for the same trick last year when he was first-up on a wet track in Adelaide. And Rhys Stanley has not yet justified his selection – he’s been only fair at Sandringham, and is being picked on potential. They probably have to persist though, as he’s the one with the biggest upside of any of the kids we have – if he gets going he will win games for us.
Farren Ray played a cracking game, and Jack Steven was lively in parts. Obviously we were lucky to win, some howling turnovers from the young Lions at critical stages provided just enough leeway. A typical contest where the younger side should have won, but the wiser old heads prevailed.
Remember the Saints did have an ugly flat spot in Rounds 5-8 last year. Maybe this season they’re getting it out the way nice and early. But even so, like the players, it’s becoming hard for the supporters to “stay up” after so many near misses over the last decade.
DD