This group has the hardest 5 months of preseason of their lives coming up.
The failings have been recognised and the preseason will be brutal.
News 2021 St.Kilda Media Thread
- Thread starter George
- Start date
- Tagged users None
The failings have been recognised and the preseason will be brutal.
sammm
Premium Platinum
We hope it will be not just us fans saying.
Who out of
Hill
Howard
Ryder
Jones
Butler
Higgins
Crouch
Would you consider short term?
Paddy for sure, but even Hill and Crouch got 5 years.
Who out of
Coffield
Clark
Paton
King
Bytel
Connelly
Byrnes
Highmore
Sharman
Heath
Would you consider short term?
Nothing short term about our trading and drafting.
We have had some fixes for glaring deficiencies, Frawley, didn't work, backup for the ruck, maybe an outside mid like Naish.
But what is short term about the above and this years strategy of the draft and NGA's.
Next season for better or worse we are after a literal mirror image of Max King, and maybe a FA.
I see nothing in our trading since 2017 that is short term.
botts
Premiership Player
- Jun 11, 2021
- 3,422
- 9,463
- AFL Club
- St Kilda
Fcuk I hope so
To me the best way to build is slow and steady through the draft.
You can short cut it, but if it goes belly up its like playing snakes and ladders and you land on the big snake near the end.
Saints have tried to short cut it, gone belly up, tried to short cut it again...hanging on, but could still go belly up.
hayes
Brownlow Medallist
I’m happy with what we’ve done the past couple of years. Young guys need senior players around them while they develop and after Roo and Joey were gone there were barely any senior players left. Without the 25+ year olds you end up in a never ending rebuild like the Gold Coast are constantly in. The only player we gave up significant draft picks for is Hill and looking at those drafts we haven’t missed out on much. The other guys cost us either worthless draft picks or none at all.
Best case scenario is the older guys like Crouch, Ross, Hill are the Peckett, Thompson, Harvey types who are still playing well for a few years when the younger guys are starting to peak and then ideally the younger guys carry us after that when they’re ready. Our improvement will come from King, Clark, Coffield, Gresham, Sharman, Howard, Highmore, Higgins, Bytel, Byrnes, Connolly, Paton etc. and pick 9 this year. The focus now needs to be adding to that group over the next few years which I’m sure we will.
Every chance this rebuild will be determined by how good our recruiters are at finding A grade mids ideally without a top 10 pick after this year.
Best case scenario is the older guys like Crouch, Ross, Hill are the Peckett, Thompson, Harvey types who are still playing well for a few years when the younger guys are starting to peak and then ideally the younger guys carry us after that when they’re ready. Our improvement will come from King, Clark, Coffield, Gresham, Sharman, Howard, Highmore, Higgins, Bytel, Byrnes, Connolly, Paton etc. and pick 9 this year. The focus now needs to be adding to that group over the next few years which I’m sure we will.
Every chance this rebuild will be determined by how good our recruiters are at finding A grade mids ideally without a top 10 pick after this year.
gringo2011
Premium Platinum
100% agree, that's the danger of landing Ben King, he could be a superstar but the cost will be huge. We want to be sure the core is good enough.
Looking back on sides at the 2014 draft like the Hawks that brought in short term pieces like Frawley, they are now shown the short fall 7 years later. FAs are a short term top up to push for a premiership not long term planning. Drafting s the way to improve long term still.
If they plan on getting Ben King next year I would be offering up a player to make the trade not to telling on our future trade periods.
The best thing about having young talent coming through the ranks you don't know who will be expendable.
Say if Sharman becomes a valued player in the forward line , would we offload Membery to the Suns knowing he would be 29 by the time the King trade is done.
Then again we don't know what the future holds , Ben may get a major injury and not seen next year , what would be his value then - would we still be willing to pay overs for him or go for a Darcy Moore or someone we want.
I really feel this trade period will dictate the clubs future - we hit the right targets and they are good players we are set for years to come.
You mentioned Trunchen , he could be the best mid in this years draft and I don't even think he has be mentioned in a top 50 players.
I feel one of the best key position players is Bazzo and he will be around the 30 to 40 mark.
A hell of a lot of players with limited game time has thrown this draft period into a lucky dip after the top 5.
People have Andrew in the top 10 and a tall being 70kg is a major risk knowing it will be years before he would be able to withstand the rigors of playing , we currently have Heath who has the build now to withstand a bit of punishment who could surprise us all and play a few games next year.
moirae42
Club Legend
- Oct 5, 2020
- 1,812
- 5,718
- AFL Club
- St Kilda
Man I hope so. It has to be. So much riding on it.
This draft is just crucial for us too. We utensil this up then its legit trouble.
Players still have to concent to any trade so it's not as easy a just punting off player X or Y.
The good thing for us is we'll get a proper look at this year's and last year's draftees and having purged the geriatrics it will be a snapshot of things for the foreseeable future.
The progress of Battle Vs Alison will be of particular interest and the most likely to generate an excess player to offer up.
With a strong intake of mids this year our profile will be fairly good and we could stand to trade what we hope is 2 picks in the teens for a guaranteed quality player in Bing. That's actually a good deal for us by modern standards. Take it and run l say.
gringo2011
Premium Platinum
Battle would be worth nothing if he's not playing a lot of senior footy. If Allison isn't killing it at VFL level he's probably in a similar vein. You might chuck one in as steak knives if we had to though. The players are unlikely to want to go there as well which is always an issue for them. If they start winning games spots won't even be easy to get in their side either which might be an issue....but then if they start winning games Ben might not want to leave..
- Apr 24, 2021
- 11,129
- 18,854
- AFL Club
- St Kilda
Restrictions easing in Melbourne could be the thing that cinches it. 2 years away from family almost so if he gets to spend a full off season down here as we open up again, see mates and family he might be reminded where he wants to be
None of that realy matters. The context was that we'll know where we stand a lot better after the 2022 season.
The covid interrupted 2020 and 2021 VFL seasons along with our list turnover have put us in a position of high potential but with an awful lot of question marks attached. If the players can stay fit we'll start to see what we've really got for better or worse.
I also feel like the Bing thing has a lot more moving parts than we think. Though right now l reckon he's a Saint this time next year irrespective of win/loss
Anyone feel like posting the Hun article on Hunter Clark?
Young Saint Hunter Clark reveals the full extent of damage from bump which sent AFL into spin
It was the collision that divided the AFL. St Kilda’s Hunter Clark was left with a badly broken jaw after a hit which put the future of the bump on trial. Now, Clark speaks about that fateful bump.
Hunter Clark couldn’t wait to get stuck into a steak.
After a diet of smoothies, soups and other blended delights, the young Saint didn’t realise how much he missed the act of chewing until he couldn’t do it. Eating through a straw became the norm for Clark after his jaw was shattered in a sickening collision that put the entire AFL on edge in June.
But as the football world debated the future of the bump — the result of Adelaide veteran David Mackay’s high-speed hit on Clark — the young Saint was left to deal with a face full of metal and a mushed-up menu.
“I was on a liquid diet for the first two or three weeks, so just smoothies, soup,” Clark said.
“I would have meals but mum would have to blend it up so that I could just slurp it. It was pretty gross.
“That was probably the most trying thing. You don’t realise just eating how grateful you are to do it.
“After maybe four or five weeks I could start to chew but chewed very slowly. I probably couldn’t eat a steak for two or three months.
“I was on pure liquids for two or three weeks then slowly incorporated chewing food but it was pretty grim.”
Clark suffered three fractures, nerve damage and dental damage in the Round 13 collision, which sidelined him for the next seven weeks.
He had multiple screws inserted in the front and side of his jaw and — four months after the horrific injury — Clark still experiences some numbness and sensitivity.
“I had my wisdom teeth and some screws out two weeks ago and I still have a few screws in my mouth but they are going to keep them in for a while,” Clark said.
“Hopefully there won‘t be any more surgeries around the face for a while.
“It’s still fairly numb. I can’t feel it through my chin and the bottom part of my mouth and jaw.
“I’m starting to get the feeling back there but parts of it are still numb.
“I snapped clean through the front (of the jaw) and through the sides. At the front where my front bottom teeth are there is a bit of nerve damage but hopefully they (the teeth) don’t die.
“I think I have got four screws at the front still and I had four at the side, or like a plate with four screws through it. It was a pretty long process but it’s all healing now which is good.”
Hunter Clark still experiences some numbness and sensitivity around the jaw area. Picture: Michael Klein
The hit
As the ball flew over the top of Clark’s head midway through the second quarter at Cazaly’s Stadium in Cairns, Clark immediately turned and gave chase. He charged towards the ball, eyes fixed on the Sherrin.
Clark could sense the Adelaide players around him and was expecting a contested play. In a split second, the 22-year-old was reeling on the ground after the bone-jarring hit.
“I remember the ball was kicked to me and it went over my head and I just turned and I saw the ball there,” Clark said.
“I knew there were Adelaide players around me but I didn’t really take too much note of them, I just knew I was going to be contested.
“Then I remember just going to pick the ball up and just got cleaned up and I don’t really remember too much of the pain … it was a pretty big hit but I was in a bit of shock.
“Then I was off the ground, I was on pain killers straight away.
“So for the first few days it wasn’t actually that sore because I was on painkillers. I remember just running my tongue over my front teeth and the left side of my jaw was maybe half a centimetre lower than my right side.
“I could kind of tell there was something wrong. I didn’t initially think I could break my jaw because it was not too painful but I got the scans on Sunday morning and there was a clean break.”
As big as the collision was, the debate surrounding the hit was huge. It became one of the major talking points of the year as the future of the bump in the game was put on the line.
In a rare move, Mackay was referred directly to the AFL Tribunal by the Match Review Officer for what was one of the most anticipated cases the league has seen in years.
Mackay, who was ultimately cleared by the Tribunal, reached out to Clark in the days after the incident.
“Dave sent me a text the following day or two days later just checking in on me and I have got no doubt he was going for the footy,” Clark said.
“He just asked how I was going. He said he felt for me. He told me his intentions were on the footy and I thought watching on the tape it was pretty clear he was going for the footy.
“He was just checking in and making sure I was all right and that was very nice of him.
“It was just one of those incidents where two players were going for the footy and I came off second best.”
Adelaide’s David Mackay collects Clark in the brutal hit in Cairns. Picture: Fox Sports
Ultimately, Clark felt he was “just unlucky” and viewed the bump as a part of the game.
“I definitely think there is a place for it,” Clark said.
“Footy is a contact sport and you go into the game knowing you can get injured. It’s a 360 game and you can get hit from anywhere.
“If you take those little things out of the game it would really change the way the game has been forever.
“It doesn’t happen all that often that someone breaks their jaw in that situation so I think it is just unlucky.
“I don’t think you can eradicate it from the game, it is just the way footy has been played forever and probably will be.
“That’s just the way footy goes sometimes. Someone comes off second best.”
Silver lining
Clark returned to the field for St Kilda’s Round 20 clash against Carlton after seven weeks but he suffered a head knock in his return game and didn’t play for the rest of the year.
But Clark said his horror year would serve as more fuel for the pre-season as he prepares for his fifth campaign with the Saints.
“I think I started the year well and when I got injured I probably had a quiet couple of weeks so that was pretty annoying to go out injured off the back of maybe one or two poorer games,” Clark said.
“It was a bit disjointed and quite an annoying way to finish the year but it has definitely given me good motivation for this off-season and pre-season for what I want to do next year.
“It could potentially be a blessing but at the time it was very hard to not play after that injury.”
But don’t expect the collision to have any lingering impact on Clark’s ferocity at the ball.
He said he would continue to attack the ball as only he knows how.
“It definitely hasn’t changed or won’t change my approach,” Clark said.
“Once I broke my jaw and I was back training, I almost forgot that I’d had a broken jaw.
“I guess in that circumstance that’s good that it’s not on my mind or anything.”
After extending his contract for another two years at the start of the season, Clark is intent on building his fitness base in the hope of more midfield minutes and to make a greater impact in his role at half-back.
“I have worked on my fitness a lot this off-season and I am going to keep doing that to allow myself to go into the midfield more,” said Clark, who has now played 60 games for St Kilda.
“But we have got good depth there and with everyone healthy it will get pretty crowded. If I am on the half-back flank I don’t really have too many worries with that.
“I think I have just got to get fitter and grow my body more to allow me to play through the midfield and play for longer chunks through there, I think that will help the team.
“But when I am playing half-back the same principle applies, I guess, I have just got to get fitter to impact for longer.”
“I have been training a fair bit with Steeley (Jack Steele) this off-season and he has been really good for me. He is kind of the player I want to aspire to be.”
Driving force
If the second half of the season was not challenging enough, Clark said it had been tough to swallow missing out on the finals after surging to a semi-final last year – the Saints’ first finals appearance since 2011.
Clark has already seen this year’s result pushing players this off-season and he said it was up to the club’s young generation to drive it forward.
“We had some pretty high expectations of ourselves coming into the season,” Clark said.
“We had a good year the year before but we only won one final and we didn’t make finals until the last week so it’s not like we were on top of the world or anything.
“It was a disappointing year but everyone has been training well … everyone is pretty committed to taking the club to a better position next year and for the future beyond that.
“We have got a pretty young group still, a lot of players around 22 to 26 …. I am excited and it’s up to us younger boys to drive the club and take it to where it needs to get.
“So I am looking forward to doing that this year and I can’t wait.
It was the collision that divided the AFL. St Kilda’s Hunter Clark was left with a badly broken jaw after a hit which put the future of the bump on trial. Now, Clark speaks about that fateful bump.
Hunter Clark couldn’t wait to get stuck into a steak.
After a diet of smoothies, soups and other blended delights, the young Saint didn’t realise how much he missed the act of chewing until he couldn’t do it. Eating through a straw became the norm for Clark after his jaw was shattered in a sickening collision that put the entire AFL on edge in June.
But as the football world debated the future of the bump — the result of Adelaide veteran David Mackay’s high-speed hit on Clark — the young Saint was left to deal with a face full of metal and a mushed-up menu.
“I was on a liquid diet for the first two or three weeks, so just smoothies, soup,” Clark said.
“I would have meals but mum would have to blend it up so that I could just slurp it. It was pretty gross.
“That was probably the most trying thing. You don’t realise just eating how grateful you are to do it.
“After maybe four or five weeks I could start to chew but chewed very slowly. I probably couldn’t eat a steak for two or three months.
“I was on pure liquids for two or three weeks then slowly incorporated chewing food but it was pretty grim.”
Clark suffered three fractures, nerve damage and dental damage in the Round 13 collision, which sidelined him for the next seven weeks.
He had multiple screws inserted in the front and side of his jaw and — four months after the horrific injury — Clark still experiences some numbness and sensitivity.
“I had my wisdom teeth and some screws out two weeks ago and I still have a few screws in my mouth but they are going to keep them in for a while,” Clark said.
“Hopefully there won‘t be any more surgeries around the face for a while.
“It’s still fairly numb. I can’t feel it through my chin and the bottom part of my mouth and jaw.
“I’m starting to get the feeling back there but parts of it are still numb.
“I snapped clean through the front (of the jaw) and through the sides. At the front where my front bottom teeth are there is a bit of nerve damage but hopefully they (the teeth) don’t die.
“I think I have got four screws at the front still and I had four at the side, or like a plate with four screws through it. It was a pretty long process but it’s all healing now which is good.”
Hunter Clark still experiences some numbness and sensitivity around the jaw area. Picture: Michael Klein
The hit
As the ball flew over the top of Clark’s head midway through the second quarter at Cazaly’s Stadium in Cairns, Clark immediately turned and gave chase. He charged towards the ball, eyes fixed on the Sherrin.
Clark could sense the Adelaide players around him and was expecting a contested play. In a split second, the 22-year-old was reeling on the ground after the bone-jarring hit.
“I remember the ball was kicked to me and it went over my head and I just turned and I saw the ball there,” Clark said.
“I knew there were Adelaide players around me but I didn’t really take too much note of them, I just knew I was going to be contested.
“Then I remember just going to pick the ball up and just got cleaned up and I don’t really remember too much of the pain … it was a pretty big hit but I was in a bit of shock.
“Then I was off the ground, I was on pain killers straight away.
“So for the first few days it wasn’t actually that sore because I was on painkillers. I remember just running my tongue over my front teeth and the left side of my jaw was maybe half a centimetre lower than my right side.
“I could kind of tell there was something wrong. I didn’t initially think I could break my jaw because it was not too painful but I got the scans on Sunday morning and there was a clean break.”
As big as the collision was, the debate surrounding the hit was huge. It became one of the major talking points of the year as the future of the bump in the game was put on the line.
In a rare move, Mackay was referred directly to the AFL Tribunal by the Match Review Officer for what was one of the most anticipated cases the league has seen in years.
Mackay, who was ultimately cleared by the Tribunal, reached out to Clark in the days after the incident.
“Dave sent me a text the following day or two days later just checking in on me and I have got no doubt he was going for the footy,” Clark said.
“He just asked how I was going. He said he felt for me. He told me his intentions were on the footy and I thought watching on the tape it was pretty clear he was going for the footy.
“He was just checking in and making sure I was all right and that was very nice of him.
“It was just one of those incidents where two players were going for the footy and I came off second best.”
Adelaide’s David Mackay collects Clark in the brutal hit in Cairns. Picture: Fox Sports
Ultimately, Clark felt he was “just unlucky” and viewed the bump as a part of the game.
“I definitely think there is a place for it,” Clark said.
“Footy is a contact sport and you go into the game knowing you can get injured. It’s a 360 game and you can get hit from anywhere.
“If you take those little things out of the game it would really change the way the game has been forever.
“It doesn’t happen all that often that someone breaks their jaw in that situation so I think it is just unlucky.
“I don’t think you can eradicate it from the game, it is just the way footy has been played forever and probably will be.
“That’s just the way footy goes sometimes. Someone comes off second best.”
Silver lining
Clark returned to the field for St Kilda’s Round 20 clash against Carlton after seven weeks but he suffered a head knock in his return game and didn’t play for the rest of the year.
But Clark said his horror year would serve as more fuel for the pre-season as he prepares for his fifth campaign with the Saints.
“I think I started the year well and when I got injured I probably had a quiet couple of weeks so that was pretty annoying to go out injured off the back of maybe one or two poorer games,” Clark said.
“It was a bit disjointed and quite an annoying way to finish the year but it has definitely given me good motivation for this off-season and pre-season for what I want to do next year.
“It could potentially be a blessing but at the time it was very hard to not play after that injury.”
But don’t expect the collision to have any lingering impact on Clark’s ferocity at the ball.
He said he would continue to attack the ball as only he knows how.
“It definitely hasn’t changed or won’t change my approach,” Clark said.
“Once I broke my jaw and I was back training, I almost forgot that I’d had a broken jaw.
“I guess in that circumstance that’s good that it’s not on my mind or anything.”
After extending his contract for another two years at the start of the season, Clark is intent on building his fitness base in the hope of more midfield minutes and to make a greater impact in his role at half-back.
“I have worked on my fitness a lot this off-season and I am going to keep doing that to allow myself to go into the midfield more,” said Clark, who has now played 60 games for St Kilda.
“But we have got good depth there and with everyone healthy it will get pretty crowded. If I am on the half-back flank I don’t really have too many worries with that.
“I think I have just got to get fitter and grow my body more to allow me to play through the midfield and play for longer chunks through there, I think that will help the team.
“But when I am playing half-back the same principle applies, I guess, I have just got to get fitter to impact for longer.”
“I have been training a fair bit with Steeley (Jack Steele) this off-season and he has been really good for me. He is kind of the player I want to aspire to be.”
Driving force
If the second half of the season was not challenging enough, Clark said it had been tough to swallow missing out on the finals after surging to a semi-final last year – the Saints’ first finals appearance since 2011.
Clark has already seen this year’s result pushing players this off-season and he said it was up to the club’s young generation to drive it forward.
“We had some pretty high expectations of ourselves coming into the season,” Clark said.
“We had a good year the year before but we only won one final and we didn’t make finals until the last week so it’s not like we were on top of the world or anything.
“It was a disappointing year but everyone has been training well … everyone is pretty committed to taking the club to a better position next year and for the future beyond that.
“We have got a pretty young group still, a lot of players around 22 to 26 …. I am excited and it’s up to us younger boys to drive the club and take it to where it needs to get.
“So I am looking forward to doing that this year and I can’t wait.
George
Premium Platinum
St Kilda - Marcus Windhager Player Sponsor 2023
St Kilda - Marcus Windhager Player Sponsor 2022
St Kilda - James Frawley Player Sponsor 2021
Saints Pledge Contributor
St Kilda - Doulton Langlands Player Sponsor 2020
St Kilda - Nathan Freeman Player Sponsor 2018
St Kilda - Robbie Young Player Sponsor 2019
Reimagine Moorabbin
- Aug 17, 2015
- 45,306
- 127,288
- AFL Club
- St Kilda
- Other Teams
- Phi Eagles & Phillies, Liverpool, PAO FC
- Thread starter
- #2,516
AFL Draft Whispers: Rival could pinch Mitch Owens from Saints’ grasp; Wanganeen unlikely to be nominated for father-son
Rival could steal star from Saints’ grasp; two clubs to snub son of AFL great: Draft Whispers
www.foxsports.com.au
- Apr 24, 2021
- 11,129
- 18,854
- AFL Club
- St Kilda
My god they’re calling him a star already. They’re even more ahead of themselves as we are
AFL Draft Whispers: Rival could pinch Mitch Owens from Saints’ grasp; Wanganeen unlikely to be nominated for father-son
Rival could steal star from Saints’ grasp; two clubs to snub son of AFL great: Draft Whispers
Crusty Undies
This means peace here!
- Oct 22, 2016
- 3,950
- 8,660
- AFL Club
- St Kilda
Mate they've got Keath, Doedee, Crisp, Amon and various other journeyman in A-grade. I'd be taking King and Marshall over most on that list personally.
Pakenhamsaint
Premium Platinum
- Jan 5, 2011
- 46,233
- 37,657
- AFL Club
- St Kilda
No more excuses: Saints pay off $3m, now about that flag drought...
Saints chiefs Matt Finnis and Andrew Bassat declare the recent spate of drought-breaking premierships hasn't increased the pressure on the club
We have dropped our debt
- Sep 28, 2016
- 6,629
- 21,681
- AFL Club
- St Kilda
Nice to see but there is a bit of mayo in that announcement.No more excuses: Saints pay off $3m, now about that flag drought...
Saints chiefs Matt Finnis and Andrew Bassat declare the recent spate of drought-breaking premierships hasn't increased the pressure on the clubwww.afl.com.au
We have dropped our debt
$2mill of it is because of a decision we took last year.
Joffaboy might want to explain that more thoroughly.
And there’s obviously at least another $1mill that has dropped out this year.
You might not recall but when Bassat sent out his last email he used the phrase “balance sheet repair.” Which is accounting code for reducing debt.
It’s an insignificant phrase unless you’re tuned into the business speak.
Anyway, gringo2011 was at the time questioning the competence at the Club and I remember responding to him that he would only have to wait till November to find out. Referring to this.
Proof that I too can be sceptical.
Anyway at face value, this is better than I had anticipated. Mostly because of the impact of Covid on business operations this year.
So Bassat and Finnis have credibility now where it matters.
You would imagine that once business conditions return to something like normality then the debt reduction might run at about $2mill or more each year.
Good signs for the Club especially with the continuing capital investment at Moorabbin.
gringo2011
Premium Platinum
I think we probably need fans to come back in big numbers to take advantage of the better stadium deal and that requires winning and momentum. Covid might mean we have half capacity and the horrible ticketing system which kills crowds.
I wonder if some government money may have stuffed our coffers? It was a great result to be able to decapitate some of the debt.
