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Opinion Where the growth needs to come...
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A Jack Sinclair maybe.
hayes
Brownlow Medallist
I was thinking midfielders and ideally someone younger. Bytel, Byrnes, somebody like that would be nice for once.
DougalHoward
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- Nov 10, 2020
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Mitchito dosent get mentioned in the same light as windy but he's got a higher ceiling imo
sammm
Brownlow Medallist
Yes, thats correct
- Apr 24, 2021
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Like Owen’s and Windy getting picked in the 30s and 40s?
- Jul 29, 2007
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This could be an unpopular opinion, but I want Wilkie to be Captain next year. Love Steeley and he was the right decision 2 years ago, but Wilks has really stepped up and become that real vocal leader. think he could be similar to a Tom Harley/Nick Maxwell type captain.
Hopefully it takes the pressure off Steeley and he can focus more on his footy.
Either that or they become joint captains. Wouldn’t mind that either.
Hopefully it takes the pressure off Steeley and he can focus more on his footy.
Either that or they become joint captains. Wouldn’t mind that either.
- Apr 24, 2021
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I still look to coniglio in the doco being made captain and wanting it but his game suffering under the pressure. I know Steele is playing well but I don’t know if he’s the most captaincy suited guy on the team other than his looks and physical skill.
Wilkie screams captain and would be like Geary, a rookie captian
Windhager exceeded expectations last season and had a great second half of the year. Owens has more tricks in his armory and is probably the more skilled of the two. Like you said he's got a higher ceiling. It's great to have the two of them. I can see Windhager being the more reliable conveyance every week but Owens the more likely match winner.
I think NWM is harder to judge at this stage. Think we'll get a better read on him as he develops physically
- Nov 7, 2012
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Here's a list I made last year of players who need to step up or step off. I realise putting King there triggered some unnecessarily, so in his case let's say, he either needs to step up (in his case step up means improve the consistency of his goalkicking accuracy) or the club needs to move on from building our game around him as the focal point of our attack - something the coaches have already been forced to do a little, so "horray".
The rest should be considered for trades or the heave ho if they can't get to the next level this year, and you can add Josh Battle, Max Heath and Seb Ross to that list too.
Here's what "the next level" could mean for each player:
Coff: locked into the 22, in the bests regularly, consistently thwarting opposition forays, in the top 10 defensive marks league wide.
Jones: injuries behind him, top engine room spread at the club, back to 2020 levels of attack.
Gresh: genuinely elite in whichever position he settles in. Either way, increased goal threat/ effective clearances.
Hill: once again, genuinely elite, regularly in the bests and dare i say it, more goals?
Clark: makes a single position his own, becomes consistently A-grade and a key element of his team's movement. Time to be a playmaker in the style of Robert Harvey.
Byrnes: more assured in the middle, in the top 5 disposals at the club, goalkicking threat, locked into the 22.
Billings: more x-factor, starts to be heavily tagged by opposition due to his danger, beats tags, doesn't fade out of games, good for 2 goals a game (ave) and uses his strengths to get everyone else in the league shitting themselves.
Butler: Top 5 forward pressure in the afl, good for 2 goals a game (ave), consistent multiple goal scorer, plays well even without the "out the back" goals he made his name for in the hub year.
Marshall: our MVP, plays to a level befitting this status, spoken of in the same way as people speak about Gawn, Grundy, etc. Better tap work, more goals. Meaner.
Howard: top 5 full backs in the afl, no one kicks more than 2 on him, less brain fades, more calm destruction of opposition hope. Impervious.
Higgins: consistent kicker of bags, finishes with 40+ goals for the season, leading crumber at the club, in the bests regularly. Tackling machine.
Bytel: gets 12+ AFL games averages 25+ disposals and is one of the leading clearance players in most of his games, enough for the coaches to place him under only Crouch and Steele in terms of rank by the end of the season.
Membrey: too precious to be moved down back, even in emergency. Recovers his dead-eyed accuracy in front of goal, marking machine. Unplayable for opposition. 60+goals
Allison: comes back and delivers on promise, gets +/-10 games, has breakout season where all of us that considered trading him just pretend that never happened. Our new goat. Leading VFL goalscorer.
Paton: becomes the new Gears, heart and soul, no one he's on has a good day or scores more than 1 goal. Top 5 1%ers in the AFL, shows promise on the wing.
Highmore: regularly features, consistently dynamic, makes opposition turnovers count. Top 10 interception in the AFL. Top 5 VFL player.
Connolly: genuinely locked onto fringe, our 24th-26th man. First choice when starting defenders are injured and ends the year verging on displacing them in the starting line-up. Leading VFL player.
Heath: leading VFL ruck numbers, a handful of senior games, shows promise in AFL ruck in real terms, as in the statistics bear it out.
Ross: more dangerous, more destructive, top 10 in the league.
Battle: becomes a leader down back, improved marking, top 3 back men in the AFL.
PROVISO:
I don't expect all of the above to happen, this is what I think "the next level" or 2023 goal should be for each player.
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- Nov 7, 2012
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I would also say that we need to revolutionise the way we use Sandringham. This isn't one of Ross's traditional strengths so I'm hoping Geoff Walsh's replacement is really strong here.
We absolutely need to prioritise development of Saints players but also being as competitive as can be in the VFL. Those two ideas can be compatible, and i hope Jake Batchelor's fine work can be better sypported by both St Kilda and Sandringham.
We absolutely need to prioritise development of Saints players but also being as competitive as can be in the VFL. Those two ideas can be compatible, and i hope Jake Batchelor's fine work can be better sypported by both St Kilda and Sandringham.
sammm
Brownlow Medallist
Difficult when there there are so many injuries
gringo2011
Premium Platinum
Part of that is not having enough depth to make Sandy strong. Our VFL side tends to be stocked with young VFL players rather than the high end mature players others use. It saves money but it is harder to win and those old VFL stalwarts act like extra training staff and shield the Saints listed kids.
Is this Batchelor's third year coaching Sandy? Having that consistency will do us some favours I'm sure. Seemed the Sandy coaching position was used like Grant Thomas's rotating captaincy policy in the past. Batch seems a pretty good coach and there was some real improvement from Sandy last season. Without injuries, Sandy's best 22 looks really bloody good.
Goddard also involved under Batch this year i think.
From a supporter point of view I love Batchelor's reports. We got very little official feedback in the past.
- Apr 24, 2021
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Best feed back and insight the club has ever put out
I'm expecting improvement from just about everyone except Steele , Wilkie , Sinclair and Crouch.
Everyone else on the squad have a lot of improvement in them.
The more senior players just need to perform every week - Hill , Membery , Butler , Howard etc.
Players like Marshall , Gresham , Clark , Coffield , Higgins , Billings , Jones , McKenzie have all had injury concerns the last 2 seasons and has curtailed there performance.
However we could see players like Battle , King step up to a complete another level and Owens , Milera and Windhager or though they are only 2nd year players I feel they will continue there steady growth and we just continue to show how talented they are.
And it is going to be good to watch if Bytel , Byrne , Connolly push for spots.
Everyone else on the squad have a lot of improvement in them.
The more senior players just need to perform every week - Hill , Membery , Butler , Howard etc.
Players like Marshall , Gresham , Clark , Coffield , Higgins , Billings , Jones , McKenzie have all had injury concerns the last 2 seasons and has curtailed there performance.
However we could see players like Battle , King step up to a complete another level and Owens , Milera and Windhager or though they are only 2nd year players I feel they will continue there steady growth and we just continue to show how talented they are.
And it is going to be good to watch if Bytel , Byrne , Connolly push for spots.
Brains Trust66
Norm Smith Medallist
i have huge hopes that Owens could develop into an A grader in a few years . He looks so promising . Im also hoping for Bytel to establish himself in the side because i also think he could blossum . Actually i could just name all the young kids in hope lol.
