Luke Ball of Collingwood in action during a Collingwood Magpies training session at Gosch’s Paddock in Melbourne. Slattery Images
Father-son recruit Nicholas Winmar made his debut on the weekend, arguably the only positive to come from a horror 2010 preseason for St Kilda.
St Kilda’s performance this season has been dismal, with two-and-a-half wins from their eight games, entrenching last year’s grand finalists deep in the bottom half of the ladder.
While many experts have marked their Round 1 loss to Geelong as the pin in the St Kilda bubble, it could be argued that the bubble burst in the 2010 pre-season, when they gave up Luke Ball for nothing.
The Saints, although playing in two grand finals last year, had the writing on the wall from the start of the last season.
In 2009, they were the team to beat. The Saints football had taken over the Geelong style of play, and in result, they finished on top of the AFL ladder with 20 wins and just two losses.
After steamrolling the Pies in the qualifying final, then edging out the Dogs in the preliminary, St Kilda went into the Grand Final favourites against the mighty Cats.
As is well documented, the gripping match ebbed and flowed, before the Cats finally outran the Saints by 12 points.
With such a successful year finishing with no silverware, the Saints looked set in the 2010 pre-season to fill in the missing pieces that ultimately cost them the flag.
Leg speed was a major priority as well as extra depth in the midfield.
But from the end of the 2009 Grand Final to the start of the 2010 NAB Cup, the outside of the St Kilda bubble started to burst, as the Saints’ list went backwards.
St Kilda’s 2007 captain Luke Ball wanted out of the club, after being unable to secure a permanent spot in the team during the 2009 season.
St Kilda refused to agree with Collingwood’s offer of picks 25 and 65 during trade week, with St Kilda coach Ross Lyon saying that Ball was worth more than a 25th pick.
The deal fell through, Ball quit the Saints and nominated for the pre-season draft. Collingwood picked him up with pick 30.
St Kilda’s first pick wasn’t until pick 32, where they selected Nicholas Winmar.
Between picks 25-32, Essendon picked up Travis Colyer and Geelong drafted Mitch Duncan. They too could be wearing a St Kilda jumper right now.
During trade week, they also picked up Essendon speedstar Andrew Lovett and Fremantle midfielder Brett Peake.
Lovett, who was traded for St Kilda’s pick 16, was thrown out of the club before the season started, and in the end the Saints were left with nothing.
While St Kilda could be excused for not forecasting Lovett’s future, the club failed to make any changes to their best 22. They added no extra leg speed, lost Luke Ball for no extra picks, and lost Lovett (and pick 16).
Collingwood in the mean time filled in the holes in their list, acquiring Ball and ruckman Darren Jolly to their squad.
They also took the tough track, persisting with young players such as Sharrod Wellingham, Brent Macaffer, Jarryd Blair, Danye Beams, Steele Sidebottom and Ben Reid.
That meant that the Pies’ older brigade missed out, including Tarkyn Lockyer, Shane O’Bree, Paul Medhurst and Simon Prestigiacomo.
Twelve months down the track, the Pies added a 15th premiership to their collection, and the Saints again finished runners-up, unable to match the Pies’ leg speed or midfield depth on the first Saturday in October.
It’s fair to argue that the Saints went within a whisker of a premiership in 2010, drawing the first grand final, but St Kilda’s list managers failed to improve on the 2009 squad.
Dale Thomas, Scott Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom ran riot in the second grand final, as did Luke Ball in the black and white.
St Kilda however couldn’t match the Pies’ youthful speed, and although they got so close in the first, Collingwood proved they were the best team in 2010.
And with the St Kilda school-girl photo scandal breaking in May last year, the club’s off-field drama had hit an all-time high.
Off-field issues surrounding the photo scandal lasted all year, prompting outsiders to wonder just how much affect it was having on the playing group.
The ordeal continued through this year’s pre-season with the Ricky Nixon story breaking, and St Kilda finally finished in a bundled heap before a ball had even been bounced.
Their on-field resolve would soon be tested as they met with old foes Geelong in the Round 1 blockbuster.
But it wasn’t to be, with the Cats holding on for a one-point win.
Now with just two-and-a-half wins from seven games, their finals hope have been all but written off.
Off-field problems can be kept off-field. But as time caught up with the Saints, they’re lack of list management, or of luck, has cost them a premiership.
The Saints, although not going backwards, did not move forward.
Collingwood improved their list, and they have a cup to prove it.
Come 2011, St Kilda still don’t have that leg speed, and with spiritual leader Lenny Hayes out for the season, they also don’t have the midfield depth required to challenge the league’s best.
If only St Kilda could do 2010 all over again.
Republican
Guest
I am an old timer brought up on following the Saints. They play a very boring and unattractive style, a style which heaped them to two recent GF's. I was actually gald to see the Pies rewarded last season for playing the more positive style of footy. Blood is thicker than H20 however the Saints lack inspiration and hold little sentiment for this old fella these days. I would rather support the Shin Boners probably my 2nd team although I hold to the creed that no one can serve two masters. North are unlikely to win a flag any time in the distant future but at least I can watch them since they have passion and play brilliant footy - at times. Cheers
teddybee
Guest
7 new starters this year - 8 if you count lynch this week - nothing wrong with the side at all - its just taking some time to slot in the new kids . Write them of at your own peril - still lots of juice and ready to goose as the season progresses
amazonfan
Roar Guru
I was completely unimpressed with the way that St Kilda treated Ball. Add to that the comments; Lyon's comments were self-righteous, deceptive and nonsensical, while Riewoldt showed that he should stick to playing.
Hk47
Guest
Ball was mismanaged, but the saints wanted Nathan Brown or Andrejs Everrit. Collingwood was not willing to trade players to a premiership rival, while Bulldogs wanted pick 21, which North was unwilling to give up. Saints risked getting nothing in hope of retaining Ball. Didn't work out. St Kilda came bloody close to winning a premiership last year. Had Lovett and Armitage (niggling knee injury) been in the grand final team over a 2 of McQualter, Eddy and Peake, they probably would have won. The current troubles seem to be the loss of an excellent assistant coach panel, along with Hayes. Silvagni has been recruited for training Folau, Tudor has gone to coach Sydneys forward line (much more effective this year IMO) and Elshaug has become list manager. Ironically, last year looks like St Kildas best draft since 2001. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
sue
Guest
not his uncle. Nicholas Winmar is Nicky Winmar's second cousin, and hahad never met him until he was drafted to the saints.
Bayman
Guest
Damo, I reckon the Saints, for the past two or three years, have been a triumph of planning over ability. Very few teams, in my memory, have achieved as much basically on the back of the game plan. Perhaps, Sydney, are the other great example but then Ross Lyons served his apprenticeship with the Swans. Whenever I matched up Saints players against any of the other good teams of the recent period (Collingwood, Geelong etc) I always came up short. Pick a Saints player to replace his opposite number in those teams and not too many Saints get a guernsey. Maybe Riewoldt, and Goddard - and you might just find a place to fit in Lenny Hayes. Last year I tipped Collingwood to win by eight goals in the grand final. Eventually, they did. The extraordinary thing was that the Saints could easily have jagged the first GF and I'd still be wondering how. The second game, in my view, was an accurate assessment of the talent of the two teams. The Saints best chance of a flag, really, was the previous year against Geelong. They lost there because of an extraodinary display of flash over substance. Who can forget Milne trying to run the ball along the ground from forty metres out only to see Scarlett catch up to it, pick it up and clear. He kicks a conventional drop punt, in the air, and Scarlett has no chance. Then there was Schneider's shot across his body, ball laid across his boot, when all he had to do was straighten and kick conventionally. Naturally he missed a sitter. In footy, as in life, you generally get what you paid for. Flirt with the skills, get tricky and clever and things can go pear-shaped at the worst possible time. Perhaps the Saints were over confident but they lost a grand final to the Cats that they really should have won, despite the gap in individual ability in Geelong's favour. No-one to blame but themselves. Last year, despite the draw, they really weren't good enough as evidenced by the replay. The Ball decision was badly mis-managed. The Lovett recruitment was optimism at its best. Already under a cloud, happily flicked by Essendon, Lovett was a disaster waiting to happen. The surprise, perhaps, was that it happened so quickly. When he was picked up by the Saints I predicted to a mate he would not last the season and be lucky to play a game. Even I did not expect to be that right. Right now, the Saints are in for a long haul. The good players are getting older and couldn't do it at their peak so they won't do it now. The rest just are not good enough. For the Saints there really was a "window of opportunity" but that is now firmly closed. Kosi's a shadow (though he never really ever did enough often enough), Gardiner's old and injured, Milne is still a show pony but in truth is an "icing on the cake" player rather than a key man and most of the Saints are just good, honest players. The sum of the whole being, in their case, always much better than the sum of the individual parts. For that I think Ross Lyon, and his coaching staff, deserve the bulk of the credit. Something about silk purses and a sow's ears comes to mind when I think of the Saints. Right now, the Saints may be better than they've been showing but I'm not totally convinced. From here on, I suspect, it's all downhill for the Sainters. They've been a good team - but not a great team - and that real lack of class is now starting to show. And I don't think Winmar the younger is the son of.....I thought I heard a commentator recently say, "Cousin", or was it "Nephew"?
Kick2Kick
Guest
Think you will Winmar wasn't a father/ son draft. It's his uncle... Apart from that, agree totally... Smart recruiting is the key - good post!
Football Fan
Guest
Good article - it's really interesting how the saints have lost it of late. Trying to act tough on things like Ball and the photos debacle has been shown up as just talk. Ross Lyon's address to the club after the 2009 loss to me showed that they were determined to do their utmost, but when it comes down to it the Saints can't get it done. I'd love to see a psychologist's report on the group down at Seaford, they must be so frustrated, now realising that they're further away than they've been. (And correct me if I'm wrong but the pedant in me has to say that Nicholas Winmar is Nicky Winmar's cousin, not son?)