Preview St Kilda 2017
2016 in Review
If it wasn’t for the Bulldogs’ remarkable season, then the Saints would have claimed the ‘most improved’ title for 2016, rising from 14th to 9th. They narrowly missed out on finals, only an inferior percentage keeping them below eight-placed North Melbourne. The ever-present Nick Riewoldt led the way on the field, displaying remarkable endurance. A fleet of quick, young, exciting players followed him and will give Saints fans great optimism for the year ahead. Their second half of the season was particularly impressive — winning 10 of their last 14 matches and they will hope to carry this form into 2017.
Key changes to personnel
The Saints emerged as one of the real winners of the trade period, picking up players that will improve the side without really losing anything. The only player to leave the club who has played regularly is the retiring Sam Fisher. He will be missed as an experienced head in the backline, but it is a position where the Saints already have depth — with Sam Gilbert, Sean Dempster and Jarryn Geary all playing similar roles.
St Kilda was able to recruit players who will come into the team and have an impact immediately. Jack Steele joined from GWS and adds to the Saints’ abundance of small midfield/forwards that seem to be the new favourite player in the league, based on the success of the Bulldogs last season. He only managed 17 games in two seasons at the Giants but looks like a solid player who builds his game on tackling pressure. Koby Stevens is a similar pick-up to Steele — he can play midfield or forward and finds himself at the Saints after struggling to get a game in the strong Bulldogs side. The Saints also welcome in two key position players in Nathan Brown from Collingwood, and Jake Carlisle who is returning from suspension. Brown will be a useful addition to play lock-down roles on key forwards, which will allow his more attacking teammates to run-off and rebound. Carlisle was on the Saints’ list last season, but was banned for the season because of the Essendon drug controversy. Although already embroiled in off-field issues since joining the Saints, Carlisle is a prodigious talent as a key position player that is dominant in the backline and also useful as a forward target.
The Saints were relatively quiet in the draft, choosing pacy outside midfielder Ben Long with pick 25, tall forward Josh Battle with pick 39, midfielder Ed Phillips with 56, and future prospect Rowan Marshall in the rookie draft.
St Kilda’s Draw
St Kilda play eight of their first ten games at Etihad Stadium, a ground they have performed well at — winning 9 of their 14 games there last season. The Saints have quite a tough draw, having to play premiership hopefuls West Coast and Sydney twice, as well as other teams vying for spots in the finals — Melbourne, Richmond and North Melbourne twice. Their dual matches against Melbourne in particular will be vital in them finishing in the eight this year.
Looking forward to
The continued emergence of their quick and exciting midfield will be a highlight this season. The list managers have clearly made pace a priority, with the Saints’ midfield amongst the smallest, but most electrifying in the AFL. Led by the more experienced Jack Steven and David Armitage, they have followed the recent trend of picking a multitude of players that are good in the midfield but also effective in the forward line and will both kick goals and apply pressure as forwards. Seb Ross, Jack Newnes, Luke Dunstan, Jack Billings, Maverick Weller, Jack Sinclair, Jack Lonie, and new additions Jack Steele and Koby Stevens are the young and up-and-coming players that the Saints will hope to build their next premiership around. All have played less than 100 games, but are immensely talented and can win their own ball, have the speed to break lines, and have good defensive skills as well.
The Saints, however, are not purely built on youth this season, with the four elders Riewoldt, Montagna, Dempster and Gilbert the only players over 30 in the team. They will help develop the young side, but also play key roles on the field. Riewoldt in particular had one of his best seasons last year, and has shown that by playing higher up on the wing he is able to burn opponents with his elite running capabilities.
The Saints’ young forward line also looks ominous — with Josh Bruce well supported by Tim Membrey and Patty McCartin. Bruce showed he is in menacing form, kicking 7 goals against Carlton in the preseason, and McCartin will continue to improve as he fills out and is able to out-muscle opponents. Membrey has been the surprise breakout player of the forward line, kicking 44 goals last year and proving he is much more than just a decoy to the bigger names in the forward line.
Brown and the returning Carlisle will give the Saints a very strong backline as well. Carlisle has the potential to be an All-Australian backman, and with Brown, they should be able to match up well on any opposition tall forward combination. Rebounding defenders Geary, Gilbert, Dempster, Montagna and Savage complement them nicely, and will match up well with smaller opponents.
Worried about
The Saints have an incredibly young list, and whilst this makes for exciting viewing, it can lead to inconsistency throughout the year. There are only four players on the list that are over 30 years old and this lack of experience can prove to be costly both during the season in terms of consistency, but also if they are in the finals. Not a lot of players on the list have played in finals and many will be unaccustomed to playing in front of massive crowds in big matches. The younger players will need to cope with the added attention on them this year as they try and prove themselves as finals contenders.
The Saints have been poor travellers, last year they were unable to win any of their five matches outside of Victoria. They were uncompetitive in some matches — particularly a 103-point loss to West Coast and an 88-point loss to Adelaide. This will certainly be an area to work on with the Saints playing six interstate games this season.
Although the Saints do boast a deep list oozing with talent, they still don’t possess many players in the absolute top-echelon in the league. Jack Steven and Nick Riewoldt are probably the only players who would be considered amongst the very best — indeed they were the only Saints players who were adjudged in the top 50 in the league by their peers. This lack of stars has probably helped the Saints stay out of the spotlight and draw less attention as finals contenders. Whilst it is a positive to have contributions from all 22 players, it would improve them a lot if they could find another one or two players that stamp themselves as elite in the AFL. Having an out an out matchwinner, like a Fyfe, Bontempelli, Dangerfield or Franklin could boost the Saints from making up the numbers in the finals to being genuine premiership contenders.
It’s a big season for:
Jarryn Geary: Probably the least known of all AFL captains, Geary is an old-fashioned footballer who is happy to go about his work out of the spotlight and without receiving any plaudits. Many think of him as merely a role player in the side, but his second placing in the best and fairest proves his importance as a player to the Saints. This season, as captain of the club, he will be forced to step into the spotlight and it will be interesting to see whether this affects his game at all. He is a greatly respected figure of the club who wasn’t blessed with a lot of natural talent and has worked hard to get to where he is now. This year he will be important in motivating such a young list to perform consistently and cohesively.
Jake Carlisle: Never has a recruit at a club attracted such immediate negative press, he was foolish but also unlucky that the release of an incriminating video was timed just hours after the announcement of his trade to the Saints in 2015. The year off was almost beneficial to Carlisle, who now goes into the season under much less scrutiny than he would’ve had he played so soon after the scandal. At his best he is one of the best defenders in the AFL and so could be a catalyst to St Kilda’s improvement and assault at the finals.
Josh Bruce: Is another of the young and upcoming forwards around the league. He was slightly disappointing last year after being so good in 2015 — kicking just 38 goals compared 50 the year prior. This could be down to the Saints having more avenues to goal, meaning that Bruce gets less supply, but he is still a key forward who will want to be challenging for the Coleman medal. He remains the key target of the forward line — with Riewoldt playing more in the midfield, Membrey a less talented player, and McCartin still needing time to develop. If he can be a reliable target in the forward line, the lesser lights in the forward line will benefit greatly with less focus on them, and smaller players will have an impact at Bruce’s feet.
Jack Steven: Already a genuine champion of the club, Steven had one of his best seasons last year, picking up his third club best and fairest and polling 16 votes in the Brownlow. Stevens is the second most experienced player (behind Armitage) in the midfield and is the most decorated midfielder in the side. There is no reason why Steven can’t continue to improve and lift the younger players around him, if he can have another good year then the midfield will be very dangerous.
Expectations
The Saints are a very exciting team this year, right on the cusp of the finals last season, they look like they will definitely improve this year. They have a great mix of youth and experience, but are still a very young side. All lines are covered, with established goalkickers and defenders, as well as a blossoming, speedy midfield. Their main challenge will be stepping it up against better opponents and finding ways to win away from Melbourne. If they can win a few away games and continue to build Etihad as a fortress, then they will almost certainly make the finals. The Saints look like the most likely team to force their way into the finals out of those finishing outside the eight last year. It will be interesting to see just how much they do improve and whether they are ready to compete with the top sides this year. It may be another year or two before they can be called premiership contenders, but expect the Saints to be playing in September this year.
Predicted finish: 6th
