St Kilda players warm up during a St Kilda Saints training session at Linen House Oval in Melbourne.
Michael Gardiner, Jason Gram, Farren Ray, Zac Dawson, Adam Schneider, Steven King and Sean Dempster all arrived at St Kilda via a familiar path. All of them, for varying reasons, were in search of a fresh start, a second chance, or simply a new home, when the Saints took them on board.
All of them have gone on to establish themselves in the Saints’ best 22.
And now all of them – all seven of them – are in a position to win a flag.
Whilst some clubs declare that recycling players is an area they don’t want to touch, St Kilda are happy to go down the path of giving guys a new club. It’s one of the great little side stories behind their success so far this year.
Had they not gone down the path they did, it’s unlikely their list would be as strong as it is today.
The core of the team that came within an inch of playing grand finals in 2004 and 2005 is basically still there, with a few adjustments.
But because of player recycling, they’ve now also got a much stronger ruck division (thanks to Gardiner and King) and have plugged holes all over the ground (thanks to the other recruits).
One flow-on benefit is that Justin Koschitzke hasn’t had to spend anywhere near as much time in the ruck, giving them an extremely potent forward line.
Another flow-on benefit is the increased competition for spots. You only have to look at last weekend’s win over Hawthorn, in spite of eight outs on the team sheet, to know how eager fringe players are to land a place in the team.
Things like that can only help a side.
The only wonder is why more clubs don’t look at exploring avenues like the rookie draft, or trade week, or even take the time to look further into fringe players at other clubs. There are gems hiding all over the place.
Even Hawthorn last year benefited greatly by the addition of Stuart Dew – who was hiding away in retirement, of all places.
At the beginning of that season, and even later on in the year, there were question marks about whether or not the Hawks were “ready” yet. But the subtle addition of Dew proved to be a masterstroke.
He brought premiership experience to the team, played a handy role and, most important of all, put in a standout performance on grand final day.
The Hawks were a better side because they took that gamble.
St Kilda at the end of ‘06, after a disappointing finals campaign, knew that they probably needed that little bit more to taste success. A new coach, Ross Lyon, brought with him an open-minded attitude as to how they could bounce back and compete for a premiership.
The results weren’t instant, but they’re clearly showing now.
Before Lyon came in, Gardiner was at West Coast, Ray was at the Bulldogs, Dawson was at Hawthorn, Schneider and Dempster were at Sydney, and King was at Geelong.
Now, all these guys feature in the Saints’ best 22, a side that’s sitting at 19-0 with a genuine shot at a premiership.
Clubs should follow the lead of St Kilda. They should dig deeper for talent. They should consider actually doing something at trade week. They should go to whatever lengths necessary to bolster their list.
Because there are some gems hiding out there, and if they can find them, they’ll be a better club for it.
Collingwood led by a point with minutes to go, Kyle Langford had the chance to be the hero with a set shot, however, he missed, and we saw the first draw of the season.
Former Adelaide captain Rory Sloane has been forced into immediate retirement by the threat of further eye damage. Sloane, 34, had a second bout…
Kane Cornes has hit back at suggestions Aliir Aliir had some responsibility in being concussed in Jack Higgins' dangerous tackle, which saw the Saint…
St Kilda forward Jack Higgins has been hit with a three-match suspension for the dangerous tackle that concussed Aliir Aliir in the Saints' loss…
On the scoreboard, it looks like a creditable St Kilda performance. A loss to a Port Adelaide outfit many see as a premiership contender…
We’re taking a look at one player from each team that needs to make a difference this week, starting with the ANZAC Day games.
