The Saint

I was directly behind this. It was an unbelievable bit of play from Seb at the very moment we needed it. And a terrible call by BT.

Five years on, another miracle goal from that pocket wins it on a cold and wet day in western Sydney

If Maika Hamano could stop by our hotel after the match and give our key forwards some tips on shooting accurately under pressure that would be helpful.

Too close for comfort. In the end, a miracle Mason Wood goal saves us from a choke that would have haunted us. Otherwise, a super gutsy three-and-a-half quarters - until we wobbled. Huge team effort. Finally, we’re off the mark in 2026. Thank goodness. Your thoughts below 👇

🚨 uh oh 🚨 we need a goal NOW or we are in trouble

legit boys you can absolutely go bananas at the Golden Sheaf tonight if you hold on here with no curfew either huge effort so far, absolute lyoncore and what a goal by flyin’ one quarter to go.

The wet and greasy conditions aren’t making it easy - and they’re not out of it. But… We’ve brought the right attitude. Everyone is playing for the team. We’re running hard. We’re committed to the contest. 2nd, 3rd & 4th efforts. Good showing so far at Darcy Wilson Arena 🇾🇪

That’s more like it. But very early stages. Keep going.

Great to have Saints VFL back. It’ll be a tough year results-wise. We’re trialling a lot of suburban talent in there (Max Hall was a suburban talent 3 years ago). Well beaten today but some really positive signs from Fincher and Dodson. And today was good for Dougal’s fitness.

The theory is very much that pace is the key to exploiting space & endurance is the key to getting numbers to every contest. Clubs are going to be raiding the sprinting stocks of Athletics clubs for years to come. And probably start monitoring the elite runners from 13-14yo.

Sam Grlj isn’t a great kick but he’s the best ‘mover’ (agility + pace) I’ve seen in years. L Pickett & H Holmes both went higher than expected because of exceptional pace. D Sharp, O Greeves & F Rodriguez all went lower than initially expected. Clubs want raw pace in midfield.

Yes. Can’t miss it. “The Quick and the Dead” I’ve always loved inside mids, but I’m losing faith. Because typically, they’re not fast - and the game is a constant sprint. Last year’s draft was incredibly telling. Quick players had a premium, inside mids a massive discount.

@JoshJenkins24 ⬆️ This sort of thinking from players and ex-players is so jarring. There’s 625,000 Aus. Rules players. Only 775 pro AFL players. Yet there were 1.36m AFL club members in 2025. Fans make it possible for these players to earn $$$$ - how their interests get overlooked is scary.

Let’s not forget the players are the most important stakeholders in the game. They should have power

@RWBFooty *whispers softly* It’s the collar. We’ve seen the design before. But the collar ties it all together.

Fuck me this jumper is beautiful

@DanielCherny It’s probably not as symbiotic as players would like you to believe. If Nas left St Kilda, sure - I’d be cut up for a day, but I’d soon be thinking about the next set of incoming players. Most players are just temp employees passing through, engaged to do contract work for us.

@StKFootball It’s symbiotic. Can’t have a game without players but there’s no money without fans. Which is why coaches have little sway.

Let’s not forget fans are the most important stakeholder in professional sport. We bring the money. TV, tickets, memberships. All us, folks. Professional players are employees and they get paid. But fans make or break professional sport. No fans = no clubs = no professionals.

The sport will ALWAYS exist. We could happily go amateur. The sport would be fine. Ireland manages just fine & the players have real jobs. Play for the jersey, not the $$$ It’s the AFL fans who make players incredibly lucky and incredibly wealthy. They so often forget this.

Look at the story of pro sport in Australia. The codes and clubs that thrived did so because of one factor: popularity with the public. The sports/clubs that went bust are all because the fans lost interest. No team with a huge backing (except Souths) has ever gone under. 🤦‍♂️

@wheeeels03 @1629senSA @MarkBickley26 @jarrodwalsh Sadly, because he could play, but couldn’t always find the level of focus and intensity required to succeed.

@StKFootball @1629senSA @MarkBickley26 @jarrodwalsh Sadly?? He basically WALKED out of D-50 in the first 3 mins of a GRAND FINAL and got caught! WALKED!!! IN A GRAND FINAL!!! Absolutely deserved it

Bicks and Walshy have named the biggest whipping boy from each AFL club. What changes would you make? @MarkBickley26 @jarrodwalsh