Review 2018 Season in Review

[George]

Something to chew on in the lead-up to the B&F & off-season period.

What were your hits & misses of 2018?​

Hits
Whilst there weren't too many I will try my best. Given the year we had we had to play around with the side a bit and it might be a good thing for us long term as we got to see some of what our kids are capable of at the elite level. I was happy to see most of our senior list get a game this year, with the likes of Ben Paton, Ben Long, Rowan Marshall, Hunter Clark, Nick Coffield, Darragh Joyce, Josh Battle, Logan Austin, Ed Phillips and Bailey Rice all getting games and showing some really good signs. You would think most of them will be in our next finals side.

Can't leave out Nathan Freeman who after 5 long years got his chance to make his AFL debut against the Bulldogs in Round 20. He is still a work in progress but deserves another year with us for his hard work to get back to playing football.

Some of our younger boys really came on this year too. I thought Jack Steele & Jade Gresham in particular have turned themselves into pivotal players in our best 22. Steele's back half of 2018 was superb, taking on a tagging role but also averaging upwards of 25 touches a game himself. Then there's Gresh, who was our leading goal kicker this year and the first player for the Saints under 180cm since Stephen Milne to do so. He is an absolute star, has the X-factor we so desperately crave and played well for us in big games.

And a note to Jimmy Webster - who was clearly our best for the first half of 2018. Injury got the better of him during the middle part of the year but he still should poll well on B&F night.



Misses
Plenty went wrong for us in 2018. Our horror run with injuries would be a start. Roberton, Long, Bruce, McCartin and Stevens really hurt us. But I think the air went out of our year as early as Round 2 against North. Completely capitulated in what was a big day for the club and kick started our poor year. Geelong in Round 4 didn't help either. Our coaching was a huge issue, seemingly obvious to us what was wrong but Alan Richardson & his group saw it differently. A very limited game plan with our players skill level extremely below average. Goal kicking again an issue for us after bringing in Ben Dixon. Once again we were inconsistent within games as well, often blowing leads or letting teams get a big run on us and ending the contest early, which has been a huge issue for a few years now. Our player development is poor. Our alignment with Sandringham didn't work all year and it showed with us finishing down the bottom of the VFL ladder as well.


Overall Grade - D
A disappointing season. Clearly a year that none of us had expected. I personally didn't think the loss of Riewoldt & Montagna would hurt us as much as it did but I'm sure many felt the same way, including the club. Boy were we wrong. We were poor in the JLT series and continued that poor form through the season. Slowly we began to get our act together after the mid season bye, but still very inconsistent and "patchy" within games. Some very poor showings. I will say that we are a very young side, and after such a bad year the only way for us now is up. It was good that we tried a lot of players and may have found a few with the players I mentioned above. However the fact remains that we didn't have one player selected for All-Australian nomination this year which shows to me that we still lack real quality across the ground. We have some good players for sure, but often it was left to too few to get the job done for us this year.

Our coaching needs to be addressed and a revamp of the entire football department is underway. I am glad the club have identified the areas of concern and are doing something about it. That's all we can ask for at this point.

I do still believe that things can change very quickly, and I'm bullish about our list. I feel like this is the year we may have needed, as now we have a young list with plenty of potential that just needs the right coaching group to take them forward. With some change and more experience in this area I wouldn't be surprised if we head upwards in 2019. However I won't hold my breath! This is St.Kilda after all - you never know what to expect.




Post your recap of our season below

 

[joop]

Grade - F

Winning 4 games is unacceptable, coaches gone, president gone, match day crowds down nearly 20%, team selection comical at times and Richo is still ******* here.

Thank god it’s over.

 

[Saintbloke]

A disastrous year for the club. Grade=F

 

[CaptainRisky]

Grade - F

Winning 4 games is unacceptable, coaches gone, president gone, match day crowds down nearly 20%, team selection comical at times and Richo is still ******* here.

Thank god it’s over.

Tell us what you really think Joop

 

[hayes]

A failure in every sense of the word. I wasn’t guaranteeing finals but to look as hopeless as we did in the first half of the season was unacceptable. We coached scared, we played scared and we got the results we deserved.

Positives:

Jack Steven and Gresham were probably the only year long positives. Everyone else had more downs than ups. Steven is a star and Gresham looks like he’ll one day get to that level.

Steele’s second half of the year was awesome, looks like we’ve found his role. Beat your man.

Webster very good when he wasn’t injured.

Ross good but not at last years level. His role at times was just baffling.

Negatives:

Where do you start. Game style, coaching, positions guys are played in, skills were bad but when you constantly look up and see nobody forward what more can you expect.

Grade: F

 

[StCicatriz]

Grade F

 

[Tom12]

There may be a handful of positives at an individual level for a select few (mentioned above; Gresh, Steele) - but that's where it ends.

I love this club very much, but this year was nothing short of laughable. Unacceptable on every front.

We got it very wrong, and now wholesale changes will be made. Bring it on, it can't really get any worse than what this year brought.

Grade: F.

 

[st_trav_ofWA]

look i will say the club have done a lot of things outside of the footy really well , the member engagment has been good especially with there not being a heck of a lot to get excited about .. touring Moorabbin it looks to me like we have a facility that is finally up to a standard of a professional sporting team, there are still a few little things that are missing but its certainly light years from where we were. from the sponsorships point i think this year has been quite good with promoting our clubs brand through our sponsors , the DARE re-hashing of our song was a forgettable moment but.. Our community engagment maybe because we didnt have much to celebrate on field was brought more to our attention i hope the club do continue to show the public the things they do that often go unnoticed more often as we really do have a great community spirt in our club....

now that bad stuff ... i guess i could go through point by point where it went bad on field but really i reckon there will be more than a few posters willing to do this so i dont think ill bring anything to the table that wouldnt be covered 100 times already ... for me the biggest negative would have to be poor Koby Stevens for the career to end in such a way is truely the worst part of the year we will losed games every year we will be uncompetitive in games but to have a guy cut down like that was terrible , Robbo and his heart condition certainly was a low light as well but its great to hear he is on the track back to playing in 2019.. the games i think we did show a glimse of something in every game some games it lasted til the end others it lasted only a qtr for me personally the Dogs game was our worst (closly followed by the Good Friday game) our best game obviously our wins would have to be up there but the Hawks loss , the GWS draw and the fight back against the WCE in Perth showed we could play good footy ...

where to from here ... i think the off season is going to be tough i think we are going to say goodbye to some guys we have thrown support to for some time ... i think we are going to be mad a fair bit , sad a little and possibly question the direction of the club .. but i also think we will get excited and have a bit of optimisimfrom some of us ....

either way imstrapped in and ready to go again on the St Kilda ride ...
BRING ON 2019

 

[Saint Watto]

I do still believe that things can change very quickly, and I'm bullish about our list. I feel like this is the year we may have needed, as now we have a young list with plenty of potential that just needs the right coaching group to take them forward. With some change and more experience in this area I wouldn't be surprised if we head upwards in 2019. However I won't hold my breath! This is St.Kilda after all - you never know what to expect.

A great review there George...…...summed up perfectly a very very forgettable season.

 

[Saintos The ITK]

Much Improved
Gresh
Steele
Long

Improved
Hunter
Lonie
Oscar
Battle
Marshall
DMac
Paton
Austin
Webster
White
Pierce

Held their own
Jake
Steven
Freeman
Billings
Robo
Brown
Phillips
Geary
Rice


Gone backwards
Hickey
Sav
Ross
Dunstan
Acres
Newnes
Longer
Paddy
Sinclair
Weller
Goddard
Bruce

It's time
Gilbo
Armo
Minch
Wright
Koby

 

[Txiki]

My positives will be limited to individual players:

• Rowan Marshall - Very happy with Roma's year. He is developing very nicely and could be the KPF we need. Once he fills out and develops his aerobic base, he will make more contests and take more pack grabs. He is showing some great signs this early, which is no surprise when you consider his size, athletic ability and game sense. He isn't afraid to make difficult and high-risk corridor kicks and finds plenty of the ball.
• Jade Gresham - Our only player with X-factor and easily our most dynamic player. He has elite evasive skills and regularly impacts games. He needs to work on his field kicking and his goal kicking but this won't prevent him from becoming an A-grader.
• Jack Steele - Finally becoming the player we hoped he'd become. A contested bull with elite tackling numbers and a genuine appetite to crack in and beat his own man. I can see him becoming a captain and leading the midfield. He is kicking more goals and taking more marks around the ground and his ability to spread and be a link in the chain has been positive.
• Daniel McKenzie - Very reliable player and has worked hard on his disposal. He is the second-best in the league for disposal efficiency and his stats (tackles, interceptions, marks, one percenters) all reflect a very effective small defender. His ToG figures are now at the level they should be for someone with his tank. Important defensive cog who should keep improving.
• Ben Long - Perhaps the only other player with X-factor alongside Gresham. He was showing great signs before his injury and towards the end he was flashing in and out of games. He is a livewire and will prove to be a very hard player to contain. I'm expecting him to kick a few bags next season and destroy teams.
• Jimmy Webster - I was pleasantly surprised with Jimmy this year. He was doing everything right and is our best ball-user coming out of the backline. He never takes a backwards step and, like McKenzie, sets a very high standard in terms of attack on the footy and determination.
• Jack Lonie - Finally recaptured his 2015 form. As a small forward, he can become a very handy player. I love his courage and his ferocity on the ball. He is a clever player but still makes dumb decisions. Goals should be on his agenda. Made a good start to that this season.

 

[joop]

Grade - F

Winning 4 games is unacceptable, coaches gone, president gone, match day crowds down nearly 20%, team selection comical at times and Richo is still ******* here.

Thank god it’s over.

Tell us what you really think Joop

haha think I won’t be the only one mate! Anything other than a complete failure is clutching at straws. Having a few players improve does sugar coat the season.

 

[George]

Much Improved
Gresh
Steele
Long

Improved
Hunter
Lonie
Oscar
Battle
Marshall
DMac
Paton
Austin
Webster
White
Pierce

Held their own
Jake
Steven
Freeman
Billings
Robo
Brown
Phillips
Geary
Rice


Gone backwards
Hickey
Sav
Ross
Dunstan
Acres
Newnes
Longer
Paddy
Sinclair
Weller
Goddard
Bruce

It's time
Gilbo
Armo
Minch
Wright
Koby

My positives will be limited to individual players:

• Rowan Marshall - Very happy with Roma's year. He is developing very nicely and could be the KPF we need. Once he fills out and develops his aerobic base, he will make more contests and take more pack grabs. He is showing some great signs this early, which is no surprise when you consider his size, athletic ability and game sense. He isn't afraid to make difficult and high-risk corridor kicks and finds plenty of the ball.
• Jade Gresham - Our only player with X-factor and easily our most dynamic player. He has elite evasive skills and regularly impacts games. He needs to work on his field kicking and his goal kicking but this won't prevent him from becoming an A-grader.
• Jack Steele - Finally becoming the player we hoped he'd become. A contested bull with elite tackling numbers and a genuine appetite to crack in and beat his own man. I can see him becoming a captain and leading the midfield. He is kicking more goals and taking more marks around the ground and his ability to spread and be a link in the chain has been positive.
• Daniel McKenzie - Very reliable player and has worked hard on his disposal. He is the second-best in the league for disposal efficiency and his stats (tackles, interceptions, marks, one percenters) all reflect a very effective small defender. His ToG figures are now at the level they should be for someone with his tank. Important defensive cog who should keep improving.
• Ben Long - Perhaps the only other player with X-factor alongside Gresham. He was showing great signs before his injury and towards the end he was flashing in and out of games. He is a livewire and will prove to be a very hard player to contain. I'm expecting him to kick a few bags next season and destroy teams.
• Jimmy Webster - I was pleasantly surprised with Jimmy this year. He was doing everything right and is our best ball-user coming out of the backline. He never takes a backwards step and, like McKenzie, sets a very high standard in terms of attack on the footy and determination.
• Jack Lonie - Finally recaptured his 2015 form. As a small forward, he can become a very handy player. I love his courage and his ferocity on the ball. He is a clever player but still makes dumb decisions. Goals should be on his agenda. Made a good start to that this season.

Gee way to sugarcoat the season guys!


Agree with everything by the way...definitely have a few talented kids on the list. Improvement in who is coaching them will help, hopefully 2019 we see what they are capable of under a better system.

 

[Persevering Saint]

How to describe this year... hmmm, well, let me think... perhaps in the immortal words of Jeff Daniels...

 

[CaptainRisky]

Grade - F

Winning 4 games is unacceptable, coaches gone, president gone, match day crowds down nearly 20%, team selection comical at times and Richo is still ******* here.

Thank god it’s over.

haha think I won’t be the only one mate! Anything other than a complete failure is clutching at straws. Having a few players improve does sugar coat the season.

Yeah its been a long year , its not going to be fixed over night either so buckle up , its going to get bumpy

 

[joop]

Gee way to sugarcoat the season guys!


Agree with everything by the way...definitely have a few talented kids on the list. Improvement in who is coaching them will help, hopefully 2019 we see what they are capable of under a better system.

Haha you can’t even quote me so go for the passive aggressive approach? Maybe I should report it like you do all my posts.
You asked in the Op to give a grade, and in my opinion giving anything but an F on the back of a few players improving is sugar coating it. Not saying there weren’t any positives on the season, but the season as a whole, in review as your title says, was a complete failure.

 

[George]

Haha you can’t even quote me so go for the passive aggressive approach? Maybe I should report it like you do all my posts.
You asked in the Op to give a grade, and in my opinion giving anything but an F on the back of a few players improving is sugar coating it. Not saying there weren’t any positives on the season, but the season as a whole, in review as your title says, was a complete failure.

Can't possibly give kudos to a few players without someone thinking it's not warranted?

And please give it a rest with the stuff you mentioned initially about not quoting you. Would prefer not to engage with you at all. Your comment was very hypocritical. You have done same over last few weeks but it's not surprising given your history here.

Anyway lets move on.

 

[gringo2011]

Grade - F

Winning 4 games is unacceptable, coaches gone, president gone, match day crowds down nearly 20%, team selection comical at times and Richo is still ******* here.

Thank god it’s over.

haha think I won’t be the only one mate! Anything other than a complete failure is clutching at straws. Having a few players improve does sugar coat the season.

It's crowds down 20% on last year but the dome is lucky to have 12,000 most weeks and they claim it's in the 20s. It must be down 20% year on year for 5 years. We were giving away tickets, giving away ground floor GA, selling GA fo $10 and still the Saints fans don't show. There were more Dogs fans than Saints at our last home game.

 

[Saint Watto]

It's crowds down 20% on last year but the dome is lucky to have 12,000 most weeks and they claim it's in the 20s. It must be down 20% year on year for 5 years. We were giving away tickets, giving away ground floor GA, selling GA fo $10 and still the Saints fans don't show. There were more Dogs fans than Saints at our last home game.

It's not flash gringo......a major concern IMO.

I remember posting at the time.....about the half way mark of the season.....only the diehards would now go to home games......we were going that bad that early.

Kudos to the marketing/membership people....they did everything possible IMO to get bums on seats.

Yesterday was a shocker around us....rows and rows were empty....reminded me of during the 2014 season.

But it's the old tried and true....we start winning on a regular basis....the fans will come back...it's human nature.

 

[D2D3]

Grade: F

I've got a lot to say about how terrible our season was. But I think the capitulations against North in round 2 and the Western Bulldogs in round 20 sum the year up best.

The fact that we seemingly stubbornly stuck to the same players and "game plan" the rest of the year except when we were forced to do otherwise just rubs salt into the wound.

Form of Steele, Lonie, , Webster Gresham and the fact that Freeman and Goddard actually got on the park the only real upside imo. Mind you 3 of those players aren't even contracted next year.

 

[bennymc7]

F..

 

[Sheepey]

Just gonna copy and paste from the autopsy thread.

What was meant to be the season were we meant to challenge finals has become the season from hell. With only 18 points (4 wins and a draw), that would have seen the Saints last in 2017. Unfortunately, Gold Coast and Carlton are so pathetic that they have managed to be even shitter than the Saints.

Positives:
Steele - An awesome second half of the season. He started very slowly (mostly because he was played out of position) and I was concerned that he stagnated, but he turned himself, arguably, into close to an A grade player. 35 disposals, 2 goals and 9 tackles today.
Marshall - A promising "prospect". Beautiful kick, 201cm, solves our second ruck problem. He isn't the finished product, but one of the most promising players on the list
Gresham - Took his game to another level, particularly in the middle of the season. Dynamic, unpredictable, he gives some much-needed X-factor to the team.
Webster - Turned himself from a ball butcher to the key distributor out of the backline. Though he didn't end as well as he started, his competitiveness was crucial to the team.
McKenzie - Saved his career with a decent season. Possibly the only beneficiary from Roberton's absence. Good over-head mark, improvements in kicking and composure as the year has transpired, and he actually looks like he gives a s**t. Fair way to go but something to build on
Battle (Early) - Promising signs from the youngster that he will be a key part of the forward line. Accurate, high work rate, and a good set of hands
Lonie (Late) - Much improved finishing ability in front of goal. He might be the only person that has benefited from Dixon. Deserves another contract, and I'll be left shaking my head if he's delisted after his best few games since his first year.

I was being very generous there.
Negatives:
Newnes - Gone backward at a rate of knots. A frequent ball butcher whose asset was normally his competitiveness, his tackling has been dreadful this season.
Armitage - Other than a brief renaissance mid-year, he has looked quite a bit off it. It's clear his body is cooked
Sinclair - Really disappointing season. Was looking like one of our most promising players at the end of last year, with silky skills, composure, and the ability to always hit the target. His kicking ability has been way off this year for whatever reason.
Dunstan - Finished 2017 on a high. Continued in that vein, but then dropped way off. Have injuries plagued him, or is he just unable to consistently compete at the pace of the AFL? I'm not sure.
Acres - Injury has hurt this one, but unsure whether his potential will ever be realised. Flashes of brilliance followed by stupidity. He may remain the eternal enigma.
Longer - Exposed as a plodder. Can break even at best in the ruck and provides nothing around the ground. Pierce wasn't good today, but Longer should not be seen in the red white and black until he isnt completely absent when the ball hits the ground.
McCartin - Injuries again have crueled him, but even when he has played I havn't been convinced. Only 194cm, slow, poor tank, not a great vertical leap and a poor set shot. With his diabetes and recurring concussions further curtailing him, I'd be surprised if he made it from here. A very poor drafting decision.
Coaching Panel - Serious incompetency, with the rot worst at the top. Selection has been highly questionable throughout the year, game day tactics seem to be almost solely reliant on "pressure", and the sheer consistency of Richo being outcoached has become more predictable than a new prime minister getting ousted before his term has ended. Heads must roll.
Presidency - Though technically last years decision, but which the effect has been most felt this year, the decision to extend Richo's contract was as dumbfounding as it was premature. The degree of foresight that was lacking was astounding. This isn't just a hindsight judgment, it was seen to be hasty and unnecessary at the time.
Drafting - Again, technically last years decision, but to get rid of the second round draft pick last year, possibly in an attempt to land McCartin jr (a position that we have in abundance), was incredibly poor. Now we are left with a season of only 4 wins, and one pick in the first three rounds. Along with Summers' comments about a top 4 finish, this suggests that the club were seriously delusional where the list was, and where we would end up this year.

I give it a D-. It's only a D- because we wernt utterly slaughtered in most games. If we kept playing like we were at the start of the year (below Carlton level) it would be an F

 

[George]

Just gonna copy and paste from the autopsy thread.

What was meant to be the season were we meant to challenge finals has become the season from hell. With only 18 points (4 wins and a draw), that would have seen the Saints last in 2017. Unfortunately, Gold Coast and Carlton are so pathetic that they have managed to be even shitter than the Saints.

Positives:
Steele - An awesome second half of the season. He started very slowly (mostly because he was played out of position) and I was concerned that he stagnated, but he turned himself, arguably, into close to an A grade player. 35 disposals, 2 goals and 9 tackles today.
Marshall - A promising "prospect". Beautiful kick, 201cm, solves our second ruck problem. He isn't the finished product, but one of the most promising players on the list
Gresham - Took his game to another level, particularly in the middle of the season. Dynamic, unpredictable, he gives some much-needed X-factor to the team.
Webster - Turned himself from a ball butcher to the key distributor out of the backline. Though he didn't end as well as he started, his competitiveness was crucial to the team.
McKenzie - Saved his career with a decent season. Possibly the only beneficiary from Roberton's absence. Good over-head mark, improvements in kicking and composure as the year has transpired, and he actually looks like he gives a s**t. Fair way to go but something to build on
Battle (Early) - Promising signs from the youngster that he will be a key part of the forward line. Accurate, high work rate, and a good set of hands
Lonie (Late) - Much improved finishing ability in front of goal. He might be the only person that has benefited from Dixon. Deserves another contract, and I'll be left shaking my head if he's delisted after his best few games since his first year.

I was being very generous there.
Negatives:
Newnes - Gone backward at a rate of knots. A frequent ball butcher whose asset was normally his competitiveness, his tackling has been dreadful this season.
Armitage - Other than a brief renaissance mid-year, he has looked quite a bit off it. It's clear his body is cooked
Sinclair - Really disappointing season. Was looking like one of our most promising players at the end of last year, with silky skills, composure, and the ability to always hit the target. His kicking ability has been way off this year for whatever reason.
Dunstan - Finished 2017 on a high. Continued in that vein, but then dropped way off. Have injuries plagued him, or is he just unable to consistently compete at the pace of the AFL? I'm not sure.
Acres - Injury has hurt this one, but unsure whether his potential will ever be realised. Flashes of brilliance followed by stupidity. He may remain the eternal enigma.
Longer - Exposed as a plodder. Can break even at best in the ruck and provides nothing around the ground. Pierce wasn't good today, but Longer should not be seen in the red white and black until he isnt completely absent when the ball hits the ground.
McCartin - Injuries again have crueled him, but even when he has played I havn't been convinced. Only 194cm, slow, poor tank, not a great vertical leap and a poor set shot. With his diabetes and recurring concussions further curtailing him, I'd be surprised if he made it from here. A very poor drafting decision.
Coaching Panel - Serious incompetency, with the rot worst at the top. Selection has been highly questionable throughout the year, game day tactics seem to be almost solely reliant on "pressure", and the sheer consistency of Richo being outcoached has become more predictable than a new prime minister getting ousted before his term has ended. Heads must roll.
Presidency - Though technically last years decision, but which the effect has been most felt this year, the decision to extend Richo's contract was as dumbfounding as it was premature. The degree of foresight that was lacking was astounding. This isn't just a hindsight judgment, it was seen to be hasty and unnecessary at the time.
Drafting - Again, technically last years decision, but to get rid of the second round draft pick last year, possibly in an attempt to land McCartin jr (a position that we have in abundance), was incredibly poor. Now we are left with a season of only 4 wins, and one pick in the first three rounds. Along with Summers' comments about a top 4 finish, this suggests that the club were seriously delusional where the list was, and where we would end up this year.

I give it a D-. It's only a D- because we wernt utterly slaughtered in most games. Otherwise it would be an F

Yep part of the reason I gave it a D as well. An F for me would be wooden spooners and getting belted every week. We were crap but not that crap.

 

[lewdogs]

Something to chew on in the lead-up to the B&F & off-season period.

What were your hits & misses of 2018?​

Hits
Whilst there weren't too many I will try my best. Given the year we had we had to play around with the side a bit and it might be a good thing for us long term as we got to see some of what our kids are capable of at the elite level. I was happy to see most of our senior list get a game this year, with the likes of Ben Paton, Ben Long, Rowan Marshall, Hunter Clark, Nick Coffield, Darragh Joyce, Josh Battle, Logan Austin, Ed Phillips and Bailey Rice all getting games and showing some really good signs. You would think most of them will be in our next finals side.

Can't leave out Nathan Freeman who after 5 long years got his chance to make his AFL debut against the Bulldogs in Round 20. He is still a work in progress but deserves another year with us for his hard work to get back to playing football.

Some of our younger boys really came on this year too. I thought Jack Steele & Jade Gresham in particular have turned themselves into pivotal players in our best 22. Steele's back half of 2018 was superb, taking on a tagging role but also averaging upwards of 25 touches a game himself. Then there's Gresh, who was our leading goal kicker this year and the first player for the Saints under 180cm since Stephen Milne to do so. He is an absolute star, has the X-factor we so desperately crave and played well for us in big games.

And a note to Jimmy Webster - who was clearly our best for the first half of 2018. Injury got the better of him during the middle part of the year but he still should poll well on B&F night.



Misses
Plenty went wrong for us in 2018. Our horror run with injuries would be a start. Roberton, Long, Bruce, McCartin and Stevens really hurt us. But I think the air went out of our year as early as Round 2 against North. Completely capitulated in what was a big day for the club and kick started our poor year. Geelong in Round 4 didn't help either. Our coaching was a huge issue, seemingly obvious to us what was wrong but Alan Richardson & his group saw it differently. A very limited game plan with our players skill level extremely below average. Goal kicking again an issue for us after bringing in Ben Dixon. Once again we were inconsistent within games as well, often blowing leads or letting teams get a big run on us and ending the contest early, which has been a huge issue for a few years now. Our player development is poor. Our alignment with Sandringham didn't work all year and it showed with us finishing down the bottom of the VFL ladder as well.


Overall Grade - D
A disappointing season. Clearly a year that none of us had expected. I personally didn't think the loss of Riewoldt & Montagna would hurt us as much as it did but I'm sure many felt the same way, including the club. Boy were we wrong. We were poor in the JLT series and continued that poor form through the season. Slowly we began to get our act together after the mid season bye, but still very inconsistent and "patchy" within games. Some very poor showings. I will say that we are a very young side, and after such a bad year the only way for us now is up. It was good that we tried a lot of players and may have found a few with the players I mentioned above. However the fact remains that we didn't have one player selected for All-Australian nomination this year which shows to me that we still lack real quality across the ground. We have some good players for sure, but often it was left to too few to get the job done for us this year.

Our coaching needs to be addressed and a revamp of the entire football department is underway. I am glad the club have identified the areas of concern and are doing something about it. That's all we can ask for at this point.

I do still believe that things can change very quickly, and I'm bullish about our list. I feel like this is the year we may have needed, as now we have a young list with plenty of potential that just needs the right coaching group to take them forward. With some change and more experience in this area I wouldn't be surprised if we head upwards in 2019. However I won't hold my breath! This is St.Kilda after all - you never know what to expect.




Post your recap of our season below

George, just wanted to say thank you for your great write-ups all year; this one is no exception. It's been a hard year but it is nice to be able to see some positives and retain some hope. It's easy to lambast the entire club and call us a basket case, but it's certainly not impossible that this year was a year we needed to have and we may be able to learn from it.

Did people expect the Pies to succeed this year? Or North to go back up the ladder? The clear answer is no - we don't know what to expect each year. We are making big changes - just look at the coaching changes already!

I think a good point you make is about the JLT series. We were so poor this year in the pre-season and it hurt us. We need to try to be better in the pre-season comp next year and play good football from the start of the year.

Also, the allegiance with Sandy is a debacle. I was thinking about it and it even seems silly that Sandy wear different colours to us. It just doesn't work - we need to have a VFL team in red white and black. They should sing oh when the Saints. If this means changing to the Sandringham Saints then so be it! I know it seems fickle but to me the fact that our reserves run out in black gold and blue each week is just indicative of the messiness of the whole allegiance.

The big positives player-wise were Gresh and Steele but I just want to point out a few others I really like the look of:
Clark
Coffield
Marshall
Battle
Paton
Long

To me all those players showed a bit at various stages and if they can develop quickly they'll form the crux of a good team.

I also think Ross is a class player that has the makings of a champ still.

WTF years by
Sincs
Dunstan
Weller
Newnes
All very disappointing. Sincs in particular just regressed so badly. We need to find a way to make him work in the team. I think he needs to work harder too. Would love to see the original Number 35 come back in to show a few of our boys about hard work and how to train. Seems that might be on the cards...fingers crossed.

Anyway, thanks again George, thanks to everyone for sticking fat throughout this crap year. I'm going to go out on a limb and say we don't even need to sign Gaff Fyfe or Danger to make us good again. The ingredients are there... this was a year of brewing.

Bring on next year I say!

 

[George]

George, just wanted to say thank you for your great write-ups all year; this one is no exception. It's been a hard year but it is nice to be able to see some positives and retain some hope. It's easy to lambast the entire club and call us a basket case, but it's certainly not impossible that this year was a year we needed to have and we may be able to learn from it.

Did people expect the Pies to succeed this year? Or North to go back up the ladder? The clear answer is no - we don't know what to expect each year. We are making big changes - just look at the coaching changes already!

I think a good point you make is about the JLT series. We were so poor this year in the pre-season and it hurt us. We need to try to be better in the pre-season comp next year and play good football from the start of the year.

Also, the allegiance with Sandy is a debacle. I was thinking about it and it even seems silly that Sandy wear different colours to us. It just doesn't work - we need to have a VFL team in red white and black. They should sing oh when the Saints. If this means changing to the Sandringham Saints then so be it! I know it seems fickle but to me the fact that our reserves run out in black gold and blue each week is just indicative of the messiness of the whole allegiance.

The big positives player-wise were Gresh and Steele but I just want to point out a few others I really like the look of:
Clark
Coffield
Marshall
Battle
Paton
Long

To me all those players showed a bit at various stages and if they can develop quickly they'll form the crux of a good team.

I also think Ross is a class player that has the makings of a champ still.

WTF years by
Sincs
Dunstan
Weller
Newnes
All very disappointing. Sincs in particular just regressed so badly. We need to find a way to make him work in the team. I think he needs to work harder too. Would love to see the original Number 35 come back in to show a few of our boys about hard work and how to train. Seems that might be on the cards...fingers crossed.

Anyway, thanks again George, thanks to everyone for sticking fat throughout this crap year. I'm going to go out on a limb and say we don't even need to sign Gaff Fyfe or Danger to make us good again. The ingredients are there... this was a year of brewing.

Bring on next year I say!

Thanks mate, it was a pleasure

Great post too, agree with all you've said...need more in here with the kind of depth your post provides!

I am looking forward to seeing what we end up doing with coaches and players over the coming months. If we are aggressive enough and make the right moves we will be right.