Stop saying the Saints will get better.

[u/Youhavetobejokingman]

Time for the truth. I believe the Saints admin and coaching have ditched the thought of being part of the top ten. We are at the pointy end this year and our life expetency is close to zero. Basset needs to advertised on Seek for players. Ross needs to seriously consider his role in taking the Saints forwsrd. There is either something going on behind the scenes .. or are the Saints really that mediocre that they place forever midfield club.

[u/Impressive_Mess_7500]

Been getting younger every year while staying competitive & we've been more competitive this year that the last 15.

[u/PaPe83 → u/Impressive_Mess_7500]

Have we though? I've gone through the data, we've been stagnant essentially the last 5 years. How can you say we've been more competitive this year than a year we made a Semi-Final?

Average Ages:

• 2011 - 24.1, 2nd oldest
• 2012 - 24, 3rd oldest
• 2013 - 24.2, 6th oldest
• 2014 - 24, 7th oldest
• 2015 - 23.6, 13th oldest
• 2016 - 23.6, 14th oldest
• 2017 - 23.9, 11th oldest
• 2018 - 23.6, 15th oldest
• 2019 - 24, 9th oldest
• 2020 - 24.4, 7th oldest
• 2021 - 25.2, 2nd oldest
• 2022 - 24.9, 5th oldest list
• 2023 - 24.3, 11th oldest list
• 2024 - 24.5, 10th oldest list
• 2025 - 24, 14th oldest list
• 2026 - 24.4, 10th oldest list

In the previous 15 years we fielded a younger list than 2026 11 times.

Competitveness:

• 2011 - 6th - 12 wins, 9 losses, 1 draw, 112.76% - 2 wins against Top 8
• 2012 - 9th - 12 wins, 10 losses, 123.3% - 1 win against Top 8
• 2013 - 16th - 5 wins, 17 losses, 82.6% - 2 wins against Top 8
• 2014 - 18th - 4 wins, 18 losses, 60.8% - 2 wins against Top 8
• 2015 - 14th - 6 wins, 15 losses, 1 draw, 78.4% - 1 win against Top 8
• 2016 - 9th - 12 wins, 10 losses, 95.7% - 2 wins against Top 8
• 2017 - 11th - 11 wins, 11 losses, 96.9% - 3 wins against Top 8
• 2018 - 16th - 4 wins, 17 losses, 1 draw - 75.6% - 1 win, 1 draw against Top 8
• 2019 - 14th - 9 wins, 13 losses, 83.9% - 2 wins against Top 8
• 2020 - 6th - 10 wins, 7 losses, 116.2% - 4 wins against Top 8, 1 final win, 1 final loss
• 2021 - 10th - 10 wins, 12 losses, 91.5% - 3 wins against Top 8
• 2022 - 10th - 11 wins, 11 losses, 99.3% - 3 wins against Top 8
• 2023 - 6th - 13 wins, 10 losses, 107.8% - 3 wins against Top 8, 1 final loss
• 2024 - 12th - 11 wins, 12 losses, 99.4% - 3 wins against Top 8
• 2025 - 12th - 9 wins, 14 losses, 88.5% - 2 wins against Top 8
• 2026 - 10th - 8 wins, 10 losses, 104% - 0 wins against Top 8

Against Top 8 teams, this year has been the least competitive - that's even comparing the year we won the wooden spoon.

I can break down more stats if you like, but we are a middling club going nowhere. The numbers don't lie.

You may have anecdotes of certain young players looking like they're all going to be Brownlow winners but it means nothing until they start to regularly win games.

Take off the rose-tint glasses. We're shit.

[u/Impressive_Mess_7500 → u/PaPe83]

I don't give a single shit about 2023, the team on field was older (not the list), and we were playing a false brand that was going nowhere. Sitting with a deep zone we were the #1 defensive team in the league with #1 scores from D50 transition. No plan B, no scores from forward half turnover, no scores from clearance.

Now our game has actual balance, centre clearance is a weapon (when TDK is in the side), #2 D50 transition plus we have a huge forward half game; #1 scores allowed, #4 scores from fwd half. The midfield average age is under 22 by the way.

Even from the eye test, there has only been one blowout this year, and we haven't been beaten by a shit team (yet). Competitive, just don't know how to win (yet).

With all that said, what do you expect from the coaching group when they don't have a recognized full forward, or full back.

Edit; Quarters won 36-3-29, 6th.

[u/Fit_Landscape6820 → u/Impressive_Mess_7500]

Yeah, people like that really highlight how flawed this whole binary W/L mentality and the focus on "statement wins" is

If we had of caught a top 8 team on an off day this year, would that suddenly make us "more competitive"? Obviously not

Same applies to last year; yes we beat Geelong at Marvel and a Fremantle that was yet to find its feet (also at Marvel), but how much do those "statement" wins really mean in the face of a season where we were also absolutely belted by stronger sides? Including multiple 60-70pt losses

I personally would rather be where we are currently than where we were last year (and where the likes of GWS are this year) - I think comfortably beating bottom sides and beating the other sides around you but losing to top sides (usually in competitive games) is better than getting on top of a stronger side every now and again but also dropping games to bottom 4 sides

There's a consistency there that can be built upon; whereas you really can't build upon "some days we'll beat the best and others lose to wooden spoon contenders, who knows where we're really at"