Carlton, Essendon taking up St Kilda’s post

 

Roar Rookie

By Leigh Eustace, 11 May 2011 Leigh Eustace is a Roar Rookie

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 2011 AFL season, AFL, Carlton, Carlton Blues, Essendon, Essendon Bombers, St Kilda Saints

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The St Kilda Football Club has very successfully set up to win the close ones over the last few years, which has seen them get as close to winning a premiership without actually saluting in 2009 and 2010. However, 2011 has exposed that thin margin for error big time.

With a bit of luck, the Saints might have been four wins from six after two close losses to Geelong and now Carlton, as well as the draw with Richmond, and looking good things.

On the other hand, they’ve looked largely uncompetitive in all their games, could be seen as fortunate to take two points out of the Tigers game and were lucky against a Brisbane side who have been completely lacklustre, never more evident than their loss in the inaugural Q-Clash.

The loss to Carlton stings because for once this season we saw a glimpse of the good footy side we’ve become accustomed to seeing over the years.

But once again, the flip side of the coin says the Blues should have had that game in the bag in the first half, and even when severely pressed in the final frame they were good enough to get back in front.

So St Kilda languishes now in the bottom four, surrounded by new mates North Melbourne, Port Adelaide and Brisbane. They sit below the Gold Coast for goodness sake.

They will improve, and could realistically get back into the finals, but no matter their final position, 2011 will be a massive fail for a club determined to create a winning culture after so many lean decades, but unfortunately it’s been dictated too by an off-field culture that dominates their psyche and the headlines alike.

How else do you explain such a fall from grace?

The other team Monday night though is looking good, comfortably in the top four hanging on the coattails of Friday night’s combatants, everyone’s favourite to finish top two come season’s end.

Carlton still look like an unfinished project, but all the pieces they have accumulated over the years, the draft picks, the Brownlow medallists, you can in 2011 just start to see it all come together, and scarily their high potential looks in reach.

Their backline is underrated, undeveloped, but has been burgeoning so far this year, their midfield’s starting to dominate rather than just look good, and they have a forward line functioning adequately. And the Blues sit third. Scary.

One rung below sits the Bombers who should be definitely reassessing their hopes for 2011 if they didn’t think top four was in their grasp.

West Coast gave them an almighty tussle Mothers Day but a new side of Essendon, one which is pivotal for finals success, saw them come back and come from behind was super impressive.

Is it too early therefore for the AFL to open up some more champagne?

Fresh from a few nights of bubbly no doubt after sealing a mammoth broadcast rights, looming large this Spring sees four big Victorian clubs claiming the double chance.

At this stage with the Pies and Cats a cut above the rest, and the Blues and Bombers looking the best of the rest, a bumper final series ensues.

Its very early with that kind of prediction, but others in the ‘rest’ failed to impress on the weekend and question marks still linger over their progress.

Hawthorn did enough against Port Adelaide, but facing the Power who are sinking to the lowest of lows right now; doing enough is far from encouraging. Resounding, thumping, thrashing, these are the sort of words you want linked to your wins against the struggling Port if you have serious hopes for finals success.

Meanwhile a day later Fremantle faced a tough test against an up and about Richmond with the idea that they could win at the MCG, something rare for the Western Australians, and prove they are up for the fight in 2011.

An embarrassing last term put any hopes of that on hold, and where top four seemed theirs for the taking, once again we find ourselves second guessing the Dockers and wonder if they’ll ever find the consistency to attack the double chance, or, again, lament into a 6th or 7th and make up the numbers?

And what makes this top four pursuit all the more strange is that below these Hawks and Dockers, talented sides with tremendous upside, teams more than capable of a top four finish, we find Melbourne who a week ago was belted from pillar to post.

Adelaide laid down, Melbourne showed a much better attitude, but by no means are the Demons anywhere near ready enough to be spoken about as serious finals players.

As is Sydney, Richmond and the West Coast.

For the Swans, they should be aiming for finals, and to win one, perhaps now so should the Eagles. The Tigers, they aren’t that good just yet.

Then there’s the underachieving Bulldogs.And the Crows are in trouble.

And then, eventually, there’s St Kilda.

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