The Roar
The Roar

AFL
Advertisement

The Saints have lost their faith

Jarryn Geary of the Saints. (AAP Image/Julian Smith)
Roar Guru
18th April, 2018
1

This is a very even season. Already, every team has had a loss.

And not a ‘good’ loss either (if there is such a thing). It seems like every team has question marks over it, with the possible exception of Richmond who are still glowing in their Premiership glory and performing well. But no club has more question marks about it than St Kilda.

One poor win followed by three appalling losses – something has to give soon. Already crowds have fallen massively, and I would not be surprised if they struggle to pull in 10,000 against the Giants this weekend.

It must be easy to coach against the Saints this year. All that has to be done is to drop a player back around 40m out from the St Kilda goal, and you can guarantee that the ball will be kicked to him in the majority of cases. After this, you can just simply rebound from half back and easily maintain possession against a now out of position St Kilda midfield and defence.

The St Kilda forward line is non-existent. Trying to turn Paddy McCartin into a Nick Riewoldt is not a viable strategy. In the game against Geelong, McCartin had the most inside 50 entries of any St Kilda player.

His role should be to be on the end of these entries not delivering them, yet he only managed two marks inside 50 for the game. With no other recognised tall forwards in the team – especially after Marshall went off – who could he possibly be delivering to?

St Kilda dominated the clearances against Geelong, 44 to just 29, won the centre clearances 12 to 9 and yet resoundingly lost the inside 50’s (44 to 62) and the match by 50 points. This is simply further evidence that both the forward line structure and indeed any structure upfield from a contest is simply not working.

The Saints midfield may be slow when defending, but around stoppages, it is incredibly competent. It’s the first or second disposal after a contest that leads to trouble and turnovers.

Advertisement

Some people online have been commenting that the players look disinterested. But to me, it doesn’t look like disinterest, it looks more like confusion about what they should do next. Whether they are confused about the game plan, lack faith in the plan or faith in their ability to carry out that plan I can’t tell.

Maybe they are being overcoached – sometimes it looks like players want to go with their first instinct and then hesitate, possibly because that would go against team rules. This hesitation naturally causes trouble, as the speed at which the game is played these days means any hesitation almost always leads to having to dispose of the ball under pressure – or at least perceived pressure.

That is the only way to explain some of the absolutely appalling disposals that have become a St Kilda trademark so far this season.

It’s become something of a meme by St Kilda supporters that at some stage when the team is losing badly, Jake Carlisle will be thrown forward. It’s probably unfair to say that this is the only game day tactical change the Alan Richardson seems capable of making, but it does very much appear that way.

Alan Richardson

(AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy)

Even his supporters (and they are growing fewer by the week) are tuning into this meme, and that is dangerous for his future. His new two-year contract will probably save him in the short term though and give him enough time to attempt to turn things around.

But for the moment, this is not shaping into the year that both the coach and the board promised fans that it would be.

Advertisement

Funnily enough, I’m still not prepared to call it season over for the Saints. One good win can be an amazing tonic for a team in as much distress as St Kilda is; confidence is an amazing thing. If the forward line structures can be fixed, and the forwards can have greater confidence in supply then there is immediately less pressure on each shot at goal.

And less pressure usually means greater accuracy. And if these forwards are more accurate, then the midfield will have greater faith in supplying the ball to them, unlike Jack Newnes on Sunday with his two inaccurate kick and hopes from outside 50.

It’s a cyclical thing. And one win might just restore the faith in each other that the Saints are clearly lacking.

close