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Delisted Josh Battle

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young spearhead Josh Battle (eye socket) is back in contention for selection this week.

After sustaining a knock to the face in the Saints’ Round 15 win over Melbourne, the 21-year-old is raring to go again.


Go Saints
 
Josh again found the Giants game hard to get into . He only had 7 disposals and kicked 1 goal right at the end of the game . Probably will only hold his place because Paddy and Bruce are injured.


Go Saints
 

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Shocking luck for the kid. Seems like we really missed his presence as we had no central target in the forward line most of the game.
Hopefully it's nothing too bad and he can bounce back quickly.
 
Josh is listed at missing 1 to 2 weeks , with only 3 games left he might be rested for the season depending on how he recovers from his concussion.
He has showed plenty of potential this year and should be stronger next year with a strong preseason.


Go Saints
 
YOUNG St Kilda forward Josh Battle will miss Friday night's clash with Essendon as he recovers from concussion.

Battle was sidelined early in last Saturday night's loss to the Western Bulldogs after an accidental head clash with Dale Morris and is no certainty to be fit the following week against Hawthorn.

"He'll be one to two weeks. He's in the hands of the docs with regard to concussion. Hopefully he comes back quickly," St Kilda head physio Andrew Wallis told saints.com.au.


Go Saints
 
Finals education for Battle, White
Clair White September 12, 2018 10:17 AM

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Josh Battle and Brandon White were more than just casual observers in the first week of finals. - St Kilda Saints,Josh Battle,Brandon White
Josh Battle and Brandon White were more than just casual observers in the first week of finals.
They’re great opportunities just to sit down with a player and talk about what you might want.

Emerging St Kilda youngsters Josh Battle and Brandon White were more than just casual observers in the opening weekend of finals action.

The pair joined coach Alan Richardson for a date at the footy on Friday and Saturday night to soak up the atmosphere and get a lesson in finals football.

Battle spent Thursday night eyeing off the stylings of Hawk Jack Gunston, while White had Geelong’s Zach Tuohy in his sights at Friday night’s blockbuster.

Senior Coach Alan Richardson, who accompanied both players on the fact-finding missions, told AFL360 it was a great learning opportunity.

“It’s a great opportunity to sit down and have a chat, not so much about their year, but the position that they’re going to play moving forward,” Richardson said.

“For Josh, we had a look at Gunston. It ended up being a really stifled game, so he didn’t quite run the way we were wanting him to, unfortunately.”

Battle enjoyed a purple patch of form in the middle of 2018, before a collision in Round 20 saw him ruled out of the rest of the year due to concussion symptoms.

Like Battle, 2018 saw promising progression for White, who managed to play six AFL games in his third year at the club.

“Brandon is a defender for us and Tuohy’s balance of defending his man and run is impressive. He was a good one to watch,” Richardson said.

“They’re great opportunities just to sit down with a player and talk about what you might want, and what their pre-season might look like.”

Richardson also addressed rumours surrounding a potential quest by Geelong to lure three-time Trevor Barker Award-winner Jack Steven to the Cattery.

“We’re really comfortable that Jack’s not only staying with us, but will be a really important part of driving what we’re doing,” Richardson said.

“As a leader that cares about what we’re doing and was frustrated at the year we had on the back of a couple of years heading the right way … he just wanted to know (in his exit interview) what (the future) looks like,” Richardson said.

“That had nothing to do with ‘Give us a bit more information so I can make a decision about whether I’m staying’.

“This was ‘Can you give us a bit more detail on what it looks like going forward – I’m in and I’m going to drive it’.”


Go Saints
 
He played just six games in 2018, but young gun Josh Battle’s impact still left a promising impression among the red, white and black faithful.

Battle’s resume boasts tuition from both Matthew Lloyd and Nick Riewoldt, so it’s no surprise his forward craft looks developed beyond his years.

Coming into the side against Sydney in Round 12, the 20-year-old was one of few highlights in the 71-point humiliation, finishing with 14 touches and two goals in just his second game.

His tireless efforts had all the hallmarks of an emerging forward powerhouse, with his aerial ability, physicality at the contest and strong leads reinvigorating the St Kilda forward line.

Battle’s inclusion resulted in a combined 19 majors between himself, Paddy McCartin and Tim Membrey over just three matches, of which the Haileybury College and Vic Country product booted six.

An instrumental three-goal haul against Gold Coast and a 16-disposal, seven-mark display against Melbourne had the Saint on an upward trajectory, as his confidence grew in tandem with his side’s success.

But Battle’s run was abruptly cut short after sustaining a fractured eye socket against the Demons, sidelining him for the two weeks.

The emerging forward was unable to find his damaging form from that point on, kicking just one goal against the Giants in Round 19, before a nasty concussion from a head clash with Bulldog Dale Morris in Round 20 saw him take no further part in the year.


Battle’s emerging prowess warranted praise from assistant coach Ben McGlynn, who drew parallels between the young forward and Membrey.

“Josh is very similar to Tim Membrey – he’s an elite runner, so he can get up and down and cover the ground a fair bit,” McGlynn said.

“We saw his aggression and his attack on the footy in games, and that’s what we really like about him.”

And despite requiring stitches in four out of six games in 2018, the young forward refused to change his approach.

“He’s obviously missed a few games off the back of his aggression, but you prefer for players to be willing to put their body on the line and do the right thing for the team,” McGlynn said.

Battle continued to develop a strong presence up forward, with his endurance wearing out opposition defenders as he continued to create contests across the ground.

His 11 goals and 34 marks for Sandringham across eight games served as a testament to his continual development, with three-goal bags against Footscray and Werribee among his best performances at VFL level.

With his physical approach unwavering and his form set to grow, the young spearhead will be determined to spend more time in the senior side in 2019.

“He’ll be disappointed he’s missed a bit of footy at the back-end, but I think he’ll progress next year to be a strong contributor for us,” said McGlynn.

“Josh is definitely going in the right direction.”


Go Saints
 
After just seven games, Josh Battle has made a name for himself up forward.

But the young gun could be redeployed in 2019 as the Saints look to take advantage of his supreme athleticism up the other end of the ground.


Away from his usual home in St Kilda’s attacking 50, Alan Richardson, Henry Playfair and Jake Batchelor have been experimenting with the emerging powerhouse in defence during pre-season training.

“Richo came up to me and said we’ll see what it’s like – try and add another string to my bow – and I really enjoy it down there,” Battle said.

Battle’s natural inclination in reading the play and unrelenting attack on the footy has sparked the shift in position, with the prospective dual-position player developing his defensive craft by going up against the likes of Tim Membrey and Josh Bruce.

The 20-year-old has taken inspiration from Hawthorn’s James Sicily, whose aggression and ability to set up the play from the back-end have weaponised the Hawks’ defence.

It’s something which Battle hopes he can similarly utilise to add some explosivity to St Kilda’s backline.

“He’s someone who I’ve started watching closely,” Battle said.

“If I can try and use my read-the-play marking skills and use the footy out of defence to help the team, it’ll be great.”

Despite an already crowded offence and defence, the Vic Country powerhouse is unfazed by the limited number of spots each week, using it as motivation to assert himself as a regular in the side.

“I absolutely love that healthy competition, I think it’s really good that we’re all going to have to fight for our spots and I think that’s how the club will improve,” Battle said


Within RSEA Park’s walls, Battle has sought out Billy Slater to hone his physicality and further warrant senior selection, with tackling technique a major focus during the pair’s short time together.

“I did five minutes with him on tackling and learned so much within those five minutes,” Battle said.

“He taught me so much, it was ridiculous.”

Correcting his tackling technique will be vital for the youngster in getting more game time, with Battle missing several weeks with a fractured eye socket following the Saints’ Round 15 victory over Melbourne.

His brief time in the senior line-up last year – in which he kicked six goals in his first three games – has nevertheless laid the vital foundations for a promising third year at the club.

“Personally, it gave me a lot of confidence knowing I can play at the highest level now,” Battle said.

“Moving forward, I can use that as a building block to head into 2019 and learn about my game.”

But Battle knows there’s plenty more to do in order to cement himself in St Kilda’s best 22.

“I’ve got to keep working hard, do those extra sessions [in] getting stronger and seeking advice off the coaching staff to keep improving my game,” Battle said.

“It’s about taking my footy to the next level and being consistent week in, week out.”


Go Saints
 

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I don't understand why you'd try to turn a natural goalkicker into something else.

I'm happy to round players out to play different positions but when someone is so adept at something - you'd want to hone in on that skill more than anything else, at least in your football infancy I would've thought.
 
Savatage said:
I don't understand why you'd try to turn a natural goalkicker into something else.

I'm happy to round players out to play different positions but when someone is so adept at something - you'd want to hone in on that skill more than anything else, at least in your football infancy I would've thought.
Click to expand...

Richo can build on his special strategy.
Move Carlisle forward AND move Battle back.
 
Brains Trust66 said:
After just seven games, Josh Battle has made a name for himself up forward.

But the young gun could be redeployed in 2019 as the Saints look to take advantage of his supreme athleticism up the other end of the ground.


Away from his usual home in St Kilda’s attacking 50, Alan Richardson, Henry Playfair and Jake Batchelor have been experimenting with the emerging powerhouse in defence during pre-season training.

“Richo came up to me and said we’ll see what it’s like – try and add another string to my bow – and I really enjoy it down there,” Battle said.

Battle’s natural inclination in reading the play and unrelenting attack on the footy has sparked the shift in position, with the prospective dual-position player developing his defensive craft by going up against the likes of Tim Membrey and Josh Bruce.

The 20-year-old has taken inspiration from Hawthorn’s James Sicily, whose aggression and ability to set up the play from the back-end have weaponised the Hawks’ defence.

It’s something which Battle hopes he can similarly utilise to add some explosivity to St Kilda’s backline.

“He’s someone who I’ve started watching closely,” Battle said.

“If I can try and use my read-the-play marking skills and use the footy out of defence to help the team, it’ll be great.”

Despite an already crowded offence and defence, the Vic Country powerhouse is unfazed by the limited number of spots each week, using it as motivation to assert himself as a regular in the side.

“I absolutely love that healthy competition, I think it’s really good that we’re all going to have to fight for our spots and I think that’s how the club will improve,” Battle said


Within RSEA Park’s walls, Battle has sought out Billy Slater to hone his physicality and further warrant senior selection, with tackling technique a major focus during the pair’s short time together.

“I did five minutes with him on tackling and learned so much within those five minutes,” Battle said.

“He taught me so much, it was ridiculous.”

Correcting his tackling technique will be vital for the youngster in getting more game time, with Battle missing several weeks with a fractured eye socket following the Saints’ Round 15 victory over Melbourne.

His brief time in the senior line-up last year – in which he kicked six goals in his first three games – has nevertheless laid the vital foundations for a promising third year at the club.

“Personally, it gave me a lot of confidence knowing I can play at the highest level now,” Battle said.

“Moving forward, I can use that as a building block to head into 2019 and learn about my game.”

But Battle knows there’s plenty more to do in order to cement himself in St Kilda’s best 22.

“I’ve got to keep working hard, do those extra sessions [in] getting stronger and seeking advice off the coaching staff to keep improving my game,” Battle said.

“It’s about taking my footy to the next level and being consistent week in, week out.”


Go Saints
Click to expand...
I love Battle's attitude and his healthy dose of swagger but....
I'm a big supporter of "strengths based leadership".

We have a crowded forward line and probs close to the most talls of any list. Will playing Battle make the team more potent than playing him forward would be my question?
 
Sometimes a positional shift is all it takes to extract the best out of a player.

Fraser Gehrig and Josh Bruce are testament to that fact, while the latest Saint to seek a change is youngster Josh Battle, finding a new home in defence.

And defensive coach Henry Playfair believes Battle has all the makings of an elite backman.

Renowned throughout the club for his relentless work ethic and first-class preparation, it’s Battle’s elite physicality and game sense that has his line coach so excited.

“He’s done really well already, he’s an exciting player to have back there,” Playfair told saints.com.au.

“We’re rapt to have him really. We were lucky to get him from the forward line, because he was playing some pretty good footy up there.”
A swingman in his own right at both Geelong and Sydney, Playfair said Battle’s ready-made traits were the impetus for the shift.

“We just thought it might suit his attributes; he’s got a really good tank, ran a really good 3km time, he’s an excellent natural athlete,” he said.

He’s also got good speed and uses the ball well on both sides of his body, and he can intercept mark it, so he’s got a lot of things that we like."

“It’s just about bringing them all together now and giving him time in that role to get his head around it and understand the patterns and shapes, and feel comfortable there.

While the line coach was brimming with positivity about the 20-year-old’s prospects, he also acknowledged the transition would likely take some time.

“There’s a lot of one-on-one stuff with myself and Jake Batchelor, who’s the new defensive development coach,” Playfair said.

“Josh is still learning the craft, so we can’t expect too much, but we’re excited by what we’ve seen so far.”



Don’t Panic !!
 

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02.03.2019 - JLT 1 - St Kilda Vs North Melbourne

Relatively quiet game for the big man who has had his first official outing as a defender.
Did some good things and snuck forward for an opportunistic goal.
Minor concern at one stage due to an accidental head knock but he appeared to bounce back just fine.


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Josh has had a solid couple of weeks for the Saints 2-0 start to the season.
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He was very involved in the win against the Suns, gathering plenty of the ball as he mopped up and helped clear the ball from defence. He, Joyce and Wilkie had only a handful of games between them but they formed a solid defensive line.

A bit quieter Vs Essendon, but still a solid game where he held his own. 8 disposals at 85.7% and 5 1%ers. Will be better for the run as he and our other defenders start to gel.
 
Strong game by Battle. Good marking, good pressure. Got a bit of it and used it pretty well. The idea of Battle the defender is growing on me, though I still feel like we're missing out on his talent as a forward.
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So the reason most believe he dropped down the draft board a little was his athletic ability. No one doubted his natural football talent but apparently he was slow, poor vertical and what would now be considered the small side for a KP (192cm).

So far I'm not really seeing any issues. Looks a lock in our back 50 for the foreseeable future.
 

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