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Ahead of North Melbourne’s Round 7 match with St Kilda this season, I said on The Roar AFL Podcast that St Kilda were bound to record a big scalp at some point this season – I just hoped it wouldn’t be against us.
As it turned out, it wasn’t, though they certainly came mightily close on that day, drawing level late in the game after being well behind at the final change, only to be denied by an unloved free kick to Todd Goldstein and some clever use of the shot clock by Mason Wood.
That game was an absolutely brutal one for the Saints – they had wanted a big scalp over a top eight team so very badly, and after the final siren blew they were emotionally shot. The sight of Luke Dunstan in tears after the match is not one I’ll forget.
St Kilda were presented with that opportunity once again last night, but again it looked like it was going to get away from them. They burst out with a fast start against the Geelong Cats, and lead by a significant margin early on, but the Cats, as good teams do, whittled away at the margin and kept themselves in the game.
They took the lead in the final term and were as far ahead as nine points with just a few minutes to go. It looked like, despite all their hard work and gumption, the Saints would fall short.
But then, showing enormous maturity beyond their years, the Saints lifted once again. A first-year rookie in Jade Gresham kicked one of the goals of the year to put the margin back within a kick, and then Jack Steven put through the match-winner before the Saints held out the clock for a famous victory.
It was without a doubt the biggest scalp they have claimed under the leadership of Alan Richardson, and a strong indication that they are making significant progress under his tutelage.
Richardson despite not having a much stronger record than Justin Leppitsch – who he began his career at the same time as – has largely escaped scrutiny over his job. Indeed, it’s quite rare that there should be more pressure on a Queenslander coach than a Victorian!
The reason is that even though the Saints have spent a lot of the last few years losing, they’ve done it in a way that shows they are making progress, but just not getting the results they wanted.
St Kilda under Richardson have very rarely if ever lacked effort or passion – I can think of only a handful of games where they’ve looked listless. Instead, it’s usually their lack of skills and maturity that has let them down.
Those things will come with time and proper teaching, but effort and passion are so very much harder to create. Richo’s Saints have them in spades. Leppa’s Lions are almost completely bankrupt of both.
The Saints are finally starting to achieve those results they want on a more regular basis and while finals looks to be beyond them in this season, there’s no doubt they’ll be pushing for the top eight in years to come.
As their young crop of draftees continue to gain maturity and wisdom and continue to improve their skills, the sky is the limit so long as they retain this relentless desire to win.
A criticism I have often had of the Saints is their reliance on their experienced players but they are moving further way from that with every match.
Last night Paddy McCartin showed that he can be one of the best key forwards in the game and while no one could ever truly replace Nick Riewoldt, McCartin has all the tools he needs to be a superstar in his own right.
The more concerning area is the key defenders, and that’s where Jake Carlisle comes in – well, in 2017 he does.
I wasn’t a fan of the Carlisle trade when it happened and to be fair, I’m still not. However what’s done is done and the Saints now need to hope that it pans out.
They needed two things from this trade – for Carlisle to be a success, and for their draftee at pick 14 to be a success. Given the excitement that Gresham delivered last night you’d say the latter is already well on its way, but the former?
Well, we simply won’t know until next year. And 2017 will be a very, very big year for the Saints. It could well be the year they burst into the top eight if all goes as planned. And if things don’t… there could be trouble.
For now though, let’s not think too much about the future, and just enjoy a ripping win, one of the games of the year. Go ahead Saints fans, sing the song! You deserve it.