Aliens, inconsistency, and neutered dogs: St Kilda mid-season review
Long, bleak winters, with an eye towards next year, are all too familiar for St Kilda supporters, yet this year it feels harder to take.
After a return to finals action in 2023, Saints fans were buoyant about the team’s fortunes in 2024. The most optimistic predictions had us catapulting into the top four, though the 6 – 10 range was considered more realistic. If we found ourselves staggering towards the halfway point, languishing in the bottom four, then the wheels would have completely fallen off – and this is exactly where we are.
Explaining just how this season has evaporated is no easy task, and there is no single reason. Injuries have played their part, with key players in Crouch, Wood, Dow, Butler and Henry leading a casualty list that has taken until the midway point of the season to become inconsequential. Suspensions have also been a thorn in our side, with King and Windhager annoying sidelined for a week each, Higgins outed, incredibly, for three and Jimmy Webster serving a justified seven match ban. Completing the unholy trinity has been a collective drop in form and confidence, including, though not exclusively, to players like Membrey, Phillipou, Wilkie and Owens.
The combination of injuries to key players, suspensions, poor form, and an unfriendly fixture, which saw us open the year with six games in 34 days at five different venues across Victoria, South Australia and Canberra, have all conspired to render 2024 a write off by the first weekend of June. The dawn of a long winter is here again.
Inevitably, when seasons implode this quickly, frustrations are aired and questions asked, particularly for our success starved fanbase.
Saints fans, in happier days
Sack the Coach!
The easiest target for many, is coach Ross Lyon. The defensive tag is one that Lyon will never shake, no matter what happens from here, yet is it to blame for our current ills? Just as our forward line was makeshift for most of 2023, it has been similarly so in 2024. Mitch Owens is the only forward to have played every game this year and has struggled with the extra attention. Meanwhile, the absence of Butler, Higgins and Gresham has hurt, while our tall trio of Membrey, King and Caminiti has so far failed to click. Add to that, the need for Sharman to plug holes in defence, and Henry’s hamstring injury, and it is easy to understand how goals have dried up.
Further up the ground, our midfield has suffered a similar fate, with injuries and collective poor form ravaging an at best mid-strength group. Darcy Wilson has been a shining light in his first year, Brad Hill is enjoying a late career renaissance, and Rowan Marshall has been stoic in the ruck, yet everyone else has been good only in patches. The lack of a midfield bull, and atrocious ball movement and delivery inside 50 has contributed to the arid conditions in the forward line. It is not surprising that the forwards have been starved of opportunities, with delivery that is not up to league standard. Leigh Montagna provides an excellent analysis of this in a recent Fox Footy segment.
Brad Hill is having a stellar season in 2024
As the losses mount, there is a small, yet vocal group of Ross regretters. It is understandable, though only at a superficial level. The reality is, that sacking the coach would set us back years, and we wasted a decade after his departure in 2011. Whether we like it or not, the investment has been made, in the coaching group and the philosophy for long term success. If Lyon were to go, then so would the board, a plethora of off field staff, and likely a bunch of players. There is no unscrambling this omelette without making an enormous mess. Yes, it is painful and frustrating to watch our beloved Saints at the moment, but as any leader will tell you, progress is not linear. Many teams have off years before success arrives. Richmond dropped to 13th in 2016, Melbourne were above only the hapless Gold Coast in 2019, while Collingwood dropped to 17th in 2021. We have to hope that this is our off year.
Play the Kids!
The other mantra thrown around in seasons like this is to play the kids. Well, we have, and unfortunately the kids haven’t been up to the level. Phillipou, who nobody doubts will be a star, is experiencing probably his most challenging time at any level of football, Collard simply isn’t ready yet, and while Hastie and Garcia have shown glimpses, they still have a long way to go. Darcy Wilson has bucked the trend, with an excellent debut season, and earned himself a Rising Star nomination in Round 6.
The fact is that none of the kids have been banging down the door to demand selection. We all share high hopes for the likes of Schoenmaker, Keeler, Heath, and Hotton, but we should also remember the Richardson era, and that loading up a team with inexperienced youngsters is not a recipe for long term success. There is nothing wrong with playing in the reserves, building confidence, consistency and honing your craft. Geelong, who we ultimately want to emulate, are proof of that, with many of their youngsters serving healthy apprenticeships before cementing themselves as senior players.
Darcy Wilson celebrates a goal, with Higgins and Membrey
Strength Through Loyalty!
There are now eleven games remaining for the season. At least eight of them (likely nine, against Carlton in Round 23) will be at the Docklands, and the only two away trips are to face the struggling Lions and inconsistent Crows. This friendlier fixture will be a huge benefit for the team, who are now essentially at full strength – and can hopefully stay that way.
The second half of this annus horribilis should provide a better gauge on where this team is heading. Yes, confidence is down, but it can build again. Hawthorn started the year as easybeats, and are now anything but, even the hopeless Eagles have turned things around with wins against Fremantle and Melbourne. The philosophy for the remaining eleven games should be one of ‘Pre-Season 2025.’ As much as possible, we should play our team for next year, to develop synergy, trust and predictability, the essence of successful teams. The youngsters play if they warrant selection, and the senior players do not, if their performance is not up to standard. The seeds for next year and beyond must be sown now, and perhaps next winter will be a little brighter for those in the red, white and black.
Pre-season 2025 starts now.
‘Disco’ Stu O’Brien is a lifelong Saints supporter and travel writer. You can check out his travel writing at travelonastustring.com and follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (X).
