St Kilda Saints

Former St Kilda coach declares radical idea for off-season list turnover

Should the Saints put all of Jack Sinclair, Jack Steele, Max King and Tim Membrey on the trade table?

Published by
Frank Seal

Former St Kilda senior coach (2001-2006) Grant Thomas believes the only way for St Kilda to build a premiership list in the near future is to throw out the All-Australian core of their current crop.

In an ongoing twitter feud ahead of the final round of the 2024 home & away season, Thomas shared who he would be putting up for grabs at season's end if he were operating St Kilda's list.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 19: Jack Sinclair of the Saints in action during the 2023 AFL Round 23 match between the St Kilda Saints and the Geelong Cats at Marvel Stadium on August 19, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Veterans Jack Sinclair, Jack Steele and Tim Membrey made the cut, as did rising forward Max King, who has faced severe scrutiny this season for his perceived lack of effort in important clashes.

Thomas' idea is to gain as much draft capital as possible through these list moves, and bring in the best young talent over the next couple of seasons before Tasmania enter the equation and steal majority of the young talent beyond 2026.

The logic is sound, but somewhat ridiculous, given the Saints aim to compete for September action in the next few seasons and would be scrutinised heavily as a club appearing to enter another rebuild.

Giving up all of Sinclair, Steele, King and Membrey would likely grant the Saints access to around five first-round picks and a few second-rounders, providing them the chance to build a star-studded young list around Mattaes Phillipou, Mitch Owens, Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, Darcy Wilson, Cooper Sharman and others.

St Kilda Saint Mattaes Phillipou (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos)

Perhaps 28-year-old Callum Wilkie could also be thrown up, given he likely doesn't fit the age bracket of the club's next flag and given the high demand for elite key defenders in the competition.

24-year-old Max King is clearly in Ross Lyon's plans for a future flag, being a key forward with plenty of development left in his game. Though Grant Thomas has clearly lost faith in the former pick 4, criticising his poor demeanour.

Adding potentially five first-rounders to their current pick 6 for the 2024 National Draft would establish one of the more thrilling off-season's in St Kilda's history, though given their recent draft and recruiting record, there is no guarantee for success.

For now, the focus for Ross Lyon and the Saints is squarely on knocking Carlton out of the eight with a Sunday scalp at Marvel Stadium.

2024-08-25T05:20:00Z
Marvel Stadium
CARL
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FT
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STK
Published by
Frank Seal