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Delisted James Gwilt

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Gwilt = underrated.

Gives me the shits when people say we're an average list playing above our ability (which isn't true anyway, but that's another thread) then list Gwilt among our bottom 6 as 'proof'. I'll admit I didn't want him near the team last year but this year he has been one of the best defenders going round, good stopper and great with the ball in his hands.
 
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/calculated-punt-pays-off-for-saints-20100927-15u30.html

Gwilt played first XI cricket for South Melbourne the summer before he was drafted, shunning overtures from Sandringham Dragons to join TAC Cup pre-season training, but showing an aptitude for high-level sport that also appealed to Beveridge. An unflappable character and ''terrific'' family were other big ticks.

Jason Gwilt played more than 300 games of country football while moving around Victoria and beyond working in banks, but in hindsight his most significant years were the four he spent in Port Moresby, where he met James's mother, Nasain.

Years later, Carlton recruiter Wayne Hughes - then on the Noble Park board - convinced him to nominate for the draft, but St Kilda got in first.
 

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http://www.saints.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/5315/newsid/109912/default.aspx

James Gwilt is a true all-rounder.

“Growing up I just tried to play both [football and cricket]. I didn’t have to really choose between the sports until I was given the opportunity with the Saints, which I gladly accepted,” Gwilt explained.

Sport isn’t the 24 year olds only interest however, who has other focuses outside of football.

Amongst his hectic training schedule, Gwilt is studying part time at TAFE to become an electrician.

“I have one year left of my TAFE course before I’m qualified, it’s something I would definitely like to get into after football,” he said.
 
Re: 2011 Player Reviews

James Gwilt

James+Gwilt+Mitch+Duncan+AFL+Rd+1+Geelong+-MqiatzW6RXl.jpg


After a stellar breakout year in 2010, many expected and hoped that Jimmy would take more steps in developing as a player in 2011. Gwilt had come just came out of a year where he played all 26 games and was one of St kilda's best finals players, where he averaged 22 disposals per games in all four of the Saints finals.

Jimmy started the season fairly slowly, but this was a common theme throughout the Saints team who struggled to win games in the early part of the season. Gwilt was given more responsibility in 2011, becoming one of the Saints most reliable kicks. The combination of Gwilt and Goddard often proved to be an outlet for the Saints, who were constantly struggling to find players with great foot skills.

Jimmy dashed into form in Rd 8, collecting 20 disposals for the first time in the season. This was followed by 23, 20, 25 and 21 disposals. Once again Gwilt looked like becoming the elite kicking back man St kilda had looked for. Coach Ross lyon was obviously frustrated with St kilda's ball use, to the extent where he took the Saints most inform midfielder (Nick Dal Santo) and moved him to half back, which proved to be ineffectual.

Gwilt's best game of the season came in Rd 11 against 2010 premiers Collingwood, in the Grand Final replay replay:D. Gwilt picked up 25 disposals (21 kicks) and 11 marks in a disappointing loss. This game once again signaled that Gwilt was a big game player, who rose to the occasion.

Sadly for Jimmy, his season ended early in an innocuous incident in Rd 17. James was kicking it to a team mate when a West Coast player attempted to bump him. James immediately clutched his knee which was a sad sight for Saints fans. The injury marred what was one of St kilda's best wins of the season, picking up it biggest scalp who finished the year in 4th place. St kilda fans hoped for the best, but Gwilt was ruled out with a ruptured Anterior Crucial Ligament, the second of it's kind for the Saints, who had already lost Lenny Hayes. Gwilt opted to have the traditional surgery, which would put him on the sidelines for 12 months. He does though expect to make a mid season return.

Stats

Games: 15
Goals: 0
Disposals (Avg): 283 (19)

Although Gwilts year ended prematurely, new coach Scott Watters will be looking forward to Jimmy's return. It is not clearly known how he'll be used, but if fit Gwilt's foot skills and reliability would see him return to the St kilda backline as one of the Saints most dangerous field kicks. He will be looking to continue to grow and get back to the football that saw him play 41 successive games.
 
saint_larry said:
JAMES GWILT
781264-james-gwilt.jpg

Mr Gwilt. Playing every game after his return from a knee reconstruction was a good effort. But, pretty much straight from the get go, he was forced into a role where he’d play on a big forward every other week.
Given the circumstances, wasn’t entirely surprising that his performances this season were well down on previous years. Wasn’t quite up to the pace of the game, wasn’t as grounded in one on one contests as previous years, and gave away numerous free kicks. Really, I think his defensive skills just dropped significantly this year.
And his arms just aren’t long enough.
His greatest asset, the raking long left boot, also didn’t seem to have quite have the same penetration as it once did. Still fairly reliable, but Dempster probably overtook his as the most reliable coming out of the back 50.
His rebound 50 numbers stack up ok; 4 a game, and he averaged a career high 3.4 1% ers a game. Still contributed. BUT.

Will give Gwilts year a 4/10. Next year he should slot back into a back pocket, have a full preseason under his belt, and will be free of any rustiness. Can’t imagine anyone rising up to take his spot (Mitch Brown? )
Click to expand...
 
http://www.saints.com.au/news/2013-05-22/gwilts-long-road-to-the-ton

Gwilt is set to line up for his 100th match this week. “It’s taken me a while with the reco and a few issues at the start of the year with my knee. I’m really proud of playing 100 games at the one club and to represent my family and Noble Park where I come from."

"St Kilda gave me the opportunity when I was 18 and they’ve stuck by me throughout my career. I want to try and repay them as well."

Gwilt had a minor injury to the same knee in round one “It was more frustrating that I had been injured again. I was missing four or five weeks but I trained hard and the physios looked after me pretty well. It’s good to be back,” he said.
 
I really love the progression of this thread. This thread begun just before Jimmy started to become the player we know and love, super interesting to read through the first page heh. Feels like so long ago.

Congrats on the 100 Jimmy. Hope there's many more to come!
 
Alas James Gwilt was told his contract would not be renewed by the Saints at the end of the 2014 season.
Typical of the man, he kept a low profile (along with Clint Jones) on that final match of the season as he did not want to detract from the retirement of Lenny Hayes.

Gwilt was picked up by Essendon as a delisted free agent.

He played 126 matches for St Kilda in a career spanning 10 years after debuting in Rd 22 2005 against the Brisbane Lions. The Saints won that match by 139 points, the biggest margin in Club history. People might remember this match as Stephen Milne kicked 11 goals. This game also marked Gwilt as only the second player in the AFL with Papua New Guinean heritage, the other being the Lion’s Mal Michael.
 
This isn't strictly a 2015 List Management Question but not sure where else to write it...

Can someone explain to me why we delisted James Gwilt without entertaining trades at all? Unless I'm mistaken we just gave him the chop; he might not have been everyone's favourite player but clearly he had some currency if he's allegedly doing so well at Essendon now. Could he have been worth a Pick 60+ which now, in hidsight (and I know we couldn't have known this at the time), may have landed us a Clem Smith or a Reece McKenzie.

I've always thought it was a missed opportunity, does anyone else agree?
 

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Boar said:
This isn't strictly a 2015 List Management Question but not sure where else to write it...

Can someone explain to me why we delisted James Gwilt without entertaining trades at all? Unless I'm mistaken we just gave him the chop; he might not have been everyone's favourite player but clearly he had some currency if he's allegedly doing so well at Essendon now. Could he have been worth a Pick 60+ which now, in hidsight (and I know we couldn't have known this at the time), may have landed us a Clem Smith or a Reece McKenzie.

I've always thought it was a missed opportunity, does anyone else agree?
Click to expand...
Doubt anyone would have traded for him. And even if we had a pick such as 60+ we wouldn't have the list space to use it.
 
Boar said:
This isn't strictly a 2015 List Management Question but not sure where else to write it...

Can someone explain to me why we delisted James Gwilt without entertaining trades at all? Unless I'm mistaken we just gave him the chop; he might not have been everyone's favourite player but clearly he had some currency if he's allegedly doing so well at Essendon now. Could he have been worth a Pick 60+ which now, in hidsight (and I know we couldn't have known this at the time), may have landed us a Clem Smith or a Reece McKenzie.

I've always thought it was a missed opportunity, does anyone else agree?
Click to expand...

He was a free agent, no one was going to trade if they could get him for free.
 
Boar said:
This isn't strictly a 2015 List Management Question but not sure where else to write it...

Can someone explain to me why we delisted James Gwilt without entertaining trades at all? Unless I'm mistaken we just gave him the chop; he might not have been everyone's favourite player but clearly he had some currency if he's allegedly doing so well at Essendon now. Could he have been worth a Pick 60+ which now, in hidsight (and I know we couldn't have known this at the time), may have landed us a Clem Smith or a Reece McKenzie.

I've always thought it was a missed opportunity, does anyone else agree?
Click to expand...
Who's to say we didn't assess the interest in him?
 
The club wanted to help him find a new club, the best approach for him as a player (and for Jones) was to put them on the market as delisted free agents. The other recruiters would be informed of their availability. The Saints had nothing to gain by asking a price in a trade as we had already appropriated better picks than we could obtain from Gwilt's trade. We have the maximum number of players allowed on our senior list already. Further draft picks wouldn't help unless they were lower than the draft picks we used (#1, #21, #22, #41). Gwilt was not going to bring us a pick of that calibre.

The fact that the club tried to maximise the players' opportunities is also a good thing. The players will remember that as an act of a good employer who cares after the welfare of its players - even those leaving the nest. It also builds some credit with recruiters at other clubs.
 
Boar said:
This isn't strictly a 2015 List Management Question but not sure where else to write it...

Can someone explain to me why we delisted James Gwilt without entertaining trades at all? Unless I'm mistaken we just gave him the chop; he might not have been everyone's favourite player but clearly he had some currency if he's allegedly doing so well at Essendon now. Could he have been worth a Pick 60+ which now, in hidsight (and I know we couldn't have known this at the time), may have landed us a Clem Smith or a Reece McKenzie.

I've always thought it was a missed opportunity, does anyone else agree?
Click to expand...
We didn't have the list space. Even if we'd have had an extra pick, we elevated Weller and picked up Membrey as delisted.
Any extra pick and one of those can't happen.
 
Boar said:
This isn't strictly a 2015 List Management Question but not sure where else to write it...

Can someone explain to me why we delisted James Gwilt without entertaining trades at all? Unless I'm mistaken we just gave him the chop; he might not have been everyone's favourite player but clearly he had some currency if he's allegedly doing so well at Essendon now. Could he have been worth a Pick 60+ which now, in hidsight (and I know we couldn't have known this at the time), may have landed us a Clem Smith or a Reece McKenzie.

I've always thought it was a missed opportunity, does anyone else agree?
Click to expand...
Essendon grabbed him because he was effectively 'free' in that they didn't have to give up anything but a contract and a list spot.

If we had turned around and said, "Give us a late pick" we would have been laughed at.

At the end of the day, we didn't want Gwilt next year. That gives us 0 bargaining power.

We also wouldn't have used a late pick so there was no point wasting any time and effort dealing with Essendon, who are, by all reports, atrocious to deal with.
 

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The whole ASADA saga has made me very skeptical about media reporting about Essendon in a positive light. The amount of Essendon trumpets in the media (mainly Rohan Connely) is a joke.

The thing is, most players tear up pre-season and it's the same at our club with players such as Joey and Fisher getting PBs in the 2km trial as well as 17 younger players getting PBs (or around that mark).

Well down at Essendon, Gwilt is tearing it up, Cooney is in the best shape has been since 2008 and the ASADA case is about to fall over.

At the moment it is all just noise and the decision regarding Gwilt, and if it was the right or wrong move, won't be apparent until next year.
 
The "great user of the ball" comment Essendon made did make me laugh. That said, Gwilt is a veteran professional and I am not surprised he is overshadowing others down there.
 
I have always loved Gwilt's kick. It has a lovely shape to it, not too high (giving opponents time to defend), not too low (that it can be intercepted very often) and his accuracy was high. Was definitely top 10 at our club in kicking skill before he was moved on. It wasn't his kicking that let him down, he was a middle sized defender with middle sized reach and medium speed. He couldn't match it with the talls and he couldn't match it with the quicks and in the end maybe the worst that could be said was that some of his decision making was letting him down.

He was of an age where he wasn't likely to be a part of the rebuilt St Kilda in the years ahead, and he was taking up a spot which could be used by someone who will be
 
Nutsngum said:
The "great user of the ball" comment Essendon made did make me laugh. That said, Gwilt is a veteran professional and I am not surprised he is overshadowing others down there.
Click to expand...


What's your problem with Gwilt's kick? As far as I'm concerned it's pretty good, not elite but he's far from a muppet.
 
If Gwilt, Chapman, Cooney, McKernan are getting games next year, they will simply be denying their young guys experience - good luck to them.

Gwilt is an average 28YO footballer, too short for KPD & too slow for medium/smalls… his trade value was zero.
 

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