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saintbob wrote: ↑Sun 21 Jul 2024 12:00pm
Watching him yesterday he absolutely loves playing for the club, but I reckon he and all the players know he's gone at years end.
He'd be feeling like the guy in a loveless marriage, with the Swans game and the WCE win being like 2 holidays in Bali or Fiji, trying to find the spark...reminding him of better times.
But he knows the writing's on the wall and it's time to leave before it gets ugly
A real Sainter will pledge allegiance to the ❤ and despise the Pies, the Blues, and the Injectors.
Remember one of the 10 Commandments : Thou shalt have no other team before thee
D.B.Cooper wrote: ↑Tue 23 Jul 2024 7:26am
No idea if Battle goes or stays, but if the compensation is a #5 I’m not too fussed on the outcome.
Battle is a very good AFL player, tough & durable, but it certainly appears (again from media so who knows?) that Hawthorn will pay overs to get him.
#5 might not be better than Battle, but he may also be an A grade midfielder in 3 years time and that’s what we desperately need.
We aren’t contenders until we develop an elite midfield, and the only way is via the draft as what free agent gun will want to join us?
Battle for #5, I’m happy to roll the dice on that one.
You make a valid point DBC that the team desperately needs a A grade midfielder, but I have reservations that will be achieved by the prospect of gaining a high frdp if Battle goes to Hawthorn. I've mentioned before that I believe Battle, if he stays, will end up as a key forward to supplement Max King.
This is on the basis that Lyon has made it quite clear that he sees Anthony Caminiti as a key defender (possibly to replace Dougal Howard), and Schoenmaker to take Battle's spot at CHB in 2025.
The likelihood that pick 5 in this year's draft will turn out to become a A grade midfielder is by no means a certainty.
St Kilda has Marcus Windhager developing to become A grade, and Mattaes Phillipou as the big bodied mid, so I think the team should by rights have a much stronger line-up to win clearances next year.
"Where there is no hope, it is incumbent on us to invent it.."
End of the day if a player wants to leave there is little we can do. This one isn't like Gresham where it was clear RL was happy to let him go for the right price. Battle i believe we want to keep however we are actually in a position now where if he does leave we get quality compensation which we can use to get A grade Junior talent in.
The success of that then falls on recruiters an development coaches
He was pick # 39 and played like it for the first 3 years. His marking was OK but his kicking just average. He has improved in both areas with few drops and few misdirected short passes and is now more like a pick #12. He is just a bit short for full back or CHB. Arie Schoenmaker is about the right size and looked OK even though at the moment he seems one sided. I would like to see him get more games.
perfectionist wrote: ↑Tue 23 Jul 2024 3:42pm
He was pick # 39 and played like it for the first 3 years. His marking was OK but his kicking just average. He has improved in both areas with few drops and few misdirected short passes and is now more like a pick #12. He is just a bit short for full back or CHB. Arie Schoenmaker is about the right size and looked OK even though at the moment he seems one sided. I would like to see him get more games.
This is probably fair.
You'd expect to get Battle with a pick between #10 and #15.
Add something to the price for culture, sunk cost in development etc and his value to St Kilda sits probably somewhere between pick 8 and 13.
If someone pays him well enough we get a pick inside the top 8 it is worth it- just.
It is a tough call, which is why it isn't done yet.
Disclaimer: posts are my views and shouldn't be taken as fact, even if I am in fact right.
older saint wrote: ↑Tue 23 Jul 2024 11:53am
End of the day if a player wants to leave there is little we can do. This one isn't like Gresham where it was clear RL was happy to let him go for the right price. Battle i believe we want to keep however we are actually in a position now where if he does leave we get quality compensation which we can use to get A grade Junior talent in.
The success of that then falls on recruiters an development coaches
Now Hawthorn have a media recognised rat pack, team selfies, oppo cheer squad baiting, choreographed goal celebrations: led by Headbanded Ginnivan and rats tailed Conner McDonald, their Kpop teen culture may not suit new father J. Battle, or importantly his missus who may not wish him participating in teen antics.
older saint wrote: ↑Tue 23 Jul 2024 11:53am
End of the day if a player wants to leave there is little we can do. This one isn't like Gresham where it was clear RL was happy to let him go for the right price. Battle i believe we want to keep however we are actually in a position now where if he does leave we get quality compensation which we can use to get A grade Junior talent in.
The success of that then falls on recruiters an development coaches
Now Hawthorn have a media recognised rat pack, team selfies, oppo cheer squad baiting, choreographed goal celebrations: led by Headbanded Ginnivan and rats tailed Conner McDonald, their Kpop teen culture may not suit new father J. Battle, or importantly his missus who may not wish him participating in teen antics.
yeah , but
having seen Josh and the misses shopping with the great unwashed down the Chelsea Woolworths a few times .
Reckon she'd be real keen to be moving up Brighton way . 5 mil from the auks will help facilitate this .
AFL 2024: St Kilda hopes free agent Josh Battle will stay at club
St Kilda’s vice-captain says he’s loved playing with an in-demand free agent and hopes he will remain at the club.
Ed Bourke
Ed Bourke
@edbourke6
2 min read
July 23, 2024 - 5:24PM
NewsWire
"St Kilda vice-captain Callum Wilkie says teammates are in the dark over Josh Battle’s future plans but he hopes the in-demand free agent will stay.
Battle put contract talks on hold earlier this season and has been linked strongly to Hawthorn, but said a fortnight ago he believed in the direction of the Saints under coach Ross Lyon.
The 25-year-old told the Herald Sun earlier this month he hoped a new deal to stay at Moorabbin would “work itself out” at the end of the year.
Wilkie said Battle’s plans for next season had not “filtered down” to teammates, but the fellow defender had done his bit to convince him to stay
“There’s a lot of talk, and there always is with free agents. I hope (he stays), he leaves it up to his management and the Saints leave it up to their list management, it doesn’t really filter through to the group ” Wilkie said on Tuesday.
“(Battle) is a really good player and I’ve loved playing with him. I’ve told him how much I love playing with him, and I think it’s up to his management to sort it out.
“We gel really good, and with Dougal (Howard) there as well, it’s our little three that we love playing together (in defence).”
Battle has enjoyed a career best season at centre half-back but St Kilda’s finals chances are purely mathematical after a torrid first half of the season.
Wilkie (right) says he’s told Battle (left) he loves playing with him as he hopes the 25-year-old defender will choose to stay at St Kilda. Picture: James Elsby / Getty Image
Wilkie said pinching more wins off finals contenders beginning with Essendon on Saturday would give the Saints momentum to carry into next season.
He said he was pleased by a ruthless final-quarter performance against West Coast which capped off a strong month of footy including an upset win over Sydney.
“It was just a weight-of-numbers performance by the whole group. The midfield was awesome … our connection got a lot better in the second half and especially the last quarter.
“It was nice to put a team to the sword in the last quarter – it’s probably something we haven’t been able to do all year.”
The Saints trained at Trevor Barker Oval, the home of their VFL affiliate Sandringham, on Tuesday to let the surface at RSEA Park recover after a week of poor weather.
Wilkie played down the disruption and said it was “nice to have a fresh change of scenery”.
“We thought we’d keep off (Moorabbin) … we have half the group that plays down here and it’s just like a second home, which is good,” he said."
older saint wrote: ↑Tue 23 Jul 2024 11:53am
End of the day if a player wants to leave there is little we can do. This one isn't like Gresham where it was clear RL was happy to let him go for the right price. Battle i believe we want to keep however we are actually in a position now where if he does leave we get quality compensation which we can use to get A grade Junior talent in.
The success of that then falls on recruiters an development coaches
Now Hawthorn have a media recognised rat pack, team selfies, oppo cheer squad baiting, choreographed goal celebrations: led by Headbanded Ginnivan and rats tailed Conner McDonald, their Kpop teen culture may not suit new father J. Battle, or importantly his missus who may not wish him participating in teen antics.
Sounds like this Hawthorn rat pack needs to be taken down a notch or two......
According to reports, Hawthorn is chasing the signatures of Battle, Barrass, and Perryman. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. I wonder who they are prioritising, as it would be difficult to acquire all three players, one would think.
Holder of unacceptable views and other thought crimes.
If we were to lose Battle for pick 5 I would settle for Tomlinson as a cheap stop gap.
In response to that article.
With experienced tall defenders in Howard, Cordy & Wilkie to mentor, I’d be hoping Keeler, Shoenmaker or Van Es can hold down the third tall/ medium slot next year.
Unless they are cheap free agents, I wouldn’t touch Haynes, Tomlinson or Ladhams, with Haynes clearly the pick of that group.
Edward’s potentially worth a look, has a bit of raw Harris Andrew’s about him.
Hopefully a couple of our young players like Keeler and Arie go well.
There's only one rule in the jungle! When the LYON's hungry, he eats!
If we were to lose Battle for pick 5 I would settle for Tomlinson as a cheap stop gap.
In response to that article.
With experienced tall defenders in Howard, Cordy & Wilkie to mentor, I’d be hoping Keeler, Shoenmaker or Van Es can hold down the third tall/ medium slot next year.
Unless they are cheap free agents, I wouldn’t touch Haynes, Tomlinson or Ladhams, with Haynes clearly the pick of that group.
Edward’s potentially worth a look, has a bit of raw Harris Andrew’s about him.
Hopefully a couple of our young players like Keeler and Arie go well.
Hopefully all our players get a full preseason and there's no injuries to key talls.
If James Van Es has a full recovery and is fully fit (and stays fit) for 2025, he's probably our best prospect to replace Batts
Arie takes Bonner's place and Keeler eventually replaces Membrey
and despise the Pies, the Blues, and the Injectors.
...but that sort of crap dad joke means you should take a holiday 
