AFL: St Kilda’s Path To The Last Saturday In September Requires The Club To Take A Step Back
At the MCG on Saturday, St. Kilda was haunted by the memories of lost seasons past.
Ross Lyon's side was outperformed on every line by the Giants, who made the running when the game was really up for grabs and played the game at their breakneck speed, whereas the Saints remained resolute in the face of seven-goal deficits late in both the second and third quarters but still managed to hang in there.
The late substitution of Anthony Caminiti for Tim Membrey likely pushed St. Kilda past the threshold of young fans. From the younger squad, Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera overcame some early miscues to become a driving force, and Marcus Windhager stifled Josh Kelly in the second half. The Saints' rookie and sophomore players did not make a significant impact.
However, they should not be held responsible because they have achieved significant progress as a whole in 2023.
In fact, the age gap between the two squads was most pronounced at the more senior end of the list.
Windhager's disciplined tagging of Kelly after the halftime break reduced Kelly's impact, but the damage was done. At halftime, Kelly had 19 possessions, six clearances, and two goals, one of which was a fantastic second-quarter bender from a tight angle.
It was the same Kelly who, in 2017, was a legitimate contender to finish as the league's top player.
Kelly's most persistent suitor that year was North Melbourne, while St. Kilda also made an effort to sign him.
The idea was floated that he might play alongside Jack Billings, the player selected after him in that year's draft.
Kelly was the second overall pick, is rapidly approaching 200 games played, and is a dual best and fairest and All-Australian, yet he may have never fully realized the potential he showed six years ago. Not bad at all.
Because of his struggles with health and consistency, Billings has never developed into anything more than a decent, handy player. This year, he got into three AFL games (one as a substitute) and spent the rest of the season in the VFL. His agent, Paul Connors, used the AFL's website last month to solicit interest in dealing for the 28-year-old with two years remaining on his contract.
It would be unfair to place all of St. Kilda's problems on Billings' shoulders, but he represents a lost generation of Saints who, like Kelly, should be taking the September spotlight.
Top-10 choices Kelly, Tom Green, Lachie Ash, and Lachie Whitfield all contributed to Saturday's victory for the Giants. Over time, the Saints' use of similar players has not been successful. Max King scored three goals but was unable to take control of the game despite the fact that Billings and Nick Coffield were cut, the out-of-contract Hunter Clark performed modestly, and so on.
St. Kilda lacked a player of Kelly's caliber despite the success of Brad Crouch and Seb Ross this season. Ross Lyon is correct that the Saints need to keep going to the draft to bring in elite midfield players, despite the contributions of Jack Steele and Bradley Hill.
Lyon has gotten a lot out of a flawed St. Kilda team this year, and more importantly, he has added valuable experience to the Saints' young, talented roster. It's surprising the Saints made it this far, but there's a good reason for why.
If they want to continue finishing the season on the last Saturday of September at the MCG, rather than the second Saturday, they may have to make a trade that costs them ground.