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Where to now for Saints? In 2014, St Kilda President Peter Summers unveiled the club’s strategic framework ‘St Kilda – the Road to 2018′.
The strategy outlined a five-year plan and was based on two bold aims: “by 2018 we will be a top four side that is positioned to be a consistent premiership contender”; “by 2020 we will have our second premiership”.
It was a bold strategy for a club that has known such little success, designed to give supporters hope, and to ensure head office had a clear plan for the way ahead. However, based on this year’s form, it appears unlikely the Saints will achieve the first of those two aims next year, particularly given the evenness of the current competition.
Questions must be asked about where the Saints are at heading into 2018, with the team needing to improve markedly in a number of areas to even make finals, let alone the top four, and as we’ve seen with Melbourne this year, the gap between finishing ninth and tenth and making the top eight can seem more like a gulf at times.
(AAP Image/Tony McDonough)
So, what does the club need to do to realise Summers’ ambition and transform itself into a legitimate premiership contender?
The area most in need of improvement is goal kicking accuracy. The Saints were, frankly, woeful in that area this season, kicking themselves out of several games due to their inaccuracy. For a team that prides itself on its pressure game, locking the ball in the forward 50 and then failing to convert scoring opportunities does the exact opposite.
It is a glaring weakness in the team’s game, and if they are to make finals next year they must rectify it. Sam Gilbert was recently quoted saying that the team has identified this as an area of concern and has already begun specific work on this.
Speaking of pressure game – when that pressure fell away this season, the Saints were nowhere. As a team, they need to stand for more than just pressure. The most recent successful teams have all had a playing style and brand built on a specific quality or characteristic – Hawthorn used precision kicking, Geelong had footy smarts and nous, Sydney has its ability to win the contested ball, and last year’s WB had versatility.
The Saints need to develop their own brand – but at the moment, with their current list, it’s not quite clear what this might be.
From a list management view, the Saints are tracking ok, having invested heavily in the draft and trade periods in recent times. They have built a well-balanced list, but overall it is one that lacks class. Jack Billings announced himself as a genuine star this season, and the team could use 21 more like him.
To really challenge the top teams next year, they must acquire some more class. Having two draft picks in the top ten allows the Saints to either select two classy midfielders who will be able to play a role in the coming years, or target a specific player in the trade period. The latter would be preferable, given the club’s slow list build over the past few seasons, but either way this issue should be addressed in the off-season.
(Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Media/Getty Images)
It’s not something they can solve, but an intangible would be hoping that they can get the best out of several injured players. The club would have hoped that Paddy McCartin and Hugh Goddard would be in the team’s best 22 by now, but both have had serious injuries and barely played last year. Speedster Nathan Freeman is in the same boat, although he should be back in full training by pre-season.
McCartin and Goddard’s injuries, as well as those of defender Dan McKenzie, have meant that none of the three players the Saints selected in the first round in 2014 has established themselves in the team. Three years on, you’d expect those players to be making more of an impact, and their injury issues has certainly slowed the team’s development and progress.
They also need to reduce the gap between their best and worst performances. Their best is good enough to beat the best – such as the wins against GWS and Richmond – but their worst is appalling, too often being blown away in games, and often giving up seeming unassailable leads, as they did unforgivably against Port Adelaide in the dying seconds.
All that being said, I don’t think the club is too far off achieving Summers’ aim – it may just come a year or two later than originally outlined. When the club set its strategic plan, it also embarked on a specific, well-planned drafting and list management process, and has followed that almost to the letter.
With better results in the past two seasons, the club has managed to attract several players from other clubs who have made valuable contributions, such as Jake Carlisle, Jack Steele and Koby Stevens. The Saints’ list management strategy specifically noted 2018 as the year the team would begin to ‘aggressively’ target free agency, and they are well placed to attract a big name this year. Doing so could help the Saints achieve their top-four goal by the end of next season.
Irrespective of this, the team is now stable on and off-field, laying the foundations for future success. For a club that has historically achieved so little on-field, this is a definite positive, and Saints fans should be confident that their team is heading for good things – just maybe not next year.
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