St Kilda head into 2022 after a rollercoaster season last year relegated them to tenth place and an awfully uneventful September.
With Brett Ratten entering his third season in charge and Jack Steele shaping up to have yet another inspirational season, many are wondering what version of St Kilda we are going to see on the field this season.
INS/OUTS
In: Tom Campbell, Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, Mitchito Owens, Marcus Windhager, Oscar Adams, Jack Peris, Josiah Kyle, Jack Hayes
Out: Jake Carlisle, James Frawley, Shaun McKernan, Dylan Roberton, Oscar Clavarino, Sam Alabakis, Luke Dunstan, Paul Hunter, Jack Lonie
DOWNLOAD NOW: AFL Zero Hanger 2022 Season Guide
2021 was a disappointing year for the men from Moorabbin. After an exciting 2020 campaign that saw the club finally break their finals drought under the watchful eyes of new coach Brett Ratten, 2021 managed to deliver disappointment in droves for the red, black and white.
The Saints started the season with a rocky 8-point win over the Giants before managing 75-point (Essendon) and 86-point (Richmond) losses by mid-April. Inconsistency was the best way to describe the season, with some performances looking like that of the finals team in 2020, and some looking like the St Kilda that has inhabited the bottom half of the table for much of the last decade.
Jack Steele was a shining light once again, supported admirably by Jack Sinclair in a career best season and the ever reliable Tim Membrey and Callum Wilkie at both ends of the ground but it wasn't enough to lift the Saints from tenth position and leave them with plenty of time off in September once again.
Key position players
The Saints were confident they had found a player for the future in Max King when they drafted him with pick 4 in 2018, and the 21-year-old has shown plenty of potential during his 38 games with the Saints.
In 2021, the young key forward kicked 38 goals and seemed to gain some confidence playing alongside Tim Membrey. 27-year-old Membrey continued to impress last year, booting 34 goals of his own in an increasingly stable forward line set up.
Down back, the Saints seem to have found a solid pairing in Callum Wilkie and Dougal Howard. Wilkie, pick number 2 in the 2018 rookie draft, is yet to miss a game in Saints colours since his 2019 debut and was rewarded for his hard work with a fourth placed finish in the Saints best and fairest last year.
Howard, who moved to the Saints from Port Adelaide at the end of 2019, has made a strong impression at his new club two years in, elevated to vice captain and finishing in the top ten of the best and fairest two years in both years. The two, who combined for an impressive 228 marks and 237 intercept possessions last year, are incredibly invaluable to the Saints.
With the key positions in the forward and back 50s in good hands, and Rowan Marshall continuing to improve in the ruck, there's no doubt that the Saints are well
With King and Membrey firing in the forward line and Wilkie and Howard continuing to hold down the defence, while young gun Rowan Marshall continues to develop in the ruck as the club's long term prospect, there's no doubt that the Saints are well stocked in their key position talent and will be expecting this group to help their ascent up the ladder.
Lack of A grade midfield talent
The Saints have no shortage of depth in the middle of the ground, with the likes of Brad Hill, Zak Jones, Brad Crouch and Jack Billings spending minutes in the centre last season, but of these names none can genuinely be considered as elite talents compared to stars of the game.
Jack Steele did his best, as we've become accustomed to, but often found himself without support from his teammates, whether that be due to lapses in form, injury, or just not being good enough. Hill, who joined the Saints at the end of 2019, averaged 19.7 disposals per game last year. While Brad Crouch in his first year at the Saints averaged 26.4 clearances and 4.9 clearances per game.
Midfielder
Disposals
Tackles
Clearances
While these highly touted new recruits often performed admirably throughout the year and certainly helped the Saints across the line in a few tight games, they, like others in the engine room, failed to reach the highs expected of this new look team.
As a result, the Saints ranked 11th in the competition for both clearances and inside 50's in 2021, statistics reflecting their place on the ladder.
With the forward line duo in Max King and Tim Membrey and the backline performing admirably under pressure, the Saints engine room is where things need to start taking a turn for the better.
The Saints skipper is a star in many regards, but he can't be expected to carry the team up the ladder on just his back. If the Saints want to see improvement, those players need to join their captain on the elite rankings this season.
Jack Steele
There's no one else quite like Jack Steele down at St Kilda. The skipper continued his rise to one of the biggest stars in the game in 2021, culminating in a sixth place finish in the Brownlow medal count.
Averaging 29.2 disposals, 8.5 tackles and 6.3 clearances per game in 2021, Steele proved himself as an elite midfielder in a middle of the table side and as an invaluable leader of a young team.
Midfielder
Disposals
Tackles
Clearances
The 26-year-old finished miles ahead in the Saints' best and fairest last year and was selected in the All Australian team for the second consecutive year after not missing a game for the duration of the season.
Awarded the sole captaincy in 2022 as he enters season eight in the AFL, Steele still has plenty of his best footy under his belt and will be eager to have another career best season to inspire his teammates back to their 2020 form.
Max King
After his first season as a Saint was written off due to an ACL injury, King has had a point to prove since his debut in 2020. Playing 38 games since then (20 in 2021), the 202cm key forward has continued to impress with his freakish athleticism and strong overhead marks.
The 21-year-old booted 38 goals in 2021, a career best, but was often maligned by punters due to his inaccuracy in front of goal. King's Round 9 performance against Geelong, a match the Saints lost by 21 points, was heavily criticised after the forward kicked 1.5.
As the season went on, King seemed to grow more comfortable in front of goals, claiming a 6-goal haul (at 75% accuracy) against the Eagles in Round 19.
It's no secret that key forwards can take a little longer to develop than other prospects and heading into his third season, with a full pre-season under his belt, 2022 is looming as the year King can make a statement on the competition.
It was often hard to read the Saints at points of last season. They endured a humiliating loss to Essendon and experienced a thrilling comeback win against the Eagles in the space of seven days all before Round 5. 2022 looks like it could be much of the same.
The opening month to the season perhaps isn't the most thrilling nor difficult that Brett Ratten's men will experience this year, but it may be the most telling. Awarded a rare prime time fixture against Collingwood to kick off their 2022 campaign, the Saints will be desperate to make a good start under the Friday night lights.
With a trip to Perth to face Fremantle the next week, followed by winnable matches against Richmond and Hawthorn, the Saints won't be able to get away with the chaos of last year's opening two years in a row.
A poor start will put Ratten under mounting pressure heading into winter, an all too familiar feeling down at Moorabbin, but should the Saints manage to pull of expected wins against the Pies and Hawks and snag some extra points against Fremantle or Richmond, they will be shaping themselves up nicely for when the fixture gets a little more dicey later in the year.
The Saints just don't look like they have the makings of a finals team. Though their skipper will try his best and the Saints' young brigade will undoubtedly improve throughout the year, on paper the team doesn't seem to have enough established talent to win enough games.
While a second straight year out of finals will be a hard sell to fans and players alike, especially as that premiership window the club thought they had ajar begins to close, there are always young names to be excited about.
With King still in the very early beginnings of his career and plenty of new draftees ready to prove their worth, the Saints may have to accept early on that this, like so many of seasons past, will be a year of development, not contention.
Predicted position: 12th