Training Saints preseason 2026

[Parkysp]

One last thing on training that hasn't been mentioned is that Hilly was physically sick today and as an old stager could have pulled the pin. Said to the traing staff member that he woke up feeling crook. He did the whole session busting his backside without any fuss wanted. He's not just all smiles. Determined bugger as well.

 

[Ads734]

Re Trav. I see why people have their concerns but also I think we see what we want to see. The expectations these days is if you don’t light it up year one … it’s over. Expectation for high draft picks is even more exaggerated.

Trav is still picking up the pace.

It took Pou , Windy 2-3 years before really getting used to the speed. It takes time. Imo despite the number of senior games he played he basically had no continuity often being the sub or having low TOG. Sure he made mistakes. Look to his VFL form.

He has elite SERIOUDLY elite handballing.
His marking is above average for his size.
He will learn to use his run and carry and he developed his midfield game.

That’s before you account for competitiveness and attitude which is second to none.

Let’s just give him
A chance pls.

 

[akaifu]

I hope you are right. He seems very intense / stressed and the coaches seem to be trying to boost his confidence. He is very young. I'm just saying I don't yet see where his elite traits are. But I am no one to judge a player. Tauru looks like he has legit superstar attributes though. Even I can see that.

Didnt see Sinclair at all today though. Anyone know why? Also what's going on with Maccrae?

Elite traits will be his tenacity at contest which results in clearances/contested possessions/tackles IMO

Plus the fact that he just finished 5th in the time trial so he should be able to cover the ground as a transition mid and as others have said, will also do everything else at an above average standard

At his peak I hope he can get near Noah Anderson - neither are the best kicks, the fastest, the most athletic, nor the biggest bodies, but their two-way running and hunger at the contest means they accumulate the ball with ease

Still a long way to go though

 

[gringo2011]

I can see that now you've said it Gringo. He can run, he's all arms and legs flailing. Will halve a contest that spills out then will be on his bike and get the give 20 metres away and be off. He's got a lot of good.

Longmembrey - I agree on Tauru but today his kicking wasn't elite. If you line up all our players they have flaws. I'm very excited though that that the flaws are getting to be minimal so that across the list the bridge is getting way less wonky.

'Tauru is more of a guy with one exceptional trait. His spoiling is as good as anyone in footy and he should get better and better at it. His kicking and decision making are still a work in progress. It will be interesting to see who ends up better long term. The guy with one exceptional talent or the all rounder.

 

[gringo2011]

Re Trav. I see why people have their concerns but also I think we see what we want to see. The expectations these days is if you don’t light it up year one … it’s over. Expectation for high draft picks is even more exaggerated.

Trav is still picking up the pace.

It took Pou , Windy 2-3 years before really getting used to the speed. It takes time. Imo despite the number of senior games he played he basically had no continuity often being the sub or having low TOG. Sure he made mistakes. Look to his VFL form.

He has elite SERIOUDLY elite handballing.
His marking is above average for his size.
He will learn to use his run and carry and he developed his midfield game.

That’s before you account for competitiveness and attitude which is second to none.

Let’s just give him
A chance pls.

His marking is very good but it was his ability to read the ball in the air and be at the fall of it that stood out last year. Tom Stewart and James Sicily have it too. They seem to intuitively know where it will end up and be at that exact spot. I'm not worried at all about his long term chances of making it to a high level. We'll have some misses but I don't think there is any reason to write him off yet except panic.

 

[gringo2011]

Elite traits will be his tenacity at contest which results in clearances/contested possessions/tackles IMO

Plus the fact that he just finished 5th in the time trial so he should be able to cover the ground as a transition mid and as others have said, will also do everything else at an above average standard

At his peak I hope he can get near Noah Anderson - neither are the best kicks, the fastest, the most athletic, nor the biggest bodies, but their two-way running and hunger at the contest means they accumulate the ball with ease

Still a long way to go though

Maybe a Hayden Young otherwise

 

[Desperate saint]

Re Trav. I see why people have their concerns but also I think we see what we want to see. The expectations these days is if you don’t light it up year one … it’s over. Expectation for high draft picks is even more exaggerated.

Trav is still picking up the pace.

It took Pou , Windy 2-3 years before really getting used to the speed. It takes time. Imo despite the number of senior games he played he basically had no continuity often being the sub or having low TOG. Sure he made mistakes. Look to his VFL form.

He has elite SERIOUDLY elite handballing.
His marking is above average for his size.
He will learn to use his run and carry and he developed his midfield game.

That’s before you account for competitiveness and attitude which is second to none.

Let’s just give him
A chance pls.

well said -and can build into a good size

 

[tony74]

Stocker ia a long way off. Can only walk the oval ATM.

Stocker ia a long way off. Can only walk the oval ATM.

Hopefully Liam will be training tomorrow

 

[Joffaboy]

Hopefully Liam will be training tomorrow

Good to hear. Can only go off what I see and all he did was walk the boundary. Even guys with hamnys were doung slow jogs.
Very weird not to be running if nothing wrong, but there you go. Good news.

 

[akaifu]

Maybe a Hayden Young otherwise

Young's kicking is what sets him apart - Trav's is pretty average atm. He's more like Andy Brayshaw imo with the two-way running & defensive stuff

 

[SaintsSeptember]

Re Trav. I see why people have their concerns but also I think we see what we want to see. The expectations these days is if you don’t light it up year one … it’s over. Expectation for high draft picks is even more exaggerated.

Trav is still picking up the pace.

It took Pou , Windy 2-3 years before really getting used to the speed. It takes time. Imo despite the number of senior games he played he basically had no continuity often being the sub or having low TOG. Sure he made mistakes. Look to his VFL form.

He has elite SERIOUDLY elite handballing.
His marking is above average for his size.
He will learn to use his run and carry and he developed his midfield game.

That’s before you account for competitiveness and attitude which is second to none.

Let’s just give him
A chance pls.

Crazy expectations.
Jack Steven.
Zero games 2008.
1 game 2009.
8 games 2010.
21 games in the midfield 2011.

 

[ThomasR]

His marking is very good but it was his ability to read the ball in the air and be at the fall of it that stood out last year. Tom Stewart and James Sicily have it too. They seem to intuitively know where it will end up and be at that exact spot. I'm not worried at all about his long term chances of making it to a high level. We'll have some misses but I don't think there is any reason to write him off yet except panic.

he strikes me as someone who has been completely fixated on learning/playing his role and not playing the game. over time he will build fluency and those two things will become one and the same. agree as an under ager he looked a complete natural behind the ball. when he gets some confidence and continuity that freedom should come back. at least he will get full games every weekend now the sub rule is gone

 

[Jesuswasacarpenter]

Why can't we have both

I think that if either Boxshall or Philipou could reach their potential and become an elite big bodies bull, that would complete our midfield. Nas, Flanders, Garcia, Windhager, and one of Boxshall or Philipou covers all midfield bases of skill, X factor, extraction, defensive pressure and big bodies beast. That's not including rotation players like Hall, Henry, Wilson and Travalia. Pretty wild how much the shape of our future midfield has changed over 3-4 years.

Why can't we have both...reach that level?

 

[MrFoster]

he strikes me as someone who has been completely fixated on learning/playing his role and not playing the game. over time he will build fluency and those two things will become one and the same. agree as an under ager he looked a complete natural behind the ball. when he gets some confidence and continuity that freedom should come back. at least he will get full games every weekend now the sub rule is gone

The best thing for Trav is developing his midfield craft in the VFL, become a dominant VFL mid who can get the ball and impact on offence/defence, he’ll play AFL when his form warrants it.

 

[akaifu]

Brad Lloyd

ST KILDA​

A: Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, Jack Sinclair

35

Jack Sinclair

Age

30

Ht

181cm

Wt

82kg

Pos.

D/M

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.5

4star

K

8.1

3star

HB

8.4

5star

M

3.1

3star

T

3.2

5star

MG

235.0

4star

D

15.0

4star

K

10.0

4star

HB

5.0

3star

M

4.0

4star

T

2.0

3star

MG

376.0

5star

D

12.0

3star

K

4.2

2star

HB

7.8

5star

M

1.6

2star

T

2.0

4star

MG

138.2

3star

, Cal Wilkie
B: Rowan Marshall

19

Rowan Marshall

Age

30

Ht

201cm

Wt

105kg

Pos.

Ruck

Career

Season

Last 5

D

15.4

4star

K

8.8

3star

HB

6.6

4star

CL

3.4

5star

HO

20.2

5star

D

12.9

3star

K

9.3

4star

HB

3.6

2star

CL

2.8

4star

HO

17.8

5star

D

10.6

3star

K

5.8

3star

HB

4.8

4star

CL

1.0

3star

HO

7.8

5star

, Jack Higgins, Tom De Koning

12

Tom De Koning

Age

26

Ht

201cm

Wt

102kg

Pos.

Ruck

Career

Season

Last 5

D

8.0

2star

K

3.0

1star

HB

5.0

4star

CL

0.5

2star

HO

1.5

4star

No current season stats available

D

8.0

2star

K

3.0

1star

HB

5.0

4star

CL

0.5

3star

HO

1.5

5star

, Marcus Windhager
Potential A-grader:Alix Tauru

 

[aussierulesrules]

Fine, I’ll say it.

Name and/or year or get outta here ARR!!

Actually I was mistaken, she was a Penthouse Pet numerous times but the award she won was Miss Nude Australia, 2006.

I was still there into 2006 so I’m definitely taking credit for that.

 

[SaintsofSteel]

Travaglia is more of a multifaceted type than a one trick player. His elite talent is going to be he's quick to start the ball moving IMO. In his draft year, he was into attack as soon as he takes the ball. Good at reading the flight, good below his knees, good in traffic etc.

I reckon he could develop into another Nick Blakey.

The thing with Trav is he far from a finished product, but you can see he is so driven he won't be happy until he is the absolute best player he can be.

 

[SG34]

I hope you are right. He seems very intense / stressed and the coaches seem to be trying to boost his confidence. He is very young. I'm just saying I don't yet see where his elite traits are. But I am no one to judge a player. Tauru looks like he has legit superstar attributes though. Even I can see that.

Didnt see Sinclair at all today though. Anyone know why? Also what's going on with Maccrae?

I also do t know about Trav, but I still don’t know about Pou either.

One thing though, I think it makes sense he is stressed. Both Pou and Trav started off with front row seats and a lot was expected of them. (At least from the peanut gallery where I sit)

Players like Hastie have had a gentle launch. This time last year, nobody put Hastie in their top 23. Nobody. It was as if he didn’t exist.

 

[Train12]

Hopefully Liam will be training tomorrow

Who out of the 1-3 year players are standing out to you Tony?

 

[Saint Ray]

Im talking modern Carlscum, not the old days.

Carroll, Dau, Silvani, TDK, Caminiti and Stoker.

 

[nikkig98]

Brad Lloyd

ST KILDA​

A: Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, Jack Sinclair, Cal Wilkie
B: Rowan Marshall, Jack Higgins, Tom De Koning, Marcus Windhager
Potential A-grader:Alix Tauru

Higgins is a small forward who kicked 46 goals in a forward line where he was used as the focal point a lot of the time, not sure how he's not an"A-grader" at his position but Sincs is

 

[puppy_dog7]

I also do t know about Trav, but I still don’t know about Pou either.

One thing though, I think it makes sense he is stressed. Both Pou and Trav started off with front row seats and a lot was expected of them. (At least from the peanut gallery where I sit)

Players like Hastie have had a gentle launch. This time last year, nobody put Hastie in their top 23. Nobody. It was as if he didn’t exist.

Hastie will surprise a lot this year. Genuinely feel he'll be a lock at Half Back by midway the final 3rd of the season

 

[gringo2011]

Higgins is a small forward who kicked 46 goals in a forward line where he was used as the focal point a lot of the time, not sure how he's not an"A-grader" at his position but Sincs is

I think that is probably how the rest of the footy world would see it to be fair. Sincs is elite by most metrics. Probably close to the best running back in footy for multiple years. Still a top 20 player in the comp and rated higher the Nas in most systems.

Snags had a great year and getting closer to that top level but I'm assuming that this guy is probably classing A grade as the absolute elite. Snags isn't the absolute elite yet.

 

[gringo2011]

Hastie will surprise a lot this year. Genuinely feel he'll be a lock at Half Back by midway the final 3rd of the season

That would be handy. He does some good stuff and just deeds a bit more consistency.

 

[akaifu]

Higgins is a small forward who kicked 46 goals in a forward line where he was used as the focal point a lot of the time, not sure how he's not an"A-grader" at his position but Sincs is

Sincs and Higgins are both A-graders. Hall should be B-grade. JSOS when fit is B-grade or arguably A-grade (which is how highly Gubby & Ross rate him). Flanders exclusion is probably understandable but he is at least B grade when playing full time mid