HS article: St Kilda set to pull off five big trades to transform its team

[theoracle]

This is a 'subscriber only' article from the HS, so when I see these , I try to post:

St Kilda set to pull off five big trades to transform its team ahead of the 2020 season
St Kilda is suddenly a destination club and getting deals done for the five players who want to be Saints in 2020 is set to transform the team ahead of next season.
Sam Landsberger on how the Saints could line-up in Round 1.
Sam Landsberger, Sunday Herald Sun
Subscriber only
October 12, 2019 8:11pm

The next three days might be St Kilda’s most crucial since it was playing off in Grand Finals under Ross Lyon.
In order of importance, Brad Hill, 26, (Fremantle), Zak Jones, 24, (Sydney), Dougal Howard, 23, (Port Adelaide), Paddy Ryder, 31, (Port Adelaide) and Dan Butler, 23, (Richmond) all want to play for the Saints.
Suddenly Moorabbin is a hotter destination than the Maldives. It’s remarkable, given St Kilda hasn’t played finals since 2011 and sacked its coach in July.
Not since 2000 — when St Kilda landed Malcolm Blight as coach, Fraser Gehrig, Aaron Hamill and Stephen Lawrence in trades and then drafted Nick Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke — has bayside been so popular.
Now all that needs to get done is the deals — all five of them. The Saints remain confident they can make them happen.
They hold picks 12 and 18, all of their selections in next year’s draft and expect to receive picks in the 25-40 range for Josh Bruce (Western Bulldogs) and Jack Steven (Geelong).
If they secure a high five then they will be kings of October. The membership department would be doing cartwheels, because the 50,000 target would seem a lot closer with five fresh yet familiar faces to sell.
The ring-ins would help power-up all parts of the ground, too.
Hill brings cream to a vanilla team and, combined with Jones, provides an injection of pace that could prove lethal under the Marvel Stadium roof.
Howard — a 199cm athlete who runs like the wind — can stand in either goalsquare, while Ryder will make life far easier for emerging ruckman Rowan Marshall.
Premiership forward Butler, who will cost little more than a packet of chips, will bring the kind of pressure that Alan Richardson has probably felt under for the past two years.
And add to that the most-hyped Saint in some time, Max King, who will be ready to dust off Riewoldt’s No.12 jumper come Round 1.
And then there’s backline buddies Dylan Roberton, who hasn’t played in 18 months, Jimmy Webster (eight games last year) and captain Jarryn Geary (five games last year).
Imagine the healthy competition for spots at pre-season, when players rock in and realise the talent they suddenly have to compete with?

The Round 1 team will be almost unrecognisable, and it needed to be.
New coach Brett Ratten wanted to rejuvenate the stale Saints and in the next three days that should become a reality.
A convoluted pick swap will accompany the Howard-Ryder transaction, while a package of picks will be presented to Fremantle for Hill, probably as Wednesday’s 7.30pm trade deadline draws near.
A second-round pick will secure Jones, and that’s where dealing Bruce could pay off.

Yes, the deals still need to be brokered. But how have things come this far?

Is it the rat cunning of Graeme “Gubby” Allen, who helped North Melbourne broker trades for Jared Polec, Jasper Pittard and Aaron Hall last year?
Or the Ned Flanders-like positivity of Ratten?
“He’s awesome,” Jack Billings told the Sunday Herald Sun on Brownlow night.
“His relationships with all the players and the way he sees the game — he’s got a really high footy IQ, which is important — and a really positive guy.”
What about new-age list manager James Gallagher? The modern man, so relatable to players and managers alike, has been a breath of fresh air.
The answer is all of the above. Throw in legends Billy Slater and Jarryd Roughead and the move away from Seaford and the Saints are on the brink of bringing sexy back.
All that’s left is to get the deals done.

SAM LANDSBERGER’S ST KILDA BEST 22 FOR ROUND 1, 2020
B: Dylan Roberton, Dougal Howard (NEW), Jimmy Webster
HB: Zak Jones (NEW), Jake Carlisle, Nick Coffield
C: Dan Hannebery, Jack Steele, Brad Hill (NEW)
HF: Jack Billings, Tim Membrey, Dean Kent
F: Paddy Ryder (NEW), Max King (DEBUT), Dan Butler (NEW)
R: Rowan Marshall, Jade Gresham, Seb Ross
Inter: Josh Battle, Ben Long, Jarryn Geary, Hunter Clark
Emerg: Jack Sinclair, Matt Parker, Callum Wilkie, Luke Dunstan
* If all five trades are completed and Jack Steven (Geelong) and Josh Bruce (Western Bulldogs) leave the club.

[chook23]

media hype.......overstating everything is the way for today's media

Really only one possible A grader ....Hill

We need real class....injection of 2-3

ie Martin/Dangerfield etc......

another Roo would be great but obviously not likely

[SaintPav]

Thanks for posting but I reckon at least 80% of posters on this site know more about football and the Saints than the likes of “journalists” like Sam Landsberger. I’ve read way much better quality analysis about the team on here.

Anyway, just like King’s comments on the Hill trade in the other thread, they have no bearing on anything.

[linmarnic]

Very positive article, thanks for posting. It sets the scene for an exiting few days leading up to the Wednesday deadline. I have never looked forward to a Monday as much for a very long time.

[st.byron]

Thanks for posting Oracle. It doesn’t really tell us anything we don’t already know. No info in there about how we might actually make it all happen. That’s what I want to know. How are we going to pull it off?

[BarryGrogan]

media hype.......overstating everything is the way for today's media

Really only one possible A grader ....Hill

We need real class....injection of 2-3

ie Martin/Dangerfield etc......

another Roo would be great but obviously not likely

But will bringing in Ryder facilitate Marshall elevating to A-Grade?

Will bringing in Jones to add to Hannebury, facilitate Billings becoming A-Grade?

Will a ruckman resting in the F50 fast track King's development to make him A-Grade sooner than hoped?

Will a leap into 7th or 8th spot make us a realistic destination for an A-Grade free agent next year?

[Ghost Like]

media hype.......overstating everything is the way for today's media

Really only one possible A grader ....Hill

We need real class....injection of 2-3

ie Martin/Dangerfield etc......

another Roo would be great but obviously not likely

But will bringing in Ryder facilitate Marshall elevating to A-Grade?

Will bringing in Jones to add to Hannebury, facilitate Billings becoming A-Grade?

Will a ruckman resting in the F50 fast track King's development to make him A-Grade sooner than hoped?

Will a leap into 7th or 8th spot make us a realistic destination for an A-Grade free agent next year?

Well said, some positivity there about what the club is trying to do. Very easy to label trades / players as GOPs & wishing for A graders without giving any hope as to how that's achieved without making realistic changes.

Some GOPs need a change to realise potential - god knows we need to change or challenge ours.

I like the fact they are trying to rejuvenate a list that has been mired in mediocrity for several years. Hill on his own won't turn it around but having several current AFL players of varying qualities wanting to be part of St Kilda might.

I look forward to having them all part of the club, getting a look at King & Bytel, the possible return of Roberton, Webster & Geary proving they belong in our best 22, a new coach keeping things simple by demanding basic skills be executed & watching from afar the further development of B. King.

[Secret Kiel]

Fantastic article in terms of promoting our club and generating some buz, Simon Lethlean is going to be the best recruit of our clubs history and who said adultery doesn't pay. We have real gravitas in our admin now and it shows. I've thought for long time now that this years and possibly next years trading period would be the most important in this current rebuild cycle, get it wrong and we reset to the start of another rebuild, get it right and we will sustain as a top 4 side for years to come. The club has really been steadily growing and improving since Peter Summers took over and the final pieces are coming together now. Still a long way to go until we add another cup to the trophy cabinet though but we are laying the best foundation possible to achieve that.

[freely]

Fantastic article in terms of promoting our club and generating some buz, Simon Lethlean is going to be the best recruit of our clubs history and who said adultery doesn't pay. We have real gravitas in our admin now and it shows. I've thought for long time now that this years and possibly next years trading period would be the most important in this current rebuild cycle, get it wrong and we reset to the start of another rebuild, get it right and we will sustain as a top 4 side for years to come. The club has really been steadily growing and improving since Peter Summers took over and the final pieces are coming together now. Still a long way to go until we add another cup to the trophy cabinet though but we are laying the best foundation possible to achieve that.

Hahaha. I think your secret's out.

[terry smith rules]

Will bringing in Jones to add to Hannebury, facilitate Billings becoming A-Grade?

Will a ruckman resting in the F50 fast track King's development to make him A-Grade sooner than hoped?

Hunter Clark in a few games at the end of 19 show that he has probably already gone past z Jones, so why is jones suddenly a catalyst

How about just having josh Bruce in the forward line , a proven forward mentoring king rather than a resting ruckman

[BarryGrogan]

Will bringing in Jones to add to Hannebury, facilitate Billings becoming A-Grade?

Will a ruckman resting in the F50 fast track King's development to make him A-Grade sooner than hoped?

Hunter Clark in a few games at the end of 19 show that he has probably already gone past z Jones, so why is jones suddenly a catalyst

How about just having josh Bruce in the forward line , a proven forward mentoring king rather than a resting ruckman

Because he will take some of the load off other guys. He wins his own ball, and breaks lines.

Doesn't matter if he's better as such, but that type of player brings players such as Billings into the game more.

[BarryGrogan]

Will bringing in Jones to add to Hannebury, facilitate Billings becoming A-Grade?

Will a ruckman resting in the F50 fast track King's development to make him A-Grade sooner than hoped?

Hunter Clark in a few games at the end of 19 show that he has probably already gone past z Jones, so why is jones suddenly a catalyst

How about just having josh Bruce in the forward line , a proven forward mentoring king rather than a resting ruckman

Although I'm not anti-Bruce, what exactly has he proven as a forward?

[prwilkinson]

Nice Sunday morning puff piece. See what happens I suppose.

[saintsRrising]

The club has really been steadily growing and improving since Peter Summers took over and the final pieces are coming together now.

I will give Summers getting us back to Moorabbin, but apart from that the stamp of his Presidency was treading water. Progress was glacial. Way too cautious and Richo was held onto way too long. Rubber stamping the Richo contract extension was a crucial mistake and the hallmark of his Presidency was not to rock the boat.

I think that Summers is a man of great integrity, but he made the huge mistake of backing the wrong people and in wanting to go slow. So loyal, but mistaken and we withered on the vine under his presidency.

He was though an improvement on Wasteaway who sent us backwards and who did enormous damage. So Summers was not handed a baton, but rather a ticking bomb.


I was I admit skeptical about Lethlean, but he does seem to be delivering the goods. The mistake our club made was not have him do a 100% review rather than having Richo exempted from it.

I suspect too that appointing Gubby last year just after the trade period looks to be bearing enormous fruit as I suspect that he has been crucial to progressing many of these players to choose us.

However we need to land Hill. Without Hill our acquisitions will as a group be quite vanilla. Though Howard does look to be an excellent prospect too.

[st.byron]

The club has really been steadily growing and improving since Peter Summers took over and the final pieces are coming together now.

I will give Summers getting us back to Moorabbin, but apart from that the stamp of his Presidency was treading water. Progress was glacial. Way too cautious and Richo was held onto way too long. Rubber stamping the Richo contract extension was a crucial mistake and the hallmark of his Presidency was not to rock the boat.

I think that Summers is a man of great integrity, but he made the huge mistake of backing the wrong people and in wanting to go slow. So loyal, but mistaken and we withered on the vine under his presidency.

He was though an improvement on Wasteaway who sent us backwards and who did enormous damage. So Summers was not handed a baton, but rather a ticking bomb.


I was I admit skeptical about Lethlean, but he does seem to be delivering the goods. The mistake our club made was not have him do a 100% review rather than having Richo exempted from it.

I suspect too that appointing Gubby last year just after the trade period looks to be bearing enormous fruit as I suspect that he has been crucial to progressing many of these players to choose us.

However we need to land Hill. Without Hill our acquisitions will as a group be quite vanilla. Though Howard does look to be an excellent prospect too.

Agree with you re Summers sRr. Extending Richardson's contract for as long as he was given was a big mistake.

Re Lethlean's review, in hindsight I think Richo was exempted from it purely because of dollars. Due to our level of debt, we were never going to sack Richo with a massive payout. I recall someone else posting on here that the day before Richo resigned they saw Lethlean and Richo walking along Linton Ave deep in conversation. It was pretty much as soon as it became watertight that we weren't going to make finals and the final year of Richo's contract would not be triggered that he was out the door. Agree that keeping him on for so long was no good for us, but the bottom line behind it was dollars.

[Sanctorum]

This is by far the best journalism I have read for years, it's worthy of a Walkley for Sam Landsberger and shows just how well he knows AFL and the St Kilda footy club - this article could not have been better if it was penned by the Saints' media manager!!

Just think how many readers of this report will look at the Saints differently and say to themselves: "this is a team that I want to support", instead of all of the negative stuff that journos have expressed about our team, it's really refreshing.

As for the naysayers, give us a break, the reality is that the club has embarked on a really aggressive and positive process to get our team back into contention for a 2nd flag, doesn't that deserve some praise??

As Landsberger states, every one of the experienced players that have decided they want to become Saints will make the team so much stronger, they obviously want to be coached by Brett Ratten and like what the club is doing on and off the field to achieve success.

[Secret Kiel]

The club has really been steadily growing and improving since Peter Summers took over and the final pieces are coming together now.

I will give Summers getting us back to Moorabbin, but apart from that the stamp of his Presidency was treading water. Progress was glacial. Way too cautious and Richo was held onto way too long. Rubber stamping the Richo contract extension was a crucial mistake and the hallmark of his Presidency was not to rock the boat.

I think that Summers is a man of great integrity, but he made the huge mistake of backing the wrong people and in wanting to go slow. So loyal, but mistaken and we withered on the vine under his presidency.

He was though an improvement on Wasteaway who sent us backwards and who did enormous damage. So Summers was not handed a baton, but rather a ticking bomb.


I was I admit skeptical about Lethlean, but he does seem to be delivering the goods. The mistake our club made was not have him do a 100% review rather than having Richo exempted from it.

I suspect too that appointing Gubby last year just after the trade period looks to be bearing enormous fruit as I suspect that he has been crucial to progressing many of these players to choose us.

However we need to land Hill. Without Hill our acquisitions will as a group be quite vanilla. Though Howard does look to be an excellent prospect too.

Incremental improvement is what we have seen since Peter Summers took over, he steadied the ship and steered us into calmer waters and better trading ports. People can nit pick till the cows come home about really small matters such as whether Richo was kept on too long or not but the fact of the matter is if we win a flag with this current build the work of Peter Summers and Alan Richardson will be credited. Having said that I suspect Richo's papers were stamped not long after Simon Lethlean got his feet under the desk and we may never know for sure but I'd also say Ratts was given a sneaky wink and a handshake about being the successor to Richo in a very nice and stable succession plan. Peter Summer and Alan Richardson were good for our club and certainly left in a better state than when they arrived but it's human nature for people to fixate on the negatives in life. It's now for others to finish off their good work and from all accounts it seems like we have the people in place to do just that. It's all positive.

Agree we need to land Hill but I don't think we here in fan land are the only ones that understand that, this trading period is probably the most crucial activity this club will undertake in over 20 years and arguably the clubs history. Get it right and it could produce a flag, get it wrong and we will be rebuilding from the basement again. It's that simple.

[desertsaint]

Kind of feel we are all overrating our potential trades.
yes Hill is handy, an elite winger, but hardly a kelly, heck, he's never even made the aa squad. way too overpriced given we don't have a fyfe to hand him the ball on a platter. he's worth that pick 12
and a steak knives player or a future second rounder, no more.
none of the others excite me at all. jones is average, howard maybe, ryder is simply a back up ruck, butler is depth at richmond, competition at the saints. nothing more.
The article is pure hyperbole. howard seems like the greatest prospect since...rhys stanley. the writer seems pretty clueless about our players - hannebury on a wing, kent in, he has webster in and wilkie out, roberton straight back in, and all prospects in the starting lineup. in other words anyone not playing last year is an automatic upgrade in his eyes.
sorry but i'm excited about possibly getting ben king next year, pleased about hill (if we even get him), and so-so about the others. and i'm still wondering who's going to play chf next year?

[groupie1]

He can't fit Nick Hind into the team?

[derby Street]

Kind of feel we are all overrating our potential trades.
yes Hill is handy, an elite winger, but hardly a kelly, heck, he's never even made the aa squad. way too overpriced given we don't have a fyfe to hand him the ball on a platter. he's worth that pick 12
and a steak knives player or a future second rounder, no more.
none of the others excite me at all. jones is average, howard maybe, ryder is simply a back up ruck, butler is depth at richmond, competition at the saints. nothing more.
The article is pure hyperbole. howard seems like the greatest prospect since...rhys stanley. the writer seems pretty clueless about our players - hannebury on a wing, kent in, he has webster in and wilkie out, roberton straight back in, and all prospects in the starting lineup. in other words anyone not playing last year is an automatic upgrade in his eyes.
sorry but i'm excited about possibly getting ben king next year, pleased about hill (if we even get him), and so-so about the others. and i'm still wondering who's going to play chf next year?

Jeeeezuuus - I don't know what you wanted the saints to do. Pull all this off and its a decided upgrade.

[freely]

Is it an upgrade without Hill? Only if you don't rate bruce or steven. The excitement seems to be based on how great it is that anyone wants to come to us rather than who it is that wants to come.

[desertsaint]

Kind of feel we are all overrating our potential trades.
yes Hill is handy, an elite winger, but hardly a kelly, heck, he's never even made the aa squad. way too overpriced given we don't have a fyfe to hand him the ball on a platter. he's worth that pick 12
and a steak knives player or a future second rounder, no more.
none of the others excite me at all. jones is average, howard maybe, ryder is simply a back up ruck, butler is depth at richmond, competition at the saints. nothing more.
The article is pure hyperbole. howard seems like the greatest prospect since...rhys stanley. the writer seems pretty clueless about our players - hannebury on a wing, kent in, he has webster in and wilkie out, roberton straight back in, and all prospects in the starting lineup. in other words anyone not playing last year is an automatic upgrade in his eyes.
sorry but i'm excited about possibly getting ben king next year, pleased about hill (if we even get him), and so-so about the others. and i'm still wondering who's going to play chf next year?

Jeeeezuuus - I don't know what you wanted the saints to do. Pull all this off and its a decided upgrade.

hill is an upgrade, howard possibly, but as said, we lose bruce and steven, so without hill it possibly isn't.

[To the top]

BG

You have hit the nail on the head

Look at the 2016 highlights package of Acres on another thread

He was hitting Riewoldt

Simply, post the departures of Fisher, Riewoldt, Montagna and Dempster the kids we have Drafted from the Draft that gave us Billings, Dunstan and Acres have been left to fend for themselves absent any experienced class

Geary was the Captain - so enough said

Put some class around these kids and those high Draft Picks since that Draft and you have a significantly different equation

The side from the illegal phone tapper media has Membrey at CHF - and includes the likes of Webster, Kent, Geary who hopefully will find themselves at Sandringham

Plus given Billings, Gresham and Long, Butler is depth (and why given Lonie, Hind, Parker, Kent, Young et al?)

[To the top]

And just to add to the demographics of any side, Fyffe was BOG v us at Docklands, fed as he was by Sandilands who is now retired

Sandilands contributed significantly to what we saw from Fyffe

What we also saw in that game was the first 20 minutes until injured by Coffield, simply outstanding plus we had Clark equally outstanding both in defence

You looked at that game and thought “bring it on” plus just how good was Sandilands, an absolute freak of a footballer

Ryder and Marshall will not be comprehensively cleaned up by Sandilands in the future

[The Fireman]

The club has really been steadily growing and improving since Peter Summers took over and the final pieces are coming together now.

I will give Summers getting us back to Moorabbin, but apart from that the stamp of his Presidency was treading water. Progress was glacial. Way too cautious and Richo was held onto way too long. Rubber stamping the Richo contract extension was a crucial mistake and the hallmark of his Presidency was not to rock the boat.

I think that Summers is a man of great integrity, but he made the huge mistake of backing the wrong people and in wanting to go slow. So loyal, but mistaken and we withered on the vine under his presidency.

He was though an improvement on Wasteaway who sent us backwards and who did enormous damage. So Summers was not handed a baton, but rather a ticking bomb.


I was I admit skeptical about Lethlean, but he does seem to be delivering the goods. The mistake our club made was not have him do a 100% review rather than having Richo exempted from it.

I suspect too that appointing Gubby last year just after the trade period looks to be bearing enormous fruit as I suspect that he has been crucial to progressing many of these players to choose us.

However we need to land Hill. Without Hill our acquisitions will as a group be quite vanilla. Though Howard does look to be an excellent prospect too.

Incremental improvement is what we have seen since Peter Summers took over, he steadied the ship and steered us into calmer waters and better trading ports. People can nit pick till the cows come home about really small matters such as whether Richo was kept on too long or not but the fact of the matter is if we win a flag with this current build the work of Peter Summers and Alan Richardson will be credited. Having said that I suspect Richo's papers were stamped not long after Simon Lethlean got his feet under the desk and we may never know for sure but I'd also say Ratts was given a sneaky wink and a handshake about being the successor to Richo in a very nice and stable succession plan. Peter Summer and Alan Richardson were good for our club and certainly left in a better state than when they arrived but it's human nature for people to fixate on the negatives in life. It's now for others to finish off their good work and from all accounts it seems like we have the people in place to do just that. It's all positive.

Agree we need to land Hill but I don't think we here in fan land are the only ones that understand that, this trading period is probably the most crucial activity this club will undertake in over 20 years and arguably the clubs history. Get it right and it could produce a flag, get it wrong and we will be rebuilding from the basement again. It's that simple.

So let me get this right.....if the club gets it right we will be cruising..if we get it wrong we won't be ? you sound very much like another poster on here.