Our favourite footy clubs provide a compelling narrative. Think Port Adelaide, with their rags to riches story, or Sydney’s famous ‘Bloods’ culture, supposedly the envy of all other clubs.
Compare that to Carlton, where the lack of a coherent or stable narrative has led fans to constant frustration.
All clubs’ prospects are heavily influenced by the narrative built by their leadership. And finally, after years of up and down, St Kilda are doing it just right.
So why do some narratives succeed where others fail? It comes down to two elements: realism and commitment.
First and foremost the narrative needs to be realistic. Just last year, a lack of realism probably cost Guy McKenna his job. Gold Coast are clearly building something exciting, yet a slight hiccup in late 2014 was enough to get the coach sacked. With a more realistic timeframe for success, ‘Bluey’ might still have a job.
Commitment to the narrative is equally important. Years ago, North Melbourne began the slow process of building a top-four team through the draft, and while the going has been tough, they have stuck to their guns. Case in point: they have retained and used both their first and second-round draft picks for the last nine consecutive years. Now, finally, that commitment to the narrative is starting to pay dividends.
For Saints fans, the current picture is bleak. The side crashed to their 27th wooden spoon last year, with the dream of a second flag nowhere in sight. Most of their modern champions have either retired or left for greener pastures. And the memory of coming so agonisingly close in 2009 and 2010 is now just that, a memory.
And yet supporters do not despair, they do not flee. Why? Because they have hope. Because they have a clear direction. Because they have a narrative.
To be sure, this rebuild will take time. The Saints will not be in finals, much less flag contention, for many years. But what they do have going for them is significant.
They have a coach whose praises could not be sung more loudly. They have a gun midfielder in Jack Steven who has just recommitted to the club for the long haul. They have an ageing captain who knocked back offers to end his career in comfort, opting instead to stay and cement his legacy as one of the true modern champions of the game.
And then they have their kids.
In years to come, the 2014 draft may be looked back on as a watershed moment for the club. Obviously it’s far too early to call, but already it’s been compared to Hawthorn’s 2004 draft, which brought Jarryd Roughead and Buddy Franklin to the club.
In Patty McCartin and Hugh Goddard, the Saints look to have key position bookends for the next 10 years, while they have also added athletic midfielder Daniel McKenzie, and dangerous small forward Jack Lonie. That’s in addition the handsome crop of midfielders drafted last year, headed by Jack Billings and Luke Dunstan.
The rookie draft too has played a big part. St Kilda has shown it is keen to snare talent from that avenue, with the likes of Eli Templeton and Mav Weller coming down that path last year.
In the short term, St Kilda isn’t going too far up the ladder, so they will take more top-end picks into next few drafts.
With a bit of patience, and the commitment required to stay the course in the face of pressure to deviate, St Kilda will rise again. The narrative isn’t an easy one, but it’s strong and it’s exciting. The Saints are building slowly and cleverly, and are well and truly on their way.
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