What Makes a Good Pre-Season?

What makes a good game of the West Coast Eagles and the Saints in the last Pre-Season match?

(Warning:  the following is very one-eyed)

1.  Winning:  so much for that for St.Kilda, one win of the three rounder (note 34 degrees at night), a splosh around in the rain and floods, playing amongst ourselves at Wangaratta (a cold one but a win in the public relations field) and in Alice Springs a defeat in 39 degree weather to the much better West Coast Eagles.
2. No injuries: it seems that we’ve been lucky that none of the Saints boys were battered too badly and it was awful to see the clash between Stanley’s ball just off the boot and poor West Coaster McKenzie.  Awful to watch, good news that he didn’t need hospital.
3. New Boys in Town: it was good to see lots of the new young men showing some form and fighting for a spot in the big games.  Liked what I saw of Cripps, Siposs, Steven, Ledger, Winmar, Stanley, Simpkin this weekend again.
4. Magicians: Need I say more than NIC NAITANUI’s high mark.
5. Almost Magicians:  The almost mark by Brendon Goddard.  He does like flying.
6. Comfort:  sitting with Rina and watching in the nice cool evening not in the heat, the wet and rain, or even more heat.
7. Being beaten badly:  Or badly enough that the coach can see what needs to be changed and worked on ready for the season proper
8. Sneaks:  Milne and Schneider looked like continuing their habits in the new year, a crumb near goal, some miss, and some are winners.
9. Kosi improves: looking better, more confident, and in with a chance.
10. Bad habits:  It seems that when in doubt we bomb, when confident, kick to kick, pass to pass and more success.
11. Twin Towers:  West Coast had beauties in Naitanui and Cox, Stanley and McEvoy for the Saints will settle (if Nick Riewoldt stops crashing into McEvoy full on both trying to get the ball).
12. Watters (channelling a young Colin Firth):  Need I say more.  How cute even when grumpy.
13. Weather:  what more can be said.
14. Present:  at least both teams were there
15. Hot:  players looking hot both figuratively and metaphorically
16. We’re almost there: The local cricket is over, the footy is only two weeks away, with only a foreign game to go i.e. two interstate teams Adelaide and West Coast to play the NAB final next Saturday night.
17. The media boys (and too few girls) are back in town:  All the TV, radio, newspapers are full of preparation for the season proper.  All the footy shows are almost back. Is Before the Game returning?  Marngrook?
18. Shhhhhhh, can you hear that???  That’s the sound of silence….no dramas, no headlines, no scandals and no worries, the Saints are quietly working away in this, the new year.
19.  The Saints lost but I finished another painting:  the work goes on in 2012.

Yvette Wroby, feeling the pre-season hope, and still dreaming.

11^th March 2012

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.

• Mail
|
• Web
|
• More Posts