George
Premium Platinum
St Kilda - Marcus Windhager Player Sponsor 2023
St Kilda - Marcus Windhager Player Sponsor 2022
St Kilda - James Frawley Player Sponsor 2021
Saints Pledge Contributor
St Kilda - Doulton Langlands Player Sponsor 2020
St Kilda - Nathan Freeman Player Sponsor 2018
St Kilda - Robbie Young Player Sponsor 2019
Reimagine Moorabbin
- Aug 17, 2015
- 45,307
- 127,300
- AFL Club
- St Kilda
- Other Teams
- Phi Eagles & Phillies, Liverpool, PAO FC
- Thread starter
- Banned
- #101
Big thanks to lewdogs for the Round 1 Preview. You can also find it in the first post.
St.Kilda v Fremantle
Another footy season is upon us. For us St Kilda fans, it is always a time of irrational hope and excitement, alongside the sense of impending doom.
We go into this season with so many unknowns. A new coaching team and their freshly designed gameplan. Young players, players in new positions. I feel that we could finish from top four to bottom four, although realistically we most likely end up somewhere between those. It really feels like we’re stepping into the unknown this year. And as a St Kilda supporting sadist (aren’t we all), I can’t wait.
Let’s have a look at possible best 22s:
I posted this one in the Best 22 thread after the Essendon game and will stick with it:
B: Webster Howard Battle
HB: NWM Wilkie Sinclair
C: Hill Windhager Wood
HF: Higgins Owens Byrnes
F: Gresham Caminiti/Membrey Butler
R: Marshall Steele Crouch
Int: Stocker Clark Phillipou Cordy
Paton (sub)
Bytel in for Windy if he doesn’t get up.
And I stole this one of the Freo best 22 thread:
B: Ryan Pearce Walker
HB: Clarke Cox Young
C: O’Driscall O’Meara Aish
HF: Fyfe Treacy Freddy (not sure who that is)
F: Switkowski Taberner Shultz
R: Darcy Brayshaw Serong
Int Jackson, Chapman, Walters, Brodie.
Medical Room
It has been a shocker of an off-season on the injury front. King will spend the first part of the season on the sidelines. Hayes will miss a decent chunk of footy. Zak Jones is battling another injury, DMac’s ongoing calf issues continue, Billings had another unlucky leg break, and there are question marks over Ross, Windhager and Membrey going into round one.
Not the ideal start to Ross Lyon’s tenure, but the tall-forward shortage will provide an opportunity for a youngster to claim a spot, and hopefully in the long run help us find a decent partner for King. There still appears to be depth on most lines, with Sharman and Caminiti fighting for a spot in the forward line, the likes of Paton and Bytel in the mix for a midfield spot, and defenders such as Highmore and Coffield seemingly starting the season on the outer to start the year.
Preview
Fremantle are coming off a successful season, making finals and having a great comeback victory in their elimination final against the Dogs. Their fans will no doubt be expecting to improve on that finish and be pushing up for the top four. They’ve lost Lobb and Mundy, two players that always seemed to kill us, but they have replaced those players with Jackson and O’Meara and will also have Fyfe in the forward line.
There has been some chat lately that we will look at this as a re-building year. I hope this is not the case and I doubt it is. Lyon has spoken openly about getting as good as we can as quickly as we can and I believe this will be the aim early in the year. This is a side that won 11 games last year, and the aim should be to improve on last year’s win total.
Players to Watch
Matteas Phillipou
Our first round pick looks like a really exciting prospect. He can kick the ball a mile, has great hands and will hopefully add some X-factor to our forward line early in the year.
Hunter Clark
Hunter has been training in the midfield throughout the pre-season, and judging by the practice games that is where he will start the year in the team. He was poor against the Dees and looked well off the pace, but against the Bombers he showed some great signs, regularly finding the ball and seeming to play his more natural game. If he can make it as a midfielder under the tutelage of Lenny Hayes it will really change the dynamic of our team.
Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera
Nasiah has been shifted to half back and looks like he could be very dangerous there. He has been getting a lot of it in the practice games, if he can do that in the regular season his ball use and toughness will be a weapon for us.
Mitch Owens
There’s just something about him. He is so hard at the ball, but he also possesses a knack for goals that makes me think it’s more than just luck. There’s a classiness to him. Will cut his teeth in the forward line early in the year and may just be our toughest match-up.
Key Match-Ups
Marshall v Darcy/Jackson
There is talk around that we will be a lot weaker with the retirement of Paddy Ryder. I tend to think we will be stronger as it will see Rohan Marshall move to the full-time ruck position, where he can really dominate games.
Marshall had a tough time against the duel combo of Gawn and Grundy (to be fair plenty of ruckmen will this year), but found his feet against the Bombers by dominating that game. He will have a tough match-up against the combo of Sean Darcy and Luke Jackson, who are both very good ruckmen in their own right. But if he can get on top it will be crucial to us winning this game. When big Ro gets going, he is so dominant and can thrust the team forward from most areas of the ground. I would love to see him get off to a hot start here.
Windhager/Bytel v Brayshaw
Andrew Brayshaw has established himself as one of the gun mids of the competition. Last time out against us he really turned it on in the second half and was a huge part of why they ran over the top of us. I have no doubt he’ll cop a tag here, either by Windhager if he’s fit or Bytel if he comes in. We need to curb the influence of their better mids if we are to win the game, stopping Brayshaw would go a long way to ensuring that.
Aish v Wood
Aish is a dangerous player for the Dockers. He just goes about his business and racks up possessions. Mason has been burning up the track this off-season and looks set for a massive year. If he and Brad Hill can get on top on the wings it will help us to become the running side we want to be this year. Here’s hoping he can take his form against the Dons into this game and run Aish ragged.
Wilkie v Fyfe
Fyfe’s move to the forward line will be an interesting one. You would think that Wilkie would be the perfect match-up for him; hopefully Cal can lead our backline to a really stingy day at the office.
Tip
Round One is always so hard to get a read on. The Dockers could really be anything this season, but I tend to think a matchup at home against an interstate opponent is a great opportunity to start the second coming of RTB with a win.
Wins early in the season will be gold-dust for this team, and a great opportunity to build momentum. I liked what I saw against the Bombers, and whilst we will be going in with a somewhat makeshift forward line, I think we have enough quality in the backline and midfield to hold the Dockers to a low score and get the season off to a good start.
Saints by 18 points.
Thoughts?
Another footy season is upon us. For us St Kilda fans, it is always a time of irrational hope and excitement, alongside the sense of impending doom.
We go into this season with so many unknowns. A new coaching team and their freshly designed gameplan. Young players, players in new positions. I feel that we could finish from top four to bottom four, although realistically we most likely end up somewhere between those. It really feels like we’re stepping into the unknown this year. And as a St Kilda supporting sadist (aren’t we all), I can’t wait.
Let’s have a look at possible best 22s:
I posted this one in the Best 22 thread after the Essendon game and will stick with it:
B: Webster Howard Battle
HB: NWM Wilkie Sinclair
C: Hill Windhager Wood
HF: Higgins Owens Byrnes
F: Gresham Caminiti/Membrey Butler
R: Marshall Steele Crouch
Int: Stocker Clark Phillipou Cordy
Paton (sub)
Bytel in for Windy if he doesn’t get up.
And I stole this one of the Freo best 22 thread:
B: Ryan Pearce Walker
HB: Clarke Cox Young
C: O’Driscall O’Meara Aish
HF: Fyfe Treacy Freddy (not sure who that is)
F: Switkowski Taberner Shultz
R: Darcy Brayshaw Serong
Int Jackson, Chapman, Walters, Brodie.
Medical Room
It has been a shocker of an off-season on the injury front. King will spend the first part of the season on the sidelines. Hayes will miss a decent chunk of footy. Zak Jones is battling another injury, DMac’s ongoing calf issues continue, Billings had another unlucky leg break, and there are question marks over Ross, Windhager and Membrey going into round one.
Not the ideal start to Ross Lyon’s tenure, but the tall-forward shortage will provide an opportunity for a youngster to claim a spot, and hopefully in the long run help us find a decent partner for King. There still appears to be depth on most lines, with Sharman and Caminiti fighting for a spot in the forward line, the likes of Paton and Bytel in the mix for a midfield spot, and defenders such as Highmore and Coffield seemingly starting the season on the outer to start the year.
Preview
Fremantle are coming off a successful season, making finals and having a great comeback victory in their elimination final against the Dogs. Their fans will no doubt be expecting to improve on that finish and be pushing up for the top four. They’ve lost Lobb and Mundy, two players that always seemed to kill us, but they have replaced those players with Jackson and O’Meara and will also have Fyfe in the forward line.
There has been some chat lately that we will look at this as a re-building year. I hope this is not the case and I doubt it is. Lyon has spoken openly about getting as good as we can as quickly as we can and I believe this will be the aim early in the year. This is a side that won 11 games last year, and the aim should be to improve on last year’s win total.
Players to Watch
Matteas Phillipou
Our first round pick looks like a really exciting prospect. He can kick the ball a mile, has great hands and will hopefully add some X-factor to our forward line early in the year.
Hunter Clark
Hunter has been training in the midfield throughout the pre-season, and judging by the practice games that is where he will start the year in the team. He was poor against the Dees and looked well off the pace, but against the Bombers he showed some great signs, regularly finding the ball and seeming to play his more natural game. If he can make it as a midfielder under the tutelage of Lenny Hayes it will really change the dynamic of our team.
Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera
Nasiah has been shifted to half back and looks like he could be very dangerous there. He has been getting a lot of it in the practice games, if he can do that in the regular season his ball use and toughness will be a weapon for us.
Mitch Owens
There’s just something about him. He is so hard at the ball, but he also possesses a knack for goals that makes me think it’s more than just luck. There’s a classiness to him. Will cut his teeth in the forward line early in the year and may just be our toughest match-up.
Key Match-Ups
Marshall v Darcy/Jackson
There is talk around that we will be a lot weaker with the retirement of Paddy Ryder. I tend to think we will be stronger as it will see Rohan Marshall move to the full-time ruck position, where he can really dominate games.
Marshall had a tough time against the duel combo of Gawn and Grundy (to be fair plenty of ruckmen will this year), but found his feet against the Bombers by dominating that game. He will have a tough match-up against the combo of Sean Darcy and Luke Jackson, who are both very good ruckmen in their own right. But if he can get on top it will be crucial to us winning this game. When big Ro gets going, he is so dominant and can thrust the team forward from most areas of the ground. I would love to see him get off to a hot start here.
Windhager/Bytel v Brayshaw
Andrew Brayshaw has established himself as one of the gun mids of the competition. Last time out against us he really turned it on in the second half and was a huge part of why they ran over the top of us. I have no doubt he’ll cop a tag here, either by Windhager if he’s fit or Bytel if he comes in. We need to curb the influence of their better mids if we are to win the game, stopping Brayshaw would go a long way to ensuring that.
Aish v Wood
Aish is a dangerous player for the Dockers. He just goes about his business and racks up possessions. Mason has been burning up the track this off-season and looks set for a massive year. If he and Brad Hill can get on top on the wings it will help us to become the running side we want to be this year. Here’s hoping he can take his form against the Dons into this game and run Aish ragged.
Wilkie v Fyfe
Fyfe’s move to the forward line will be an interesting one. You would think that Wilkie would be the perfect match-up for him; hopefully Cal can lead our backline to a really stingy day at the office.
Tip
Round One is always so hard to get a read on. The Dockers could really be anything this season, but I tend to think a matchup at home against an interstate opponent is a great opportunity to start the second coming of RTB with a win.
Wins early in the season will be gold-dust for this team, and a great opportunity to build momentum. I liked what I saw against the Bombers, and whilst we will be going in with a somewhat makeshift forward line, I think we have enough quality in the backline and midfield to hold the Dockers to a low score and get the season off to a good start.
Saints by 18 points.
Thoughts?
