After 11 rounds of the 2022 AFL season we reach the first of three bye rounds, with six clubs handed a week's break to assess their season and move onto the final stretch.
Carlton, Essendon, GWS, Port Adelaide, Richmond and St Kilda are scheduled for their bye this weekend, giving us the perfect time to critique and grade their campaigns to date.
We put the microscope over each of the aforementioned clubs season's and name their MVP, best win and worst loss at the midway mark of this year in part one of our mid-season report cards.
These gradings factor in pre-season expectations and form across the opening 11 rounds of the year.
St Kilda
Grade: B+
W-L Record:8-3
Percentage: 123.8%
The Saints are matching the expectations most had for them ahead of last season, a campaign that ended well short of the mark following a finals finish in 2020.
Last year's setback may have been the kick up the backside Brett Ratten's side needed, with the Moorabbin club now returning having a hold on the top four after the opening 11 rounds.
Wins over Fremantle, Richmond and Geelong have shown the brand of football St Kilda is capable of, with all three lines of their system working in tandem to conjure impressive results.
Dashing defender Jack Sinclair has found new freedom through midfield, while veterans Seb Ross and Brad Hill have returned to a level that seemed to be past them.
While there have been plenty of performances to write home about, an early-season loss to Collingwood and a crushing one-point loss to Port Adelaide in Cairns are what have kept the Saints from being level with the only other side that has mastered them in 2022, Melbourne.
Another arduous test awaits St Kilda after their bye, travelling to the Gabba to face Brisbane in what will price the club's premiership value.
MVP: Jack Sinclair (74 Votes)
Best Win: Round 9 vs Geelong
Worst Loss: Round 7 vs Port Adelaide
