WWWWWWWWWWWW

[thirty-seven!?]

St.Kilda Pre-season Report on AFL.com:

Grade: A+

Win-loss: 12 (WWWWWWWWWW)

Ladder position: 1st

Leading possession winner: Leigh Montagna (336)

Leading goalkicker: Nick Riewoldt (40)

Season so far:
The first half of the season would have exceeded Ross Lyon’s wildest expectations. The Saints are undefeated with a huge percentage and if it wasn’t for a certain team down the highway, they would be outright premiership favourites at the moment. The forward line is gelling well, the onball stocks are deep and the defence is the stingiest in history. The Saints made the preliminary finals last year but many in the football world suggested they had over-achieved by making the top four. No one would say that now.

Best win
St Kilda 15.12 (102) def Port Adelaide 5.6 (36)
The Saints have had bigger margins in their wins this year but no win said more about the team’s direction than this. Plenty of doubts were raised about St Kilda’s ability at AAMI Stadium but they came out firing, keeping the Power to just one goal in the first half. The Power came back in the second half but couldn’t bridge the gap. Lenny Hayes and Nick Riewoldt played their first truly excellent games of the season and the Saints made an emphatic statement to the rest of the competition.

B&F leader
There are plenty of horses in this race but the most consistent player from start to finish would be Leigh Montagna. He has been talked about as a Brownlow fancy and while some teammates will take votes off him he would still be leading the way for the Saints. That said there is a fair case for arguing for Nick Riewoldt, Nick Dal Santo, Lenny Hayes and Brendon Goddard to be in line for the Trevor Barker Medal.

Surprise packet
You can’t go past Zac Dawson as St Kilda’s if not the AFL’s surprise packet. Discarded by Hawthorn after some less than flattering performances, Dawson was thrown a lifeline as a rookie and elevated when Jarryd Allen was placed on the rookie list. Since then he has regularly taken the opposition’s No.1 forward and has rarely been beaten.

He might not end up an All-Australian but his name would definitely be brought up in selection meetings.

Coach's award (one-percenter player)
It has got to be Lenny Hayes. Not only can he win his own ball and deliver it well, but he has a relentless defensive pressure that can make opposition teams buckle.

Hayes, Montagna and Luke Ball all sit in the AFL’s top ten for tackles. Montagna and Ball are terrific and applying the pressure but Hayes is St Kilda’s true warrior and that wouldn’t go unnoticed by Ross Lyon, a man who values the hard stuff.

Second-half story lines
Can the Saints maintain their winning ways? History shows that they will drop at least a game or two but they should be able to keep their momentum going despite their taxing game style.

Can Matt Maguire find a way back into this team? Not at the moment but if there is an injury to a key position player at either end, Maguire should be the first port of call. He hasn’t played regular senior football for a long time but he has been doing the job in the VFL and will crack it for a spot soon enough.

Can this team beat the Cats? We will know in a couple of weeks time. So far the general consensus is that Geelong is still the No. 1 side but so far there’s not much more the Saints could have done. Bring on round 14.

[markp]

Hayes is St Kilda’s true warrior

Correct.... and the Saints player I'd least like to be crash-tackled by.

[Saint Bev]

Hayes is St Kilda’s true warrior

Correct.... and the Saints player I'd least like to be crash-tackled by.

I actally wouldn't mind

[saintsRrising]

Surprise packet
You can’t go past Zac Dawson as St Kilda’s if not the AFL’s surprise packet. Discarded by Hawthorn after some less than flattering performances, Dawson was thrown a lifeline as a rookie and elevated when Jarryd Allen was placed on the rookie list. Since then he has regularly taken the opposition’s No.1 forward and has rarely been beaten.

Good read.

However on this point I think we had three.

Zac

CJ taking a major leap forwards and becominga suprb tagger whi is also good defensively.

Farren Ray improving and becoming a better and more consitent player than he ever was at the Dogs.



Gilbert has stepped up too this year. But we always knew he would eventually. Whereas the other three have all exceeded expectations.

[VietNam_Saint]

I think the name Jones should be in there somewhere.

He has been outstanding.

[Banger2Plugger]

You can’t go past Zac Dawson as St Kilda’s if not the AFL’s surprise packet. Discarded by Hawthorn after some less than flattering performances, Dawson was thrown a lifeline as a rookie and elevated when Jarryd Allen was placed on the rookie list. Since then he has regularly taken the opposition’s No.1 forward and has rarely been beaten



Funny, never heard of someone being placed on the rookie list from the seniors - have heard being cut from the list then thrown a lifeline to the rookie list ie. Andrew McQualter - but isn't Jarryd Allen on the Long Term Injury list?

[Schillaci]

St.Kilda Pre-season Report on AFL.com:

Grade: A+

Win-loss: 12 (WWWWWWWWWW)

Ladder position: 1st



Second-half story lines
Can the Saints maintain their winning ways? History shows that they will drop at least a game or two but they should be able to keep their momentum going despite their taxing game style.
Can Matt Maguire find a way back into this team? Not at the moment but if there is an injury to a key position player at either end, Maguire should be the first port of call. He hasn’t played regular senior football for a long time but he has been doing the job in the VFL and will crack it for a spot soon enough.

Can this team beat the Cats? We will know in a couple of weeks time. So far the general consensus is that Geelong is still the No. 1 side but so far there’s not much more the Saints could have done. Bring on round 14.

Does anyone know our greatest win/loss record for the home and away 22 Round season?

[HarveysDeciple]

St.Kilda Pre-season Report on AFL.com:

Grade: A+

Win-loss: 12 (WWWWWWWWWW)

Ladder position: 1st



Second-half story lines
Can the Saints maintain their winning ways? History shows that they will drop at least a game or two but they should be able to keep their momentum going despite their taxing game style.
Can Matt Maguire find a way back into this team? Not at the moment but if there is an injury to a key position player at either end, Maguire should be the first port of call. He hasn’t played regular senior football for a long time but he has been doing the job in the VFL and will crack it for a spot soon enough.

Can this team beat the Cats? We will know in a couple of weeks time. So far the general consensus is that Geelong is still the No. 1 side but so far there’s not much more the Saints could have done. Bring on round 14.

Does anyone know our greatest win/loss record for the home and away 22 Round season?

16 and 6 in 1971 and 2004 is our best.

Should bowl that over.