Training 2019 Preseason

[Premium]

St Kilda are not in the worst position in the AFL. Here's why

Pat Hornidge Roar Pro

It seems that there is always a fascination with St Kilda as a club.


The number of times on football forums that St Kilda’s poor history is mentioned out of nowhere is fascinating. It always strikes me as a bit of insecurity; “Well, we may be bad, but look at St Kilda – they are horrible”.


Oh well, the only thing worse than being talked about, is not being talked about.
But now a piece has appeared on this site which must be responded to. It claims that, of all the clubs in the league, St Kilda is in the worst position going forward. And that is not a claim that can go unchallenged.


The Saints, last season, were awful. There is no debate about that at all. Four wins for a team that many tipped to be on the cusp of finals was simply not good enough. But, the question has to be, why were they tipped to be on the cusp of finals?


Did the experts and pundits get it totally wrong, or were there specific reasons and issues that affected the saints last season?

Let’s first address some of the criticisms that are made about the Saints. Firstly, recruitment. Now it’s definitely fair to say that the recruitment and development of the Saints between the Lyon Era and the beginning of the Richardson era was full of failures. But to suggest that this has continued since is nonsense.


To say that Shane Savage and Logan Austin have not been good recruits is simply wrong. Savage has been important off half back since he arrived at the club, and Logan Austin has been at the club for barely a season.
It might be a little early to write him off. The same goes for Billy Longer – he still has a role to play (as frustrating as he is sometimes). Similarly, to say that Jake Carlisle has been brilliant is overstating it slightly. Certainly he has been a good recruit, important to the team and arguably a level above the other recruits at the Saints.


But to call him brilliant, while calling Shane Savage and Logan Austin bad is simply wrong. Arguably, in the short term, Nathan Brown has been just as important to St Kilda’s defence as Carlisle has been.

An overlooked player here is Jack Steele, who is now on the cusp of becoming St Kilda’s most important player. He was third in the Best and Fairest last year. He was recruited from GWS, but since he doesn’t fit the “St Kilda’s recruitment is rubbish” angle, he is strangely absent from the discussion.

St Kilda’s Jack Steele (AAP Image/Tony McDonough)

The incessant attacks on Jack Billings are also getting tiresome. The weakest aspect of his game is goal kicking, and his slated move to the midfield this season will do a lot to nullify that weakness. Further, last season, despite St Kilda’s problem with scoring, Billings was number one at St Kilda, and equal seventh in the league for Goal Assists. That is not the stat of a poor player.


And, if Paddy McCartin can actually get a run of gam
es going, then we might actually see what he can do as a player, rather than judging him as a failure already.


The argument that the current debt at Moorabbin is problem is compelling. However, the performance of the club in 2018 made that impossible. It’s typical that the improved stadium deal occurred in the same season as the Saints’ poor performances. No club would have made money last year playing the way St Kilda did.

Poor performances equal poor crowds. But, membership has not collapsed and more stages of development have already been approved at Moorabbin. Had the Docklands deal been giving its fair share of the revenue to St Kilda from its beginning, debt wouldn’t even be mentioned. Does this debt put St Kilda in a poor position now? Of course, but considering the position that they have been in in the past it’s not panic stations, yet.

It’s also argued that the Saints have poor leadership on and off the field. But now that the club has tried to rectify this by recruiting a player of the calibre of Dan Hannebery, that is also called out as desperation.

Even with all the money in the world, a club in St Kilda’s position cannot just recruit a ready made, fully healthy leader at the peak of their career. What the Saints have done is taken a player oozing leadership, who is in need of a fresh start and who is a proven star with plenty left to prove after a few interrupted seasons.

It is a risk, but one definitely worth taking. And from training reports it seems to be working. Training is reportedly much louder, and communication much higher when Hannebery is on the field.

At first glance, it looks like St Kilda is not in a good position. But they were in a much worse position in the middle of last season. Off season acquisitions of players and coaches have sent a new vibe of positivity around the club.
After 2017, many in the media jumped onto the Saints as one of the next big things. After last season just as many jumped off.The results of a single season do not tell us much about the direction of a club. It is much too early to suggest that St Kilda are in the worst position of any club in the league.
The results of this season will tell us so much more about the trajectories of clubs near the bottom of the ladder.

 

[Nutsngum]

I am not really that knowledgable of overseas sports reporting but I do find it interesting that people mention how the AFL is behind other codes as far as coaching and other methods go but no one really ever mentions the incredibly dire state of the media that surrounds the AFL as well.

Of all the media personalities I can honestly only consider Jason Dunstall as an honestly good football analyst. Others are okay but show obvious bias at times, dont really articulate well and fail to get their point across properly or like Gerard Wheatley surround themselves with morons.

On the flip side you have idiots like David King who have such terrible fundamentally wrong opinions (we all know the big "winless" one) at times its hard to even rationalise how they arrived at it. Either they are just that bad at their job or they are willing to sacrifice their integrity for the publicity of outrageous calls. This isnt even touching the muck dredgers like Barrett and now Tom Browne who are only interested in the lowest hanging fruit.

The sooner the Footyshow is cancelled (or completely revamped with entirely new cast) the better as well.

 

[Quixote]

Longer is still recovering from the off season surgery I believe. Not that he copped another injury, just suffering from the ones he already had.

He seems to suffer more than most. The big lug.

 

[Quixote]

I am not really that knowledgable of overseas sports reporting but I do find it interesting that people mention how the AFL is behind other codes as far as coaching and other methods go but no one really ever mentions the incredibly dire state of the media that surrounds the AFL as well.

Of all the media personalities I can honestly only consider Jason Dunstall as an honestly good football analyst. Others are okay but show obvious bias at times, dont really articulate well and fail to get their point across properly or like Gerard Wheatley surround themselves with morons.

On the flip side you have idiots like David King who have such terrible fundamentally wrong opinions (we all know the big "winless" one) at times its hard to even rationalise how they arrived at it. Either they are just that bad at their job or they are willing to sacrifice their integrity for the publicity of outrageous calls. This isnt even touching the muck dredgers like Barrett and now Tom Browne who are only interested in the lowest hanging fruit.

The sooner the Footyshow is cancelled (or completely revamped with entirely new cast) the better as well.

Very good point. Our media is amatuer hour and there's far too many 'journos' around the game. This is the fault of the outlets who are hungry for a dollar and view the public's appetite for AFL as almost insatiable. Not only is this factually incorrect, it also produces a shitball effect (like a snowball effect, but with more turds) in that you have a horde of nuffies running around on full-time salaries, scratching for a story or a rumour that never deserved to be scratched in the first place. Not really their fault, it's their job! It's the greed of the various media outlets that drives the frenzy.

As to Aussie Rules coaches, I now think they're amongst the best in the world, in terms of their preparation, knowledge and how they've transformed the game in the last 15 years.

 

[Nutsngum]

Very good point. Our media is amatuer hour and there's far too many 'journos' around the game. This is the fault of the outlets who are hungry for a dollar and view the public's appetite for AFL as almost insatiable. Not only is this factually incorrect, it also produces a shitball effect (like a snowball effect, but with more turds) in that you have a horde of nuffies running around on full-time salaries, scratching for a story or a rumour that never deserved to be scratched in the first place. Not really their fault, it's their job! It's the greed of the various media outlets that drives the frenzy.

As to Aussie Rules coaches, I now think they're amongst the best in the world, in terms of their preparation, knowledge and how they've transformed the game in the last 15 years.

Yeah, I would equate the majority of footy reporting as Womans Day level of trash. Unsubstantiated rumours, opinion pieces posing as analytics and just absolute fluff. AFL house itself is a giant part of this problem as well with its near amateur decision making abilities. Hell, AFLX is basically a joke at this point so why should anything else be taken seriously?

 

[triggering bro]

I am not really that knowledgable of overseas sports reporting but I do find it interesting that people mention how the AFL is behind other codes as far as coaching and other methods go but no one really ever mentions the incredibly dire state of the media that surrounds the AFL as well.

Of all the media personalities I can honestly only consider Jason Dunstall as an honestly good football analyst. Others are okay but show obvious bias at times, dont really articulate well and fail to get their point across properly or like Gerard Wheatley surround themselves with morons.

On the flip side you have idiots like David King who have such terrible fundamentally wrong opinions (we all know the big "winless" one) at times its hard to even rationalise how they arrived at it. Either they are just that bad at their job or they are willing to sacrifice their integrity for the publicity of outrageous calls. This isnt even touching the muck dredgers like Barrett and now Tom Browne who are only interested in the lowest hanging fruit.

The sooner the Footyshow is cancelled (or completely revamped with entirely new cast) the better as well.

Nick Riewoldt is a star in the media

 

[MOLTEN GANGLANDS]

St Kilda are not in the worst position in the AFL. Here's why

Pat Hornidge Roar Pro

It seems that there is always a fascination with St Kilda as a club.


The number of times on football forums that St Kilda’s poor history is mentioned out of nowhere is fascinating. It always strikes me as a bit of insecurity; “Well, we may be bad, but look at St Kilda – they are horrible”.


Oh well, the only thing worse than being talked about, is not being talked about.
But now a piece has appeared on this site which must be responded to. It claims that, of all the clubs in the league, St Kilda is in the worst position going forward. And that is not a claim that can go unchallenged.


The Saints, last season, were awful. There is no debate about that at all. Four wins for a team that many tipped to be on the cusp of finals was simply not good enough. But, the question has to be, why were they tipped to be on the cusp of finals?


Did the experts and pundits get it totally wrong, or were there specific reasons and issues that affected the saints last season?

Let’s first address some of the criticisms that are made about the Saints. Firstly, recruitment. Now it’s definitely fair to say that the recruitment and development of the Saints between the Lyon Era and the beginning of the Richardson era was full of failures. But to suggest that this has continued since is nonsense.


To say that Shane Savage and Logan Austin have not been good recruits is simply wrong. Savage has been important off half back since he arrived at the club, and Logan Austin has been at the club for barely a season.
It might be a little early to write him off. The same goes for Billy Longer – he still has a role to play (as frustrating as he is sometimes). Similarly, to say that Jake Carlisle has been brilliant is overstating it slightly. Certainly he has been a good recruit, important to the team and arguably a level above the other recruits at the Saints.


But to call him brilliant, while calling Shane Savage and Logan Austin bad is simply wrong. Arguably, in the short term, Nathan Brown has been just as important to St Kilda’s defence as Carlisle has been.

An overlooked player here is Jack Steele, who is now on the cusp of becoming St Kilda’s most important player. He was third in the Best and Fairest last year. He was recruited from GWS, but since he doesn’t fit the “St Kilda’s recruitment is rubbish” angle, he is strangely absent from the discussion.

St Kilda’s Jack Steele (AAP Image/Tony McDonough)

The incessant attacks on Jack Billings are also getting tiresome. The weakest aspect of his game is goal kicking, and his slated move to the midfield this season will do a lot to nullify that weakness. Further, last season, despite St Kilda’s problem with scoring, Billings was number one at St Kilda, and equal seventh in the league for Goal Assists. That is not the stat of a poor player.


And, if Paddy McCartin can actually get a run of gam
es going, then we might actually see what he can do as a player, rather than judging him as a failure already.


The argument that the current debt at Moorabbin is problem is compelling. However, the performance of the club in 2018 made that impossible. It’s typical that the improved stadium deal occurred in the same season as the Saints’ poor performances. No club would have made money last year playing the way St Kilda did.

Poor performances equal poor crowds. But, membership has not collapsed and more stages of development have already been approved at Moorabbin. Had the Docklands deal been giving its fair share of the revenue to St Kilda from its beginning, debt wouldn’t even be mentioned. Does this debt put St Kilda in a poor position now? Of course, but considering the position that they have been in in the past it’s not panic stations, yet.

It’s also argued that the Saints have poor leadership on and off the field. But now that the club has tried to rectify this by recruiting a player of the calibre of Dan Hannebery, that is also called out as desperation.

Even with all the money in the world, a club in St Kilda’s position cannot just recruit a ready made, fully healthy leader at the peak of their career. What the Saints have done is taken a player oozing leadership, who is in need of a fresh start and who is a proven star with plenty left to prove after a few interrupted seasons.

It is a risk, but one definitely worth taking. And from training reports it seems to be working. Training is reportedly much louder, and communication much higher when Hannebery is on the field.

At first glance, it looks like St Kilda is not in a good position. But they were in a much worse position in the middle of last season. Off season acquisitions of players and coaches have sent a new vibe of positivity around the club.
After 2017, many in the media jumped onto the Saints as one of the next big things. After last season just as many jumped off.The results of a single season do not tell us much about the direction of a club. It is much too early to suggest that St Kilda are in the worst position of any club in the league.
The results of this season will tell us so much more about the trajectories of clubs near the bottom of the ladder.

i don't disagree (though I hope savage never plays again), but that is a poorly written piece. Twice they say 'but to say that is simply wrong' without actually backing it up with anything... not how you make an argument

 

[Persevering Saint]

I’ll lock them in Richo’s office with a few toys. Maybe some paper and crayons and they’ll draw on his playbook.

Just use the toys and crayons he's left in there...

 

[Persevering Saint]

I overheard somewhere that Longer has injured himself? Can anyone confirm? I was half day dreaming when I overheard it, so can’t be sure.. I haven’t been down for a few days so couldn’t tell if he’s been training..

Is being fat an injury?

 

[sunny3193]

I am not really that knowledgable of overseas sports reporting but I do find it interesting that people mention how the AFL is behind other codes as far as coaching and other methods go but no one really ever mentions the incredibly dire state of the media that surrounds the AFL as well.

Of all the media personalities I can honestly only consider Jason Dunstall as an honestly good football analyst. Others are okay but show obvious bias at times, dont really articulate well and fail to get their point across properly or like Gerard Wheatley surround themselves with morons.

On the flip side you have idiots like David King who have such terrible fundamentally wrong opinions (we all know the big "winless" one) at times its hard to even rationalise how they arrived at it. Either they are just that bad at their job or they are willing to sacrifice their integrity for the publicity of outrageous calls. This isnt even touching the muck dredgers like Barrett and now Tom Browne who are only interested in the lowest hanging fruit.

The sooner the Footyshow is cancelled (or completely revamped with entirely new cast) the better as well.

Your best comparison may be the EPL and the British tabloids.
Some real rubbish lurks there.

 

[sunny3193]

i don't disagree (though I hope savage never plays again), but that is a poorly written piece. Twice they say 'but to say that is simply wrong' without actually backing it up with anything... not how you make an argument

That is simply wrong.

 

[stavro#4]

Look if what we are practicing goes to plan we will look like a coherent football side. If it clicks we will comfortably play finals.

If it doesn’t we get a new coach and another pick to pretend we are trading for a gun. Pros all around

 

[SaintsSeptember]

The media always seem to think of drafting as an immediate boost to the squad.
I tend to think of it as four or five years from having a full impact. Only smart trading or an exceptional player gives an immediate impact.

If we look at significant players in the "New" era of StKilda, and ignore all the stopgaps ( Templeton, Lee, Maister, Saad, Shenton , Polo etc ).

Draftee's with 4 year experience. Players traded in. Players gone..
2011: McEvoy, Steven // --- // Gardiner Baker.
2012: Stanley // Roberton Hickey // Goddard Gram ( Lynch hits four years and gone )
2013: ---- // Longer Bruce Savage // Dal Santo, McEvoy, Blake, Koschitski , Milne, Stanley
So with only Jack Steven left from the experienced draftee's is it any wonder we bottomed out after those losses and retirements?
2014: ---- // Membrey // Hayes, Gwilt, Jones //

So in's ..Jack Steven, Roberton, Hickey, Longer, Bruce. 9 or so VERY significant outs.

2015: Ross, Newnes, Webster // (( Carlisle )) // Schneider Ray
2016: Pierce // Carlisle, Steele, Brown // Fisher
2017: Billings , Dunstan,Acres // Austin // Dempster , Riewoldt, Montagna.
2018 : NOW : McCartin McKenzie, Lonie Sinclair // Hannebery Kent // Gilbert

We've now stopped bleeding good players, we now have a pipeline of developing draftee's coming through.
Our list has no massive holes ( admittedly the ruck could be better ).
Look at how excited the footy world was when Ross Lyon poached Cam McCarthy from GWS, stealing themselves a full forward.
Would anyone here not far prefer any one of King, McCartin, Battle, Bruce or Marshall to McCarthy.
Look how well the least successful Scott brother managed the retirement of a whole 3 players compared with our 21 above.
Yeah , media.

2019 : Gresham , Rice.
2010 : Long , Battle , Phillips , Marshall

( Not that these guys can't have some good impact before they have four years on the clock ).

2018 seemed to have a general lethargy, players such as Newnes , Billings, Dunstan, Sinclair not really living up to their previous forms. Hopefully the new coaching team can get them to a level better than their previous best.

 

[Fehring]

"He came into my office and I asked him: ‘If you’re going to play midfield what do you need to do?’ We test 3km after their breaks and he said he had to get down to at least 10.30. I told him Matty Hornsby (fitness coach) told me it’s going to take you two years. Post-Christmas he runs 10.22. He’s a very, very driven person. I don’t want to put pressure on him, but he’s a chance to be a very special player. "

Obviously the real news here is that Matt Hornsby has no idea what he's talking about and must be sacked. You know it makes sense.

 

[Diehard Saint]

Is being fat an injury?

Except he's not. When I saw him a few weeks back he was looking fantastic.

 

[Yawkey way]

His form line wasn't as bad as people have made out. He kicked 3 or 4 goals in his first game back off zero preseason, played well but didn't score in the next 2 and was taken out of the side for a rest and found to have stress fractures in his back. He returned form injury and broke his leg. Hardly a poor form line.

If any other team was getting back players as important to the team as Bruce and Roberton whilst adding Hannebery to the best 22 the media would be talking them up.

I’m actually pretty bullish about the saints, preseason means nothing I know but there have been some promising signs. Imo Bruce is an absolute lock for round one and will significantly improve our scoring power, he can take a genuine contested pack mark plus he splits packs and brings the ball to the ground. Gresham, Billings, long and co should absolutely love having the big bloke up forward.

I’ll go early and predict the saints will with an ounce of luck win 12 games plus giving us some chance of playing finals.

 

[gringo2011]

I am not really that knowledgable of overseas sports reporting but I do find it interesting that people mention how the AFL is behind other codes as far as coaching and other methods go but no one really ever mentions the incredibly dire state of the media that surrounds the AFL as well.

Of all the media personalities I can honestly only consider Jason Dunstall as an honestly good football analyst. Others are okay but show obvious bias at times, dont really articulate well and fail to get their point across properly or like Gerard Wheatley surround themselves with morons.

On the flip side you have idiots like David King who have such terrible fundamentally wrong opinions (we all know the big "winless" one) at times its hard to even rationalise how they arrived at it. Either they are just that bad at their job or they are willing to sacrifice their integrity for the publicity of outrageous calls. This isnt even touching the muck dredgers like Barrett and now Tom Browne who are only interested in the lowest hanging fruit.

The sooner the Footyshow is cancelled (or completely revamped with entirely new cast) the better as well.

It's funny how the journalism has gone from building up the game in the early Footy Show and Rex Hunt era. The game was positively promoted. Now it's all about complaining about how s**t it all is and how controversial the players are off field. The ex footy players all talk about how good their and their era were and how crap everything is. It starts getting tiresome.

 

[St Muir]

It's funny how the journalism has gone from building up the game in the early Footy Show and Rex Hunt era. The game was positively promoted. Now it's all about complaining about how s**t it all is and how controversial the players are off field. The ex footy players all talk about how good their and their era were and how crap everything is. It starts getting tiresome.

It's the same with the EPL & British media. What does the media have in common in both countries? Rupert Murdoch...

 

[stavro#4]

Obviously the real news here is that Matt Hornsby has no idea what he's talking about and must be sacked. You know it makes sense.

Or maybe Richo was challenging a kid who is as competitive as anyone that hey we don’t think you could play midfield this year wink wink

 

[SaintsSeptember]

It's funny how the journalism has gone from building up the game in the early Footy Show and Rex Hunt era. The game was positively promoted. Now it's all about complaining about how s**t it all is and how controversial the players are off field. The ex footy players all talk about how good their and their era were and how crap everything is. It starts getting tiresome.

The Footy Show was copied from Andrew Denton's "Live and Sweaty" which he once described as a "Sports show that wasn't about Sports".
( He also had a better version of big brother years before big brother ).

 

[Saintbloke]

I overheard somewhere that Longer has injured himself? Can anyone confirm? I was half day dreaming when I overheard it, so can’t be sure.. I haven’t been down for a few days so couldn’t tell if he’s been training..

Apparently trying to keep up with a snail in a time trial, but over-extended himself.

 

[bennymc7]

Though Richo frustrates the shizen out of me sometimes its hard not to respect the way he goes about it and admire his willingness to cop it to improve...

Hope it goes well for us and him this year

 

[mightymalaka]

It's the same with the EPL & British media. What does the media have in common in both countries? Rupert Murdoch...

Spot on St Muir! His papers propensity to just make s**t up over and over and then to blow said turds
Up with muck raking sensational claims is both boring and insulting!

Swear the bitter prick is preoccupied with sinking to the lowest common denominator every time, and his disturbing
Obsession with turds so much so, he has just become one giant s**t!
Which is about the only good things his papers are good for! If you like fake news printed all over your arse!

 

[Premium]

i don't disagree (though I hope savage never plays again), but that is a poorly written piece. Twice they say 'but to say that is simply wrong' without actually backing it up with anything... not how you make an argument

Lethal weapon: Saint set to stay on kick-in duties

Dinny Navaratnam

Feb 18, 2019 6:45AM



Role change could unlock Saint's potential

Dinny Navaratnam and Mitch Cleary bring you an update on the Saints' pre-season


THE NEW kick-in rules are set to open up the game for teams that can exploit them, and St Kilda knows it has a serious weapon on its hands.

Shane Savage's thumping right boot was used after opposition behinds more than any other Saint last season and that is set to continue.

As a refresher, the kick-in changes will see the man on the mark pushed back to 10m out from the top of the goalsquare, rather than 5m.

Also, if someone like Savage chooses to play on, he won't need to kick to himself first.

To put it simply, sides should be able to gain a lot more ground than previously.

It won't be a case of going fast every time though. In fact, St Kilda identified it tended to move the ball too quickly in 2018, leading to some unsightly turnovers.

For Savage, how swiftly he goes will depend on the situation.

"The way I see it, it's risk versus reward," Savage told AFL.com.au.

"If you want to play it safe, then just stay in the square and look to find an option, but if you want to take a risk, then look to take them on and take a bit of ground."

While the 28-year-old is poised to take the bulk of kick-in duties, scything left-footer Jimmy Webster and the cool-headed Dylan Roberton will also help out.

The trio have spoken about how they plan on adapting to the new rules.

"At training, we're always looking for innovative ways to take the opposition on and get bang for buck, because I guess the worst option for us is to kick it short and get closed down," Savage said.

Another important aspect of improving kick-ins is what happens further up the ground.

"The thing we focused on a lot more this year is just a lot more movement, getting moving and not being stagnant for the kicker, and just giving him a better option," Savage said.

"That's obviously been a big focus, just making it easier for us to find something, because there's nothing worse when everyone's just standing still and there aren't many options for the kicker."

The former Hawk admitted last year he was better and more consistent than during the 2017 campaign, but his impressive season ended a month early after suffering a torn left hamstring at training.

Repeating that form won't be Savage's only focus, with the backman set to resume his role as match-day DJ.

He's open to most music, even the trance enjoyed by Jade Gresham and some of his younger peers, but draws the line at heavy metal.

For anyone who doesn't like what's being played, the advice is pretty simple.

"There's always someone that has a little bit of a sook about what sort of music I'm playing. It's pretty simple, just put some headphones on and listen to whatever you want," Savage said.

Looks like he will be in the 22 , if the media is anything to go by

 

[Premium]

Flexible midfield set to impress

Chris Nice

Feb 18, 2019 3:26PM

There’s plenty of new roles that the boys are learning, so we’re not just going to limit ourselves.​

Seb Ross

St Kilda’s midfield was one of the most talked about in the league last season.

But for the most part, not for the right reasons.

A lack of premium talent, a significant dependence on a select group of players and an absence of a threatening presence were all talking points thrown around during a bleak 2018 campaign.

The high-profile recruitment of Dan Hannebery has since sparked much external discussion about the Saints’ fresh engine room, but even with such a lofty name in the mix, Seb Ross knows there are other avenues for excitement and success.

“It’s going to be a much more dynamic midfield this year,” Ross told saints.com.au.

“There’s plenty of new roles that the boys are learning, so we’re not just going to limit ourselves to say myself only being an inside midfielder, or Jack Steven only being an inside midfielder.”

Such flexibility in Season 2019 will be paramount for the Saints, who too often relied on the likes of Ross, Jack Steven and Jack Steele to do a considerable amount of the heavy lifting in the midfield.

Ross believes the individual resourcefulness of each midfielder will give the opposition its fair share of trouble, with the multitude of versatile players a crucial advantage come Round 1.

Ben Long will spend more time in the midfield in 2019.


“A lot of the guys will probably rotate through that half-forward line; players like Benny Long and Dean Kent can pinch-hit in through the midfield which gives us another different look,” Ross said.

The newly-appointed vice-captain was similarly full of praise when speaking of Matt Parker, with Ross lauding the recruit’s dangerous attributes and potential to bring a unique edge to the Saints’ centre force.

“Matty Parker, he can come through the midfield too and he’s a really hard match-up,” Ross said.

He’s sort of long and rangy, but also super quick and can really jump and take marks. And he’s really fit, so we should be able to get a lot out of him as well.​

Even with the emergence of such talent in the Saints’ on-ball brigade – further enhanced by the rapid growth of Jade Gresham and Hunter Clark – Ross has remained a constant; his experience and expertise invaluable as his side aspires to push up the ladder.

“I am probably one of the more older heads and more experienced in terms of games played in that midfield, but I sort of don’t feel like that; I feel like I’m the same age as Luke Dunstan or Jack Steele,” Ross said.

“The weird thing was it was Matty [Parker’s] birthday the other day and he’s considered a mature-age recruit and he’s only turned 23 – I’m 26 this year, so it took me a bit to get my head around that; a mature-age recruit was younger than me.”

Age aside, there’s no denying the impact Ross has had on St Kilda’s midfield over the past few seasons, with his second-place finish in last year’s Trevor Barker Award a testament to his importance to the club.

And the veteran midfielder can’t wait to make his own mark on 2019.

“I’ve been looking forward to it since October basically; it took me probably about two weeks to move on from the 2018 Season” Ross said.

“I wanted to get that out of mind and start afresh and as soon as that two weeks were up, I really started looking forward to the 2019 pre-season.”

“I knew we didn’t perform obviously to our best last year, but I know we’ve got way more in us.”

God knows how our 22 will look like