How far off are we?

[Wayne42]

Isn’t crouch and or Jones any good?!

Add to that
Gresham
Clark
Bytel
Ross
Billings
Hannebery

No doubt they are both good players. Are they elite is the question. Look, I think our midfield depth - at full strength - is pretty good, to be honest. The problem has been getting them on the park

I'm with you bigcarl, when everyone is fully fit and they're at their peak St Kilda's midfield is not far off the pace - in addition to Steele, Crouch is close to elite and Jones is an absolute bull with plenty of dash. Develop Clark in the pre-season to play midfield, add Gresham to that mix and we have a bloody strong group to win a majority of clearances.

Sharman is a younger and taller version of Melbourne sharpshooter Fritsch capable of a 50 goals season which gives the opportunity for Membrey to play behind the ball at CHB if required.

Max Heath is the Joker in the pack, I expect him to be a fast developer like Melbourne's young Luke Jackson (already played 30 games at 19 in just his 2nd season), only bigger!

On this basis St Kilda is not far off at all......

I’m with you. We need some luck as Melbourne had this year … and a good start to the season is crucial.

Can we win one over the next few seasons? Well if a club in my lifetime as hopeless as Melbourne can, then of course we can!

The Bulldogs were hopeless for my entire lifetime until 2016, Melbourne not much better, as for the Saints, no team gets a turn at it, they have to achieve it.

Let's see what the Saints can do over the next couple of years.

[The Fireman]

The Bulldogs were hopeless for my entire lifetime until 2016, Melbourne not much better, as for the Saints, no team gets a turn at it, they have to achieve it.

Let's see what the Saints can do over the next couple of years.

spot on

[B.M]

In my lifetime

The dogs made finals under

Malthouse in the 80s

Beat us in a final in 92

Played in
2 Prelims under Wallace in the 90s
2 prelims under Eade in the 00s

They haven’t always be s***…

[bigcarl]

Any chance we can settle Battle at CHB now? He was tracking pretty well there at one stage before we had to throw him all over the place to try to shore up structural issues.

Or perhaps the club has someone not yet on the list for the position?

You need to be a fairly big unit to hold down that spot and I think some of the other options currently on the list - while good players - may not be quite there size/strength wise.

Thoughts?

[older saint]

Any chance we can settle Battle at CHB now? He was tracking pretty well there at one stage before we had to throw him all over the place to try to shore up structural issues.

Or perhaps the club has someone not yet on the list for the position?

You need to be a fairly big unit to hold down that spot and I think some of the other options currently on the list - while good players - may not be quite there size/strength wise.

Thoughts?

I cant see where else he fits

[B.M]

Battle at 193/92 is not at all big key position wise. He is strong overhead.

CHB is not really a position nowadays

They tend to look at 2 deep talls i50 maybe a hybrid and the smalls.

Ratten is very happy with Wilkie as the second tall, and Highmore at 3
Leaving Webster, Sinclair, Hill and Coffield to round out the 7

Personally I’d prefer Another tall down there - Talia
Howard as a #2

Also prefer Hill to get back on a wing and do what he was recruited to do

[asiu]

how about the suggestion
of sending Members down back ?

[CQ SAINT]

how about the suggestion
of sending Members down back ?

He already does that but he is a 7th. Wouldn't be as effective as no.1 or no.2

[B.M]

There’s a big difference to going behind the footy as a loose toward the end of a quarter and actually playing on a forward as a key defender.

Membrey is and always has been a medium sized marking forward.

[Wayne42]

It's interesting that the Saints have enquired about Port's Tom Clurey.

A 193cm, 95kg Key Defender.

There's that 193cm player again. The thinking amongst FANS appears to be different to what it is in AFL circles, which is hardly surprising.

[SinCitySainter]

I don't think Battle can be a permanent CHB as the key requirement for the key defenders now is closing speed.
He is ponderously slow and has the turning circle of the Queen Mary.
Yes, he reads the game well but if you don't have the pace to get to a contest that doesn't really help.
I quite like Battle but he is a classic third tall either forward or back and we have better in both those positions.

[bigcarl]

CHB is not really a position nowadays

I get that. Call it a second key defender if you want. I just call it that for the sake of tradition and simplicity.

Personally I’d prefer Another tall down there

Tend to agree. Will have to be an outsider because we don’t really have one. Battle is probably the closest in terms of size/strength.