Senior Sebastian Ross

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Played well again this time against Port. Another 31 disposals and 6 tackles in the slippery conditions in Adelaide. Him , Dunstan and Carlisle almost won us the game . He just keeps on getting the ball .

Just to show how much we expect him to get 30 plus disposals now is that I thought he didn't have a huge game and yet on reflection he did , it's just that we have got so used to it now .
 

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A big chance for the best and fairest medal this year . Might also poll pretty well in the Brownlow.
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aussierulesrules said:
Congrats to Seb for finishing in the top 10 of the AFLCA Coaches Award, with 68 votes. Came equal-8th.
Click to expand...

Martin crowned Coaches best, Ross finishes 8th

http://www.saints.com.au/news/2017-09-05/martin-crowned-coaches-best-ross-finishes-8th

2017 Shadforth Financial Group AFLCA Champion Player
1. Dustin Martin (Richmond) 122
2. Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong) 118
3. Rory Sloane (Adelaide) 78
4. Zach Merrett (Essendon) 77
5. Tom Mitchell (Hawthorn) 76
6. Josh Kelly (Greater Western Sydney) 75
7. Clayton Oliver (Melbourne) 71
8. Matt Crouch (Adelaide) 68
8. Seb Ross (St Kilda) 68
8. Dayne Zorko (Brisbane Lions) 68
 
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‪Seb Ross: Trevor Barker Award http://www.saints.com.au/video/2017-10-06/seb-ross-trevor-barker-award via @stkildafc‬

Seb Ross must have taken it personally when didn’t feature in Trevor Barker Award voting in Round 1.

After a quiet day out against the Demons, the 24-year-old responded by polling in all but one game for the rest of the season.

Ross finished on 159 votes, 25 votes ahead of Dylan Roberton, marching to his first club best and fairest in emphatic fashion.

Ross registered his first best-on-ground performance against the Eagles in Round 2, before surging to the top of the leaderboard with a maximum 15 votes against GWS in Round 7.

And that’s where he stayed.

The Horsham product produced a stunning run of consistency through the middle part of the season, amassing nine consecutive hauls of 30 or more disposals and 11 in the space of 12 weeks.

He was voted best on ground on five occasions, including starring rolls against the Eagles and Giants, while he was also dominant against another top-eight side in Richmond in Round 16.

Ross was included in the All-Australian squad for good reason in 2017, averaging 29.9 disposals – the 9th most in the AFL – 9.8 contested possessions, 5.1 clearances, 4.3 tackles and 4 inside 50s.

After finishing sixth in last year’s count, the emerging leader elevated his game to a new level in 2017.

Where he polled his votes:

Round 2 v West Coast (15 votes) – 29 disposals, nine contested possessions, five clearances and five tackles

Round 7 v Greater Western Sydney (15 votes) – 31 disposals, 17 contested possessions, nine clearances and four inside 50s

Round 16 v Richmond (14 votes) – 33 disposals, 10 contested possessions, eight tackles, five clearances and five inside 50s

Round 4 v Collingwood (13 votes) – 36 disposals, 12 contested possessions, seven inside 50s and five clearances
 
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Trevor Barker Award winner Seb Ross may have taken his game to another level this season, but he might only be scratching the surface, according to St Kilda Coach Alan Richardson.

The 24-year-old claimed his first best and fairest win earlier this month, capping off a stunning campaign where he emerged as one of the most improved midfielders in the game and earned selection in the All-Australian squad for the first time.

For the second successive season, Ross played all 22 games and thrived on the continuity, averaging 29.9 disposals – the 9th most in the AFL – 9.8 contested possessions (No. 3 at St Kilda), 5.1 clearances (No. 2), 4.3 tackles and 4.0 inside 50s (No. 2).

After a stellar rise in output from 2015 to 2016 and then from 2016 to 2017, Richardson believes the North Ballarat product still has plenty of improvement left in him before he reaches his peak.

“In many ways, it was a real breakout season for Seb, but he also been building for a few years now. His form this season was no surprise given how hard he works on his game, both physically and mentally," Richardson told saints.com.au.

“Seb’s improvement is a by-product of combining talent with elite preparation. We’re really excited by Seb’s year but probably more excited by where we think Seb will get to as a player.”

Despite having a year to run on his current deal, Ross recommitted to St Kilda for a further three years a fortnight ago, only days after Richardson re-signed until the end of 2020.

Richardson praised Ross’ growth as a leader in his first year inside the Saints’ leadership group, in a year where Jarryn Geary replaced Nick Riewoldt as captain and two other players – Dylan Roberton and Josh Bruce – were included in the group for the first time.

“He has a very good balance between supporting and challenging his teammates, and an ability to make those around him better,” Richardson said.

“With so many experienced leaders leaving the club this year, we’re going to need more players like Seb to continue to develop their leadership.

“I’ve got no doubt Seb will play a key part in the direction of our footy club.”

After overcoming an injury-interrupted start to his career at Linen House Centre, Ross has now played 81 games in red, white and black and looms as an instrumental figure in St Kilda’s pursuit of finals football.
 
THE ONUS is on St Kilda's younger players to fill the "void" left by retired stalwarts Nick Riewoldt and Leigh Montagna, star midfielder Seb Ross says.

Riewoldt is third on the all-time list for longest-serving captains in VFL/AFL history, having held the mantle for 220 games, while Montagna lined up in 287 matches in a highly consistent career that started when he was drafted at No.37 in 2001.

Ross was the Saints' runaway best and fairest this year after taking his game to a new level and he expected his more youthful teammates to follow suit in 2018 when asked where the club's improvement would come from.

"It will definitely be from our younger group, I reckon. You can already see a shift in the guys at training," Ross said.

"We had two legends of the footy club leave last year in 'Joey' (Montagna) and 'Rooey' (Riewoldt), and those guys were such strong leaders.

"Now there's a void there and there's guys that really have to step into it. I think young guys like (Jade) Gresham, JB (Jack Billings), Blake Acres, Lukey Dunstan, those guys have already had terrific starts to their pre-seasons, so I really expect those guys to flourish this year."
 
Things are a bit different for Seb Ross this summer.

With so much experience walking out the door, he is now one of the more senior leaders at the club.

And after winning the Trevor Barker Award last season, he has established himself as one of the best players at the club.


But while some things have changed, the monotonous grind of pre-season hasn’t.

“It is a bit different now (after 2017),” Ross told Inside St Kilda this week.

“I’m in my seventh pre-season, so I’m feeling really comfortable about the whole pre-season, it doesn’t really scare me anymore.

“I reckon from my third-year to my sixth-year I’ve done the majority of the work, so the pre-season is sort of the same now, my body holds up pretty well.”

With St Kilda champions Nick Riewoldt and Leigh Montagna calling time on their decorated careers, more is being asked of Ross from a leadership perspective.

Nearly 12 months into his time in the Saints’ leadership group, Ross hasn’t tried to change too much about the way he goes about it, focusing on preparing to the best of his ability and being a sounding board for others.

“I’ve enjoyed it. I haven’t really tried to change a whole lot, the only thing I’ve tried to do is look after my own backyard really," he said.

“I think the strongest way you can lead is through your on-field performance.

“There have been some areas that I’ve really tried to work on, like giving and receiving feedback with the younger guys.”

While many of his teammates jetted overseas at the end of Round 23, Ross transitioned into civilian life, spending six weeks working alongside former fan favourite Jason Blake in property development.

“I did a bit of work experience with ‘Neill’ [Jason Blake], which is what we used to call him when I was at the club,” he said.

“I started there one day a week during the season and then because our best and fairest was in October, I wasn’t going to be doing much between finishing up footy and then, so I worked with him nearly full time for six weeks, working in the retail department of property development.”

After backing up a breakout 2016 with a breathtaking 2017, can Ross rise to another level again in 2018?


Can’t wait for 2018 season.
 
Ross, an experienced midfielder who extended his time with the Saints until the end of 2021, said his sights were firmly set on helping St Kilda make the finals for the first time.

Seb Ross is keen to become more of a goalkicking midfielder.

Ross said a leadership camp in Darwin in the first week of pre-season helped last year's leaders to set the agenda for pre-season when they joined the main group without having to wait for this year's leadership group to be appointed.

He said the club was able to quickly move on from the retirements of key trio Riewoldt, Leigh Montagna and Sean Dempster but he said the club also recognised their absence created a void that needed to be filled.

The Saints appointed goalkicking coach Ben Dixon in a part-time role for this season to improve the team's accuracy in front of goal after being the worst performed in front of the sticks in 2017.

Ross said having a specialised goalkicking coach was making a difference at training and the players were enjoying Dixon's uncomplicated approach.

He also said he hoped to become more of a goalkicking midfielder as he evolved as a player, having kicked just 13.20 in his 81 games.

"Something I'd like to do a bit more is get forward and hit the scoreboard," Ross said.

"I think I was one of the guys who probably didn't kick very accurately last year. If I could sneak forward and help the team that would be great."



Can’t wait for 2018 season.
 
Star midfielder Seb Ross might have won his first best and fairest last year, but the fact he hasn’t played in a single final yet is driving him in 2018.

The 24-year-old continued his upward climb last year, following up a breakout 2016 with a brilliant 2017 that saw him win the Trevor Barker Award and earn selection in the All-Australian squad.

But with none of his first 81 games played in the month that matters most, Ross is craving September exposure.


“It was all well and good to win that (best and fairest), but I’ve been at the club for seven years now and I haven’t been there at the pointy end of the season yet,” Ross said at a press conference in Sandringham on Tuesday.

“So that’s my main aim and whatever I can do to help the team reach that is what I’ll do.

“I think I’ve still got plenty of room to grow and I think my growth will probably come from all the younger boys growing under me and they will push others to improve.”

Some of the young talent shoving the group along this summer includes emerging stars Jade Gresham and Jack Billings, who both shone brightly last year, along with versatile midfielder Blake Acres and recent top-10 picks Hunter Clark and Nick Coffield.

“It’s a pretty exciting time at the moment with guys like Gresham and Billings and Acres having really strong pre-season's so far and keeping us older guys accountable,” Ross said.

“Guys like Hunter Clark and Nick Coffield have been training really well; I’m not sure how the coaches see them, but I’m sure they’ll play a bit of footy throughout the year

With Christmas quickly fading into the distance, preparations for the home and away season are accelerating by the day.

Ross said the group has reported back to training in impressive condition.

“The boys looked after themselves over the Christmas period and have come back in good shape,” he said.

“We were able to get a really good block in pre-Christmas, the younger boys got a good seven-week block in and us older boys got five weeks in there.”


Can’t wait for 2018 season.
 
Reigning Trevor Barker Award winner Seb Ross expects St Kilda skipper Jarryn Geary to captain the club again in 2018.

Geary took over the reins from champion forward Nick Riewoldt – the longest-serving captain in St Kilda’s 144-year history – at the start of last season.

Ross, who was voted into St Kilda’s leadership for the first time last season, along with Dylan Roberton and Josh Bruce, said the club will formalise its leadership group in the coming month.


“We haven’t had those meetings yet, but the way Gears’ leads and prepares sets a great example for the younger guys and he’s got great relationships with everyone, so I’d expect for him to do it again,” Ross told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday.

St Kilda coach Alan Richardson, Director of Coaching & Development Danny Sexton and the Saints’ leaders spent the first week of the pre-season in Darwin, where the group developed a blueprint to follow across the summer.

“The whole purpose of that trip was for the leadership group to get away and reflect on the season that has been and not sit and wait for the leadership vote, which usually happens at most clubs in January or February,” Ross said.

“It was good for us to talk about how we saw our leadership amongst the group and put in place a plan of how we want to drive the group throughout the whole pre-season and not just start from when the leadership group is voted in.”

With so much experience departing last year in the form of Riewoldt, Leigh Montagna and Sean Dempster, players like Ross are being asked to fill the void left by the departed stars.

“It’s a strange one. I remember when I first got to the club, having guys like Lenny Hayes and Stephen Milne around, and thinking what the club is going to be like when these guys leave," he said.

“But you rock in day one (next pre-season) and there are fresh faces, so it’s just time to move on, you reflect on it at the end of the season and have a few beers with those guys, but as soon as day one of pre-season comes around you move on.


Can’t wait for 2018 season.
 
The winds of change have swept through St Kilda in the past 12 months.

Champions have departed the game and emerging stars, like budding midfield star Seb Ross, have stepped up in their place.

Ross, 24, followed up his breakout 2016 with a brilliant 2017, emerging as one of the most improved midfielders in the competition to win his first Trevor Barker Award in convincing fashion.


And while Ross’ performances have blossomed in the past two years, so has his leadership.

“It’s something that I’ve been involved in throughout my juniors and then in the TAC Cup and I spent a bit of time in the emerging leader's group as a young player at St Kilda,” Ross told SEN’s Time On.

“It’s something that I’ve never really aspired to, but as my performances have improved in the last couple of years, I’ve earned some trust from the boys and they’ve voted me in. So as long as they keep voting me in, it’s something that I will continue to do.”

The Ballarat product was one of five players unveiled in St Kilda’s 2018 leadership group at RSEA Park on Tuesday, with Jack Steven, Jack Newnes and Dylan Roberton supporting Jarryn Geary, who was reappointed as captain.

After Geary expressed his discomfort at holding the leadership title on Tuesday, Ross said the small defender's battle from the rookie list to becoming an established star and the status that comes with the territory were the factors behind that comment.

“Gears has never really sort the limelight or anything like that. He’s come from really humble beginnings coming off the rookie list,” Ross said.

“I’m sure it’s something he never dreamed of doing when he was a young fella.

"But he’s just turned into this really quality leader and quality bloke who has the respect of the whole side through what he has achieved in his career and what he continues to achieve.

“It’s probably something that he will never quite be comfortable with because it was something he never really expected from himself. He absolutely deserves to be captain and we love having him.”


Can’t wait for 2018 season.
 
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