Every time I think I’m out…

Round 21, 2021
St Kilda 5.0, 8.2, 12.4, 14.9 (93)
Sydney 4.1, 5.2, 8.4, 10.4 (64)
Crowd: Zero at Docklands, Saturday, August 7th at 7.40PM AEST

This one definitely had the feeling of the Who Cares Cup. Sydney was coming off 5 wins on the trot; being one of the form sides of the competition. They’ve clipped all of the Cats, Dogs, Lions and came within 9 points of the fast-starting Dees earlier in the year. Their rep has surged at a rate of knots, to the point where teams entrenched in the top 4 were having to look over their shoulders. 

In the other corner, the Saints injury list had maintained a plumpness – no Doug or Latte for this one. And news had filtered through that Paddy might be done for the year.

The Swans are usually everything that we are not. They are nothing if not reliable. Their development of youth is probably unrivalled. Recycled recruits after oft-rejuvenated when Harbour-side. They are impeccable in their diligence and their no-nonsense approach. 

Sydney are probably to 2021 what the Saints were to 2020. They were unfancied. They’ve got a bright-fresh-new-look about them. The mainstays of the squad have ceded the limelight to the young bloods such as Dawson, Gulden, Haywood, McInerney, McCartin. Yet, it seems like a familiar tale for Swans; nothing unsurprising. They rarely let themselves hit the ropes, let alone take long to bounce back with a renewed vigour. 

As we have become accustomed to through 2021, the injuries and what not threw up a slew of question marks for the Saints. How would Marshall go as the lone ruckman? Wilkie on Buddy? Will Rampe give Max King a bath again? Will the Billings loss actually be a loss? Which Dan Butler will we get? How much mental juice do the Saints have left after frittering away slim finals hopes against the Blues? 

On the psyche front, not enough was really made of how baffling our effective no-show was against the Blues. We had close to a quarter of our 22 players uncontracted for 2022, and three of those guys are currently in the Leadership Group (go figure). There is every incentive there, at least on an individual level, for the players to be playing with a sense of desperation. The fact that they weren’t at the races was such a blight.

Max’s first major on the board, from his first set-shot, was a nerve-settler if there ever was one. His getting in the grill of Rampe as part of his celebration was even better. Of course, we’d seen Winx start like a house on fire against the Blues only to be snuffed after quarter time, but all signs early pointed to a Saints side hellbent on pulling no punches. Cooper Sharman actually kicked our first, followed not long after by Snags ignoring all teammates rushing by to kick truly over his shoulder. There was an unfamiliar sharpness to our forward thrusts. Kent’s place kick to Sharman in the forward pocket for our first was the first example of many.

A shootout was probably never going to end well for the Saints, especially given that we had effectively gone into the game with zero tall backmen for the night (no disrespect to the Goat#44 and Highmore). And so it was a welcome sight that our pressure across the ground only lifted after quarter time. Sneakily switching over to the Olympics telecast briefly at half-time, I was cursing that we were only 3 goals up. Like so often this year, we were trying a death-by-a-thousand-cuts act rather than taking the game by the scruff of the neck. And this was compounded by the fact that the Swans have a nack for turning up the heat in the premiership quarter. 

Luke Parker continued to be a thorn in the Saints side. He finished with what seemed like 50 clearances for the night. But unlike in the first half, the Swans started to finally chisel their way through our zone defence. They cut the lead back down to a kick before there was a bit of end-to-end action in the game. Buddy had a relatively straightforward set shot (which would’ve been his second), only to slam it into the post. 

The Max King goal which followed that kick-in (to bridge it back out to 17 points) was perhaps one of the most complete, ribbon-pleated sequences of footy from the team in 2021. It was a passage that Max both started and finished. First, he was awarded a free after Rampe manhandled him on the half-back, from the kick-out. King then chipped inside to Wilkie and the Saints sliced the ball across the ground via Coffield, Hill, Ross, Sinclair and then finally Byrnes on the half-forward flank. Ronny had to go on his left footy and did so without hesitation with a Swan hot on his hammer. The kick had a flat, but inviting trajectory but effectively was contested only by two Swans. It spilt over to the deep pocket where, with a bit of brilliant ingenuity D-Mac open palmed it to the looming King, who snapped straight over the goal umpires hat. 

Seb Ross’ hand pass (which lead to us having to kick the ball out on the full at half-back) after the King snap epitomised everything his detractors chirp about. As Dunstall pointed out on Fox, it was lazy and sloppy play. Oftentimes, when he takes that extra or moment or two before pulling the trigger to dispose of the ball, he ends up making a decision twice as baffling or twice as sloppy. I’d be even more frustrated about it, were it not for the fact that it feels characteristic for him.

Despite so much faffing about in between, the Saints had enough calmness with the footy, as well as enough forwards with a sniff of blood, to always have an answer at the right time. They weathered that Sydney third-quarter surge and you felt that that was their best punch to throw for the night.

*****

St Kilda’s profligacy really came home to roost in the final term: it took us 13 inside 50s (by which point the Swans only had 7) before we registered a major. Not to get all Sharman-Sharman-Sharman, but he kicked a wonderful second goal in the last term. The real piece-de-resistance though was how it was set up for him by none other than Jack Steele. Jack Steele perhaps carved out a sequence of 3 efforts in the leadup to that goal, that he may have to patent and license for all the Coaches of all age groups to use in forthcoming training manuals and team meetings. His triumvirate of efforts, is exactly what makes him a coaches delight and a very good footballer. 

The ball was hoicked high up towards Captain Jack right near the ‘50’. Caught behind, he rose up and got in a timely spoil. Landing like a cheetah, he won the ground ball – unfortunately, squibbed the handball – but then won the ball in dispute again and sent out a deft handball within lightning sharp presence of mind to the onrushing Cooper Sharman. Sharman being Sharman, had no hesitation in drilling the goal from just inside 50. 

There were so many occasions through the night where Steele’s clean handling, his steadiness over the ball and most strikingly his deft handballing with either hand, stood out like a sore thumb. That’s where it really hits you between the eyes about the difference of a 30 disposal game from Steele, and 30 from the likes of Crouch, Dunstan or Ross: Jack’s disposals are nine-times-out-of-ten so clean as to just gloss over you. He makes deft handball look so routine that you can easily overlook it in favour of more flashy highlight-reel stuff. The real upshot of that work is that he’s not only more effective with the ball and more dangerous, but he’s able to bring so many teammates into the game.

For a website so hopped-up on the St Kilda Football Club we probably haven’t paid tribute enough to how mighty a season Jack has had. It’s the best individual season I can remember a Saint having since the end of the Ross Lyon era. That’s not exactly the most high of bars to eclipse, but All-Australian guernseys don’t fall out of cereal boxes – and Jack’s 2021 has definitely eclipsed his AA level 2020 in my opinion. 

The title of Captain has been the one area of his game that I haven’t been in as much of a hurry to rush to heap praise on him for. Especially early in the year, from his body language it felt like he wasn’t relishing the task. Having heard him speak in the media a few times since, I’m hopeful that a lot of it comes down to him realising that he has it in him and growing into it as a result.  

*****

Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but the final term just kept you feeling like you were kind of shortchanged. It was one of a small handful of games where you felt like the game was ripe for us to really annihilate the Swans. For a large portion of the final term, the margin teetered around the four goal mark and the Swans had gone full Hail-Mary in regards to tactics and ball movement. The onslaught never came, sadly. 

Of course, context and all, this was not any ordinary victory. Amidst such a turbulent year, the Saints have managed to knock off some quality opposition (Lions, Tigers, Eagles) but probably none in as hot form as the Swans have been. And given the mounting injury list, and particularly the loss of two key pillars in Ryder and Howard, you would not be forgiven for simply choosing to have an Olympics night in front of the television.

Picking up the pieces / 2022 Vision

In the ten games since that calamitous Bulldogs “performance”, St Kilda has conceded an average of 71.6 points. Average losing margin has been a measly 13.6 points. Both numbers significantly “blown out” by the woeful loss to the Blues. Those are numbers that will reassure any coaching group in the competition. Like has already been acknowledged by Ratts, there are definitely some different levers to pull and magnets to be reevaluated, and cards to be reshuffled. But these 10 games do amount to something particularly when you take into account that we’ve effectively been in a position to win all 10. If nothing else Byrnes, Highmore, Sharman, and to a lesser extent Connolly have all not only endeared themselves to the fans but have had legitimate impact on winning games. Byrnes and Highmore have essentially pencilled themselves into the Best 22 for 2022, and maybe we’ll be saying that about Sharman too within a couple of weeks?

Cooper Cooper Cooper 

The most joyous thing of the third term was Cooper Sharman’s assist to Snags. That gave Snags his fourth – a revenge of sorts after he ended up kicking us out of the corresponding fixture back in Round 12. First off, hats off to Cooper to have not only the will but the immediate awareness to recognise a teammate in a better spot. (Max King, sadly, has taken to the Membrey way of effectively putting the blinkers straight on if he marks the ball anywhere within 55 meters). Secondly, I can’t say enough about how precise his drop punt was. It was on a platter to Snags, and it’s exactly the type of pinpoint execution that we have been complete bereft off through the entire Richo era and that still doesn’t happen near enough in the Ratten era so far.

2022 Recruits

I said to my Dad on Sunday: the biggest recruit the Saints can (realistically) make for 2022 is health. If you add in consistently healthy Ryder, Jones, Paton and Gresham – throw in Geary solely to pipe up around training and in meetings – then that’s as good as a newly minted recruit to the Club. (That said: please recruit someone as well James Gallagher!)

Best & Fairest update

Yes, I haven’t posted the votes for a few weeks. But rest assured I have kept the spreadsheet in tact and will post the progressive leader board this week.

Ratts-watch

He came, fairly and understandably, under some pressure from even the Saints faithful around the eye of the storm when getting done by 100 points or so felt warranted. Outwardly he’s kept a much stronger and steadier message since: getting us to focus more on consistency and process rather than looking too much at the W-L ratio. 

His flipping of Brad Hill to the half-back flank was a great move and he’s backed in youngsters like Connolly, Byrnes, Higmore and now Sharman to great effect. 

The Re-sign ratings (10 = must re-sign)

Keep in mind the ratings below take into account factors such as, presumed salary that said player is asking for…

Membrey: 8/10
Ross: 6/10
Billings: 4/10
Dunstan: 1/10
Kent: 4/10
Lonie: 1/10
Carlisle: 0/10
Claravino: 7/10
Joyce: 2/10
Connolly: 8/10
Wood: 2/10
McKernan: 1/10
Sharman: 10/10