I have a foot in both camps re the age of our roster.I agree with Kiwi that age is not everything but also agree that we have a stale look that some youth with ability would go a long way towards fixing.Newcastle flogged the Titans with an ageing roster but lost their previous 5 matches with the same old guys so that point was irrelevant.
I thought we would have a good year and said so early on WITH ONE PROVISO and it is something people often forget- the problem I thought may arise (and it has IMO)lies not in the age of our players but in the hunger.
A large chunk of our team at the start of the year had won two premierships already-many great players don't even play in a GF. In a comp that comes down to the one percenters do our guys have the desire to go the extra yard after achieving so much.Psychologically it must be very difficult and we are playing like that-plenty of courage but not the excitement and creativity that comes with fresh minds with something to prove.
You can say that they are professionals and bla bla bla but in reality to climb a mountain for the third time for the 2 stewarts,matai,lyon,joey,kingy,choc,ballin,kitey etc must be incredibly tough.DCE,Foran,Faoso,Williams,Buhrer have also bagged a title already.
To raise one last effort as the injuries and suspensions mount is probably proving a bridge too far in my book.Last years exit in Melbourne had that feel about it.Saints won one comp with an experienced roster and then couldn't maintain the rage at all - we have done so for 6 long years.Tough ask.
Melbourne do it by keeping the core 3 or 4 and having almost a new side each year to inject enthusiasm.We have kept the core 8 or 9 and asked them to keep delivering.Too hard and they are playing like it,particularly with a coach who is so much a part of past campaigns there is no freshness there either.
Most games at top level are won between the ears and our desire more than our age isn't helping and to be honest I don't blame them,particularly with very few fresh faces to lift the side at training.It is not so much that we need youth -we need players who have never won anything.
I thought we would have a good year and said so early on WITH ONE PROVISO and it is something people often forget- the problem I thought may arise (and it has IMO)lies not in the age of our players but in the hunger.
A large chunk of our team at the start of the year had won two premierships already-many great players don't even play in a GF. In a comp that comes down to the one percenters do our guys have the desire to go the extra yard after achieving so much.Psychologically it must be very difficult and we are playing like that-plenty of courage but not the excitement and creativity that comes with fresh minds with something to prove.
You can say that they are professionals and bla bla bla but in reality to climb a mountain for the third time for the 2 stewarts,matai,lyon,joey,kingy,choc,ballin,kitey etc must be incredibly tough.DCE,Foran,Faoso,Williams,Buhrer have also bagged a title already.
To raise one last effort as the injuries and suspensions mount is probably proving a bridge too far in my book.Last years exit in Melbourne had that feel about it.Saints won one comp with an experienced roster and then couldn't maintain the rage at all - we have done so for 6 long years.Tough ask.
Melbourne do it by keeping the core 3 or 4 and having almost a new side each year to inject enthusiasm.We have kept the core 8 or 9 and asked them to keep delivering.Too hard and they are playing like it,particularly with a coach who is so much a part of past campaigns there is no freshness there either.
Most games at top level are won between the ears and our desire more than our age isn't helping and to be honest I don't blame them,particularly with very few fresh faces to lift the side at training.It is not so much that we need youth -we need players who have never won anything.
