St Kilda
The Sainters seem to be ticking away somewhere around 12 o'clock. Some reckon they are only just arriving at it, whilst others are bemoaning that the Sainters might be past it. Whichever, these are certainly exciting times for the sainters, but the fact remains that their last premiership was 1966.
There appear to be a couple of changes in the coaching staff at StKilda. Thomas, Rendell and Cripps remain, but there is also the addition of the much publicised Micky McGuane, and Jason Mifsud who has had premiership success with Koroit in the Hampden League.
The Sainters list is:
Michael Rix 200 98 25 new
Fraser Gehrig 195 104 29
Cain Ackland 196 96 24
Justin Koschitzke 197 96 23
Barry Brooks 198 95 22
Dylan Pfitzner 196 83 21 rookie
Fergus Watts 197 92 20 new
Max Hudghton 191 92 29
Troy Schwarze 190 89 24
Nick Riewoldt 193 95 23
Sam Fisher 191 88 23
Matt Maguire 190 96 22
Brendon Goddard 191 96 21
Sam Gilbert 194 84 19 new
Ed McDonnell 192 87 19 rookie
Lenny Hayes 186 85 26
Jason Blake 189 87 25
Aaron Fiora 186 80 25
Mark McGough 188 88 22
Jason Gram 186 84 22
Nick Dal Santo 185 83 22
Raphael Clarke 188 82 21
Matthew Ferguson 187 87 21
James Gwilt 188 90 20
Phillip Raymond 186 69 19 new
Justin Sweeney 186 87 18 new
Robert Harvey 181 84 34 vet
Justin Peckett 182 86 33 vet
Andrew Thompson 180 81 33
Stephen Powell 181 84 29
Aaron Hamill 184 94 28
Brett Voss 181 84 28
Allan Murray 180 83 24
Xavier Clarke 181 80 23
Leigh Fisher 184 90 22
Luke Ball 183 84 22
Cathal Corr 182 82 18 rookie
Steven Baker 179 83 26
Stephen Milne 176 80 26
Leigh Montagna 178 76 22
Andrew McQualter 179 79 20
Only 41 players on the StKilda list, including 2 vets, 5 newies & 3 rookies. It appears that both or either of the slary cap and club finances might be eating at them.
The list is very centred on today, with 33 of 41 players (80%) of their list being 21yo or above, as it should be. It has only 5 players under 20yo.
26 of the 41 (63%) are less than 190cm. This leaves, obviously, 15 players (37%) for the kpps & rucks. This seems a good proportion.
The only subjective point that I'd like to make here is that Michael Rix, 200cm, has been added to the list. I see this as very important because he is 200cm, and I believe that either Thomas or Beveridge, or both, have realised now that below 200cm ruckmen don't jump in the last quarters of finals games. Rix, whether he knows it or not, will be heavily relied upon by StKilda this year.
Twilight = 28+yo
Prime = 25-27yo
Development = 22-24yo
Junior = 18-21yo
<180 Small Runners
Twilight: 0
Prime: Baker 26, Milne 26
Development: Montagna 22
Junior: McQualter 20
180-184 Smaller Mediums
Twilight: Harvey 34, Peckett 33, Thompson 33, Powell 29, Hamill 28, Voss 28
Prime: 0
Development: Murray 24, Clarke 23, Fisher 22, Ball 22
Junior: Corr 18
185-189 Taller Mediums
Twilight: 0
Prime: Hayes 26, Blake 25, Fiora 25
Development: McGough 22, Gram 22, Dal Santo 22
Junior: R.Clarke 21, Ferguson 21, Gwilt 20, Raymond 19, Sweeney 18
190-194 Mobile Key Position
Twilight: Hudghton 29
Prime: 0
Development: Schwarze 24, Riewoldt 23, Fisher 23, Maguire 22
Junior: Goddard 21, Gilbert 19, McDonnell 19
195-199 Key Position/ Ruck
Twilight: Gehrig 29
Prime: 0
Development: Ackland 24, Koschitzke 23, Brooks 22
Junior: Pfitzner 21, Watts 20
200+ Ruck
Twilight: 0
Prime: Rix 25
Development: 0
Junior: 0
Gee, I didn't realise that the StKilda list was so out of skew. It didn't seem to be that askew last year. Amazing how losing a few players in particular key can affect the list, and also certain players moving from one group to another can turn a list askew.
The Sainters have 6 players in the smaller medium group in the twilight zone. Last year it was 4, but this year 2 extra have joined the group. No wonder StKilda supporters have been telling me the red lights are flashing. I've looked at Hayes, Ball, DalSanto, Goddard, I didn't realise who sat around them.
Their coverage of positions is as follows:
B: Voss 28 Hudghton 29 S.Fisher 23
Peckett 33 McDonnell 19 Blake 25
R.Clarke 21
HB: Schwarze 24 Maguire 22 Goddard 21
Gram 22 Gilbert 19 L.Fisher 24
Ferguson 21 Corr 18
C: Dal Santo 22 Hayes 26 Fiora 25
Gwilt 20 Ball 22 Thompson 33
Raymond 19 X.Clarke 23
HF: Montagna 22 Riewoldt 23 Harvey 34
Sweeney 18 Watts 20 Murray 24
F: Koschitzke 23 Gehrig 29 Milne 26
Hamill 28 Pfitzner 21
R: Ackland 24 Powell 29 Baker 26
Rix 25 McGough 22 McQualter 20
Brooks 22
Regardless of the problems in some areas of the StKilda list, the Saints seem to fill all their positions adequately. There are question marks about the class of their defense, but the fact is that it has been good enough to generally keep oppositions to a lower score.
There is no doubt that the Saints will be somewhere up there. They have now had 2 unsuccessful finals campaigns. Port also lost 2 prelims before winning their premiership in 2004, but this points out that this is StKilda's 3rd decent go at it, and it is becoming imperative that they should win it. Time will tell as to whether they can get 1966 off their back, or not. But the red lights are flashing. There now seems to be too many important players now sitting in the twilight zone.
The Sainters seem to be ticking away somewhere around 12 o'clock. Some reckon they are only just arriving at it, whilst others are bemoaning that the Sainters might be past it. Whichever, these are certainly exciting times for the sainters, but the fact remains that their last premiership was 1966.
There appear to be a couple of changes in the coaching staff at StKilda. Thomas, Rendell and Cripps remain, but there is also the addition of the much publicised Micky McGuane, and Jason Mifsud who has had premiership success with Koroit in the Hampden League.
The Sainters list is:
Michael Rix 200 98 25 new
Fraser Gehrig 195 104 29
Cain Ackland 196 96 24
Justin Koschitzke 197 96 23
Barry Brooks 198 95 22
Dylan Pfitzner 196 83 21 rookie
Fergus Watts 197 92 20 new
Max Hudghton 191 92 29
Troy Schwarze 190 89 24
Nick Riewoldt 193 95 23
Sam Fisher 191 88 23
Matt Maguire 190 96 22
Brendon Goddard 191 96 21
Sam Gilbert 194 84 19 new
Ed McDonnell 192 87 19 rookie
Lenny Hayes 186 85 26
Jason Blake 189 87 25
Aaron Fiora 186 80 25
Mark McGough 188 88 22
Jason Gram 186 84 22
Nick Dal Santo 185 83 22
Raphael Clarke 188 82 21
Matthew Ferguson 187 87 21
James Gwilt 188 90 20
Phillip Raymond 186 69 19 new
Justin Sweeney 186 87 18 new
Robert Harvey 181 84 34 vet
Justin Peckett 182 86 33 vet
Andrew Thompson 180 81 33
Stephen Powell 181 84 29
Aaron Hamill 184 94 28
Brett Voss 181 84 28
Allan Murray 180 83 24
Xavier Clarke 181 80 23
Leigh Fisher 184 90 22
Luke Ball 183 84 22
Cathal Corr 182 82 18 rookie
Steven Baker 179 83 26
Stephen Milne 176 80 26
Leigh Montagna 178 76 22
Andrew McQualter 179 79 20
Only 41 players on the StKilda list, including 2 vets, 5 newies & 3 rookies. It appears that both or either of the slary cap and club finances might be eating at them.
The list is very centred on today, with 33 of 41 players (80%) of their list being 21yo or above, as it should be. It has only 5 players under 20yo.
26 of the 41 (63%) are less than 190cm. This leaves, obviously, 15 players (37%) for the kpps & rucks. This seems a good proportion.
The only subjective point that I'd like to make here is that Michael Rix, 200cm, has been added to the list. I see this as very important because he is 200cm, and I believe that either Thomas or Beveridge, or both, have realised now that below 200cm ruckmen don't jump in the last quarters of finals games. Rix, whether he knows it or not, will be heavily relied upon by StKilda this year.
Twilight = 28+yo
Prime = 25-27yo
Development = 22-24yo
Junior = 18-21yo
<180 Small Runners
Twilight: 0
Prime: Baker 26, Milne 26
Development: Montagna 22
Junior: McQualter 20
180-184 Smaller Mediums
Twilight: Harvey 34, Peckett 33, Thompson 33, Powell 29, Hamill 28, Voss 28
Prime: 0
Development: Murray 24, Clarke 23, Fisher 22, Ball 22
Junior: Corr 18
185-189 Taller Mediums
Twilight: 0
Prime: Hayes 26, Blake 25, Fiora 25
Development: McGough 22, Gram 22, Dal Santo 22
Junior: R.Clarke 21, Ferguson 21, Gwilt 20, Raymond 19, Sweeney 18
190-194 Mobile Key Position
Twilight: Hudghton 29
Prime: 0
Development: Schwarze 24, Riewoldt 23, Fisher 23, Maguire 22
Junior: Goddard 21, Gilbert 19, McDonnell 19
195-199 Key Position/ Ruck
Twilight: Gehrig 29
Prime: 0
Development: Ackland 24, Koschitzke 23, Brooks 22
Junior: Pfitzner 21, Watts 20
200+ Ruck
Twilight: 0
Prime: Rix 25
Development: 0
Junior: 0
Gee, I didn't realise that the StKilda list was so out of skew. It didn't seem to be that askew last year. Amazing how losing a few players in particular key can affect the list, and also certain players moving from one group to another can turn a list askew.
The Sainters have 6 players in the smaller medium group in the twilight zone. Last year it was 4, but this year 2 extra have joined the group. No wonder StKilda supporters have been telling me the red lights are flashing. I've looked at Hayes, Ball, DalSanto, Goddard, I didn't realise who sat around them.
Their coverage of positions is as follows:
B: Voss 28 Hudghton 29 S.Fisher 23
Peckett 33 McDonnell 19 Blake 25
R.Clarke 21
HB: Schwarze 24 Maguire 22 Goddard 21
Gram 22 Gilbert 19 L.Fisher 24
Ferguson 21 Corr 18
C: Dal Santo 22 Hayes 26 Fiora 25
Gwilt 20 Ball 22 Thompson 33
Raymond 19 X.Clarke 23
HF: Montagna 22 Riewoldt 23 Harvey 34
Sweeney 18 Watts 20 Murray 24
F: Koschitzke 23 Gehrig 29 Milne 26
Hamill 28 Pfitzner 21
R: Ackland 24 Powell 29 Baker 26
Rix 25 McGough 22 McQualter 20
Brooks 22
Regardless of the problems in some areas of the StKilda list, the Saints seem to fill all their positions adequately. There are question marks about the class of their defense, but the fact is that it has been good enough to generally keep oppositions to a lower score.
There is no doubt that the Saints will be somewhere up there. They have now had 2 unsuccessful finals campaigns. Port also lost 2 prelims before winning their premiership in 2004, but this points out that this is StKilda's 3rd decent go at it, and it is becoming imperative that they should win it. Time will tell as to whether they can get 1966 off their back, or not. But the red lights are flashing. There now seems to be too many important players now sitting in the twilight zone.
