Senior Josh Battle

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Battle makes Team of the Week
saints.com.au
May 14, 2019 10:21AM




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St Kilda young gun Josh Battle's standing continues to grow.
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Eight rounds into Season 2019, and Josh Battle’s backline move is paying dividends.
Just 21 years of age, Battle’s standing in the competition continues to rise after being named in the Round 8 Team of the Week.
The young gun was once touted as St Kilda’s next big thing up front, but another outstanding showing on the weekend has cemented his new home at centre half-back.
His latest scalp came in the form of West Coast big man Jack Darling, whose influence was all but nullified thanks to the tireless work of the No. 26.
BACK SIX: St Kilda's new-look defence making waves
Battle is renowned at St Kilda for his enormous athletic capacity, and both his ability to cover the ground and his closing speed provide headaches for opposition forwards.
He accumulated equal career-high numbers in tackles (four) – including a crucial third-quarter takedown – marks (nine), and disposals (21).
 

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puppy_dog7 said:
It’s actually becoming a joke now that he hasn’t got a nomination.
Oscar Allen has 3 marks 10 disposals 88 SC points and 3 goals. Gets rising star nom

Battle had 6 marks (3 of them Intercepts) 16 disposals (7 contested) 5 tackles a goal and 94 SC points.

Plus he’s been more consistent all year.
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Even has a better haircut.
 
Brains Trust66 said:
Well deserved of course but he has had much better games like his 20 disposal , 11 marks and 5 tackles against Richmond but no nom for him that round , strange decision . Still at least he got nominated in the end.
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think they knew how unlucky he was to not get it last week, they just gave it to him this week
 
I see that Grimes has been named in the AA40. Not to take anything away from Dylan, but:

Josh Battle and Dylan Grimes AFL Stats Comparison

Josh Battle and Dylan Grimes AFL Stats Comparison.
www.footywire.com

Virtually same height and weight. Grimes gets the chocolates for intercepts and 1%ers so clearly a better year, but for Battle's first year down back (and with the games he's played and TOG%) it's really quite an achievement.
 
Look in the dictionary and Josh Battle’s picture will appear right next to the word ‘revelation’.
When the idea of the prospective forward moving to defence was floated by him, Battle – in trademark fashion – tackled the challenge head-on.
It was one of the most dramatic shifts of the season, but the redeployment proved to be a coaching masterstroke.

TREVOR BARKER AWARD: Billings zones in on St Kilda honour
The 20-year-old’s lethal right-boot, brilliant marking and an ability to read the play from his time as a forward transferred seamlessly into his new role.
Manning the key defensive posts in the varied absences of Jake Carlisle, Nathan Brown and Dylan Roberton, Battle thrived down back to become one of St Kilda’s most reliable contributors.
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The Haileybury/Vic Country product averaged 15 disposals at 83% efficiency, 10 pressure acts, three tackles and six marks per game, all the while looking exceptionally comfortable in then-uncharted waters.
His versatility in playing one-on-one or coming across as an intercept defender was just as prolific, as was his ability to push up the ground to spring the Saints into attack.
And it’s this consistent output across his 19 games which has him as a serious contender for the 2019 Trevor Barker Award.
It would be fitting recognition for the young Saint, whose season has largely slid under the radar among the wider footballing community.

Battle’s terrific form was acknowledged in Round 22, with a 16-disposal performance against Carlton earning him a nomination for NAB Rising Star.
It was a timely credit, with Battle having just one game remaining before he was ineligible for the award.
Sensational efforts against Hawthorn (16 disposals, six rebounds), Adelaide (21 disposals, nine marks) and Richmond (20 disposals, 11 marks) punctuated his superb season, with his bravery earning him the adoration of the St Kilda faithful.
There was no greater example of Battle’s courage than his match-winning mark against Fremantle in Round 21.
The bruised and bandaged defender tore back with the flight of the ball with 11 seconds remaining, icing the game with a fearless mark on the boundary line to gift the Saints a memorable three-point triumph.
VOTE BATTLE: Register your vote for Mark of the Year
His willingness to put his body on the line and attack the footy has resulted in injury across his short career, but the admiration from the red, white and black has outweighed his brief stints on the sidelines.
A much-loved and exuberant Saint, Battle is rarely seen without a pearly white smile.
 
Josh Battle
Career
Games: 26
Marks: 134
2019
Games: 19
Marks: 115

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The Saints saw several positional changes, but the most drastic – and surprising – was that of Josh Battle to defence.
Battle’s penetrating right-boot, strong marking and ability to read the play transferred seamlessly into his new role, with the prospective forward blossoming into a talented defender.
The Rising Star nominee averaged 15 disposals at 83% efficiency, 10 pressure acts, three tackles and six marks per game, all the while looking exceptionally comfortable in then-uncharted waters.
His versatility in playing one-on-one or coming across as an intercept defender was just as prolific, as was his ability to push up the ground to launch the Saints into attack.
Still hard to believe he’s only 21.
BEST GAME:
Battle’s courage was on full display against Fremantle in Round 21, with his match-winning mark in the dying seconds of the game securing a memorable win for the red, white and black.
 

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Battle as our new swing man?
www.saints.com.au

Rath: Steele to cast off the shackles, Battle’s ‘merit’ to play both ends

St Kilda’s Head of Football Program David Rath believes Jack Steele is ready to let loose as a fully-fledged midfielder ahead of the season restart.
www.saints.com.au www.saints.com.au

Rath also spoke glowingly of Josh Battle, whose best position in the side has been a hot talking point among Saints fans.

“It’s a work in progress for Josh, he’s an emerging talent and we see merit for him playing at both ends of the ground,” Rath said.

“That could be seen as a bad thing for Josh, but it’s more likely to be a good thing because he’s got ultimate flexibility as perhaps that swingman within a game.

“He spent some time at both ends of the ground and he played down back in our match sim last week and acquitted himself really well.”


The Haileybury recruit has played forward for most of his footy career, but was thrown down back in 2019 as injury swept through the Saints’ defensive stocks.

“He’s got a lot of attributes to support his ability down back – he reads the play well, he marks it well, he’s a really good size and he’s a beautiful kick,” Rath said.

“But on the flipside of that, that conduit lead-up role is a really good opportunity for him up forward because of those attributes.

“I think he’ll probably play a little bit of both, and that’s going to be really valuable for us.”

Both Steele and Battle will have their hands up for selection when the Saints’ season gets underway on Sunday 14 June against the Western Bulldogs
 
Emerging young gun Josh Battle has reaffirmed his commitment to the Saints after signing a two-year contract extension.

The versatile 21-year-old put pen to paper earlier this week in a deal that will see him in red, white and black until at least the end of 2022.


Battle has emerged as one of a number of quality young stars at the Saints over the past two seasons.

After originally beginning his career as a forward, Battle has proved a versatile option after spending 2019 in defence and being deployed in a variety of roles under Brett Ratten this season.

Head of List Management James Gallagher said the signing was an exciting step forward for the club.

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“Josh has a lot to offer this football club, so we were excited to lock him in as a Saint for at least another two years,” Gallagher said.

His outstanding work ethic, professionalism and courage have seen him improve significantly each year since joining the football club in the 2016 draft.
- James Gallagher
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“He is a popular member of our playing group and part of an exciting group of guys who are all developing together, and we look forward to watching that growth continue over the next few years.”

Battle has made 31 senior appearances for the Saints since being taken with pick No. 39 in the 2016 National Draft.
 
Sorry to intrude, I happened across Josh Battle's wikipedia page, and saw this humourous note, seems to have a good sense of humour.

He is the younger, taller and better looking brother of Nick (Ned) Battle who is only a microscopic, 166cm.[2]

en.wikipedia.org

Josh Battle - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
Armitage2Riewoldt said:
Battle gets left out a little bit of the chat when everyone discusses our young guns - King, hunter, coff, Roma. But I reckon he’s up there with them on potential.

very keen to see what he can do in 2021.
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Totally agree.
I see him as a natural Forward and would play him in the pocket next to Max King where he can exploit the situation if the opposition double-team King. Needs to be given plenty of playing time.
 
Josh has great skills however he really needs to start getting more of the ball before our injured players start returning. There is no doubting his courage and his ability to play anywhere but 10 or so disposals for a game isn’t quite enough to hold down a spot with the depth we now have . However I back him to have a good game very soon , hopefully this week against Melbourne.
 
Probably deserved votes against the Eagles . Totally shut down Darling after quarter time . The only reason we knew Darling was still playing was because Anthony Hudson kept calling his name instead of Kennedy . Strange given Kennedy has a beard and Darling is clean shaven lol. Battle wasn’t never mentioned by the commentators even though he took 11 marks at chb and slaughtered Darling .
 
After a couple quiet games Josh was back to his best having 19 disposals except unlike Josh’s usual efforts his DE was only 57% which is so unlike him . However he wasn’t the only one as the game against GC was generally a poor standard and frustrating to watch . But at least he was getting the ball .
 
Huge shout out to Josh Battle.

He has become a real mainstay for us down back. Like Wilkie he is often asked to defend against players much bigger than him and does it with such an earnest and honest approach. Josh becoming settled in his role down back has been an important piece of the puzzle in our journey back to finals.


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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 19: Josh Battle of the Saints spoils the ball during the round 23 AFL match between St Kilda Saints and Geelong Cats at Marvel Stadium, on August 19, 2023, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images via AFL Photos)
 
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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 19: Josh Battle of the Saints attempduring the round 23 AFL match between St Kilda Saints and Geelong Cats at Marvel Stadium, on August 19, 2023, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images via AFL Photos)
 
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