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Upside Round Eight – St Kilda

St Kilda's premiership window is well and truly closed, but Saints fans are still blessed, writes Sam McInerney.

It’s been three years since the Saints last fell agonisingly short of grand final glory.

Supporters have since worked through their own versions of the five stages of grief, before collectively accepting the truth; St Kilda’s premiership window is now closed.

Ironically, the last two seasons have proven that premiership windows need not exist at all, provided clubs manage their lists the right way. The success of the Swans and Cats – who both won premierships in years when their lists were thought to need reshaping – resulted in a paradigm shift throughout the competition.

Clubs contending for premierships no longer hold the opinion that “bottoming out” is a necessity when rebuilding a list. While lists are still built to win premierships, all recruiters are now keeping one eye firmly on the future.

If re-shaping a list without bottoming out was an experiment conducted by Sydney and Geelong, St Kilda was the control group. A lack of succession planning meant St Kilda’s position near the top of the ladder in recent seasons was unsustainable.

Former coach Ross Lyon did everything possible to deliver the Saints a premiership between 2008 and 2010. It’s thought by many however that Lyon left St Kilda’s list in poor shape when he departed to coach Fremantle at the end of 2011.

While ruckmen Steven King and Michael Gardiner almost helped deliver the ultimate prize in 2009 and 2010, St Kilda’s ruck stocks were left bare when they retired. With Ben McEvoy injured for large periods last season, defender Jason Blake – listed as only 189 centimetres tall – was forced to carry the mantle.

Similarly, the club was ill equipped to handle the departures of key defenders Matt Maguire, Max Hudghton and Zac Dawson in recent seasons, the latter heading to Fremantle with coach Ross Lyon. Subsequently, the competition’s key forwards feasted on the Saints’ undersized defence last season; Jack Riewoldt kicked eight goals against St Kilda while Kurt Tippett, Lance Franklin and Dean Cox all kicked five in their respective matches against the Saints.

St Kilda narrowly missed out on finals action last season, finishing ninth at season’s end. Had the Saints been able to effectively plug holes in the ruck and defence, it’s highly likely they would have featured in September.

To ensure their finals absence isn’t a long one, the development of the next generation of Saints must be a priority.

St Kilda gets a tick in this department, with midfielders Jack Steven, Jarryn Geary and David Armitage all taking steps forward this season. Youngsters such as Jack Newnes and Sebastian Ross have also shown promising signs early in their careers. Ruckman Ben McEvoy – now in his sixth year at the club – is also having his best season to date.

Saints fans would also be screaming for the glaring structural deficiencies that hurt the club in 2012 to be filled.

It’s early days, but the recruitment of former-Suns ruckman Tom Hickey appears a success. At the very least, the Saints have a serviceable back-up plan should Ben McEvoy get injured.

Meanwhile, Dylan Roberton has been a revelation in the back half of the ground. The 21-year old former Docker is calm under pressure, defends well and has a knack of finding the ball and distributing it effectively. Roberton is averaging 19 possessions so far this season, with 76.8 per cent efficiency.

 

https://twitter.com/WayneSchwass/status/330282080195993601

 

At 191 centimetres, Roberton mightn’t have the height to play on the competition’s tallest or strongest forwards. If that proves to be the case, he will at least provide some run out of the back half – something the Saints have previously lacked when veteran Sam Fisher has been occupied with the opposition’s number one forward.

Like most struggling sides, there are any number of positives to take out of the performances of young players, who hold the torch for the future. But in St Kilda’s case, there’s something more important at play.

When a side is struggling there is a natural tendency to look to the future – to wonder what impact small victories on the football field might have in years to come. But in some cases the present is worth savoring, even if a premiership isn’t on the cards.

Nick Riewoldt and Lenny Hayes are champions of St Kilda; but both have been struck down by debilitating knee injuries in recent years.

 

 

Returning from a knee reconstruction and a heart operation last season, Hayes won his third St Kilda best and fairest award. He started 2013 in similarly inspiring fashion, before a calf injury disrupted his season. Considering what he’s overcome in the past, supporters needn’t worry about his performance when he returns in coming weeks.

Meanwhile, captain Nick Riewoldt has been spectacular; statistics suggest he is in the best form of his career. He leads the competition in marks – averaging 10.7 per game so far this season – and is in Coleman medal contention, sitting fifth on the AFL goal-kicking table. Riewoldt’s work-rate, which was always a hallmark of his game, seems to have gone to yet another level this season.

In Riewoldt and Hayes, St Kilda fans have two players whose resolve can never be questioned. It’s hard to think of two better leaders to inspire the next generation of Saints. It would have been understandable had their professional approach to football wavered in the wake of recent seasons.

riewoldtAs a player, it’s fairly easy to chase, tackle and shepherd when you’re motivated – when there’s a game hanging in the balance and a finals spot to fight for. But what about when you’re losing, and your team sits fourth-last on the ladder? How many players are willing to run 100 metres just to apply pressure to an opposition kick, or run back with the flight of the ball knowing they’ll get crunched for virtually no reward?

The feats of Riewoldt and Hayes during the side’s time as a premiership contender were remarkable, but it seems almost more impressive that they continue to compete so selflessly, knowing the chance of a premiership has passed them by.

Hayes and Riewoldt might still be contending for a flag had those in charge of St Kilda’s list looked a little beyond the immediate future. But St Kilda supporters mustn’t make a similar mistake by looking only to the future, while Riewoldt and Hayes continue to offer the Saints everything they have.

Sam McInerneyTHUMBSam McInerney is upstart’s deputy sport editor, and is studying a postgraduate diploma in journalism. You can follow him on Twitter: @SamuelMcInerney

Artwork by Hayden Morris. Hayden is studying journalism at La Trobe University. You can find more artwork on his blog: http://haydenmorris.tumblr.com/

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