St Kilda have now had four different coaches in this decade and haven’t been seen in September since 2011 after blowing multiple chances of winning a premiership in the late 2000s.
Another season of underperforming was too much for the Saints hierarchy to handle in 2019, finishing 14th when finals were expected and in turn sacking senior coach Alan Richardson.
The Saints were the big movers in the trade period under new coach Brett Ratten and the administration have openly stated that they expect to break their nine-year finals drought in 2020.
Best 22
FB: Jarryn Geary, Jake Carlisle, Callum Wilkie
HB: Dylan Roberton, Dougal Howard, Hunter Clark
C: Jack Billings, Sebastian Ross, Bradley Hill
HF: Jade Gresham, Tim Membrey, Jack Sinclair
FF: Daniel Butler, Max King, Jack Lonie
FOLL: Rowan Marshall, Jack Steele, Luke Dunstan
INT: Jimmy Webster, Zak Jones, Josh Battle, Shane Savage
Defence
St Kilda’s defence should be a much improved outfit providing a few of their key players can stay on the park. Jake Carlisle only played ten games in 2019, captain Jarryn Geary played five games and Dylan Roberton didn’t play one due to a major heart condition.
All three of those players are very underrated. Geary is the inspirational leader of the team as the captain and any team misses that when it isn’t there, while Roberton and Carlisle were both potentially All Australians in their best seasons.
Dougal Howard, the new recruit from Port Adelaide, should help shore up the defence and better yet the Saints didn’t have to give up much for him. He’s the new wave of modern defenders so he should be able to intercept well, beat his man and provide good run, which is something the Saints lack.
Speaking of which, the weakness of the Saints’ back line is that they lack any real run out of their defensive 50. Geary, Hunter Clark and Callum Wilkie are good defenders but when it comes to using their foot skills and speed, they don’t really have any. The majority of their run will need to come from the likes of Roberton, Shane Savage, Zak Jones and Bradley Hill.
(Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
Midfield
The Saints did fantastically well in the trade period by recruiting outside runners in Brad Hill and Zak Jones. Hill averaged 25 disposals a game last season and ranked ninth in metres gained per game and eighth in uncontested possessions per game. Jones played predominantly off half back last season but at a new club, he will get more of the ball and be able to use his speed on the outside, which the Saints have been missing.
The midfield’s ball-winning ability has never been questioned. Led by Sebastian Ross and Jack Steele, the Saints are a hard-nosed midfield who rank well in clearances won and contested possessions.
The main deficiency in this midfield was the lack of outside run and with the recruits of Brad Hill and Zak Jones, hopefully for Saints supporters, they’ll see much more exciting football in 2020.
Attack
The forward line is clearly the worst part of the Saints’ outfit and it seems like the area that will hold them back from a finals berth.
With the loss of Josh Bruce, who is good for 40 goals a year, the Saints look very thin on key position talent. Max King will lead the forward line in his debut season in the competition, and Tim Membrey – who simply isn’t a key position forward – will be forced to play on the second-best defender every week.
The small forwards are led by Jade Gresham, who is a very good footballer. He moved more into the midfield last season and averaged 22 disposals a game along with 15 goals, but kicked 35 and 30 the two years previous when he played mainly as a small forward. With the inclusion of Hill and Jones, we should see more of Gresham in the forward line in 2020.
Bar Gresham, though, the cupboard is pretty bare. The Saints recruited Tigers premiership hero Daniel Butler in the trade period, who kicked 30 goals in 2017, but he found himself out of Richmond’s side last year when only playing seven games.
Jack Lonie and Jack Sinclair are extremely inconsistent and it’s hard to see that changing in 2020.
Prediction
Realistically, I see the Saints in that middle-of-the-road group with about nine other teams.
They have arguably improved certain parts of their side (outside run and speed, a good second key defender) but they have also stayed similar in certain parts of the ground which have hindered them for a few years now, like their lack of a powerful key forward.
Although finals aren’t completely out of the question, new coach Brett Ratten still has his work cut out for him at the Saints and he’ll need to find improvement in areas where it doesn’t look possible at the moment.
Predicted finish: 11th.
Vercetti1986'
Roar Rookie
I think the midfield certainly requires some more polish but I think it has a good mix now of contested style players such as Steele, Hannebery, Ross with some hard runners such as Hill, Clark, Billings etc. I think the internal development of the existing players there should not be underestimated with a new coach too. I expect the skills to be much better under Ratten and for him to actually develop players skills and abilities.
berrlins
Roar Pro
Even with Hill the Saints have a pretty average midfield, I just can't see them matching with some of the other mids in the comp.
Vercetti1986'
Roar Rookie
Yeah the 1998 prelim was a different story. The bulldogs got belted in the prelim by Adelaide even though the bulldogs had a great season that year and finished 2nd on the ladder I recall. The 97′ loss was much worse though imo. You could see the dejection on the players faces and how much that loss meant after the defeat. It was a final they should never have lost. Don’t know what Wallace was doing to stop it. It seems everything went wrong for them in the last quarter sadly. It is history now but the 90s bulldogs side did underachieve I think. They had a very good side in the late 90s that just couldn’t get to the gf.
Naughty's Headband
Roar Rookie
And they lost again to the same team the next year! The Dogs were up by 4 goals at 3 quarter time and didn't kick a goal in the last to lose by 2 points!
Vercetti1986'
Roar Rookie
Yeah I watched the replay of the 97′ prelim between the dogs and crows recently and it would be soul destroying to lose a game in that fashion. I believe the final margin was 2 points and the dogs were pretty much on top all day until the last few minutes. It would have been such a good story to see the saints and bulldogs play each other in that grand final but the crows messed it up and went on to win the premiership too. It was a great final but it was demoralising to see the bulldogs lose it after leading by so much. I would despise the crows for such a loss if i were a dogs supporter. I like the dogs so it was sad to see
Naughty's Headband
Roar Rookie
Ooohh, there's a festering wound I've buried deep. That prelim was a massive choke.
Vercetti1986'
Roar Rookie
Haha fingers crossed the bulldogs and saints play each other in a final this year. The dogs and saints should have played each other in the 1997 gf
Vercetti1986'
Roar Rookie
Hopefully Max King can kick around 20-25 goals, assuming he plays most of the season. That would be excellent for a player in his first season. I am confident he can quickly integrate into the side but he will have to develop some synergy with Membrey and the smaller forwards. He may require support from another similarly sized player such as Ryder or Carlisle, if he starts to struggle. I think having Roughead mentor him is a great idea because development of St Kilda's younger players was not handled well under Richardson, which is why they have fallen behind other sides. Hopefully that Hawthorn IP will work its magic on St Kilda like it did at the Bulldogs, WC and Brisbane.
Naughty's Headband
Roar Rookie
*cough*...mediocre...*cough*
Sanctorum
Roar Rookie
Naturally as a Saints supporter for over 60 years I am biased in my views but it is a long time since I have seen so much depth in the St Kilda list as exists in 2020. I agree that both Dan Hannebery and Paddy Ryder will be in the best 22, and expect Dan Butler and "Bennelong" to also feature regularly. But the thing that excites me most is the prospect of Josh Battle being developed as a swingman, and who better to teach him the tricks of that trade than Jarryd Roughead, who like Battle is 193 cm, the same as the mighty Bont! St Kilda's chances of playing finals this year is in my view heavily dependent on how quickly Max King will produce the goods that are expected of him, but as this year is effectively his 2nd and given the great form he showed as a junior, he could well do that from day one, not unlike Justin Koschitske who played 20 games in his first year at St Klda. My prediction: 7th
Leggy
Guest
how can u not put dan hannebry in best 22
Vercetti1986'
Roar Rookie
You are right. Hill is exactly what the saints needed but they did pay a lot to get him. I suppose that was inevitable given he was contracted and being an elite wingman. I think he will be much better playing under Ratten than Ross Lyon. Jones will be solid and provide some run and depth that was badly missed last year. Clark was sublime in the last 6 or 7 games of last year. He really showed what he is capable of when he has some confidence. He carved the Bulldogs and Demons up in the first two games Ratten coached. Coffield is is another player that has potential but has not really played an impressive game in my opinion. That is mainly due to injuries and not being given opportunities under Richo but hopefully we will see what he can do this year under a new coach. I think the saints should aim to win around 10-13 games this year. Finals should definitely be on the agenda and this attitude of close enough is good enough must end. They could have won that many games last year had they won all their close games and taken their opportunities in other games that slipped away from them such as the Collingwood and Adelaide games.
William Cornwill
Roar Guru
Yeah, I agree with most of that. Hill and Jones were brilliant recruits and were exactly what you needed at the time. The midfield depth will probably rely on some of the younger players lifting like Clark and Coffield.
Vercetti1986'
Roar Rookie
I am hopeful he will play at least 16 games this season. He is elite at his best and he is apparently back to full training now so hopefully he does not have any more injury problems. I think St Kilda have a pretty good balance in their midfield now to be honest. A good mix of contested style players such as Steele, Ross and Hannebery and now Hill, Jones, Gresham and Billings on the outside. I think depth is a serious issue with the midfield and they are only a couple of injuries away from being really exposed so they definitely need to fix that this year with trading and drafting.
William Cornwill
Roar Guru
I don't think he will play many games and that's why I glossed over him, but I should have had him in the best 22.
Vercetti1986'
Roar Rookie
Yes, assuming he does not become injured again. Hopefully that leg injury he sustained in November has not affected severely. There is a lot of upside with him should be play most of the season. He was very impressive in the final few games of last season, which gives me hope that he will return to his best this year.
Vercetti1986'
Roar Rookie
Yeah, Ryder will play for a majority of the season, assuming he does not get injured in the forward line. I think Ryder and Marshall will alternate, but with Marshall playing mostly in the ruck. Ryder will be used in the forward line to support King and Membrey but he is not a permanent solution. I think Battle may have to play in the forward line again if it requires more support but just because you don’t have an experienced tall forward doesn’t mean you can’t score. Brisbane relied on Hipwood as their tall forward but a majority of their scoring was from their small forwards. Likewise with Collingwood but St Kilda probably do not have the same quality of small to medium forwards as those sides have, unless Gresham or Billings can improve their output this year and kick around 40 goals. Billings, Gresham, Butler and Lonie are certainly capable of doing a lot of damage up forward to offset the loss of Bruce (who was serviceable but not great) with better supply from the midfield. Butler kicked 30 goals in Richmond’s 2017 campaign and Gresham kicked 35 in 2017 too.
Ryan Dawson
Guest
Pretty sure a bloke by the name of Dan Hannebery will be in the side round 1...
Steve Price
Guest
No mention of Paddy Ryder who will play as another tall forward, swapping with Rowan Marshall in the ruck. Josh Battle has played forward before and I see him playing there again if we are struggling for options down there. We have an array of decent small forwards so I don't think its all doom and gloom in the forward line. Jad Gresham will spend majority of time in the midfield I reckon, rotating forward. Zac Jones will play majority on a half back flank, rotating through the midfield.
Vercetti1986'
Roar Rookie
I do not think it is that average. I think the list has about the same quality as Essendon’s list and they played finals, albeit they barely made it. I think the saint’s list does have some big upside. It certainly does require some refining but I think it is capable of playing finals if everything goes right for them, e.g. a great run with injuries. It is true they are a long way off contending for a premiership but finals should definitely be on the agenda. They did win 9 games last year when some people thought they would only win one despite the woeful run with injuries and lack of depth. I think a lot of the failure and lack of development of the younger players can be blamed on the previous coach. I expect things to be very different under Ratten. Hunter Clark played very impressively as soon as Ratten was made coach and it is players like him, Gresham, Billings, King, Marshall etc. that will need to take the next step forward for them to substantially improve.