How Well Did We Do?

[damienc]

How well did we do?

It’s a question you naturally ask at the end of any trade and draft periods.

In 2023 I’m in no doubt the answer is extremely well.

Our plan was completely transparent. To use both opportunities to fundamentally re shape our playing list. And we have.

The priority was speed and endurance with a little bit of X factor for good measure.

During trade we recruited Paddy Dow, a player that the Saints hierarchy believe is capable of so much more than he ever showed for Carlton. A player they hope will cement his place as an inside mid who will give us first use. Dow is also strong and quick.

Liam Henry a young midfielder who showed plenty for Freo. Good footy nous, good skills, upside and should continue to improve at the Saints.

All of the kids we recruited in the draft have speed, endurance, athleticism and unique skills.

Darcy Wilson reminds me of a young Josh Kelly. Lance Collard again super quick, tested super well at the combine has genuine X factor. Hastie a super quick rebounding defender who likes to launch attacks and take the game on.

And finally Schoenmaker. An absolute steal at pick 62. Really glad we took this kid. I’m sure some clubs were put off by his alcohol indiscretion that got him banned for 10 weeks. He learned his lesson, starred for the allies after serving his suspension and let his footy do the talking. He is also a prodigious kick. Some of you might remember Bernie Quinlan if you’re as old as me. This kid can really roost a footy just like Bernie.

I don’t know how many if any of the draft kids will play in season 2024. I hope some or all. But they all bring something we need and didn’t have. For that reason alone we have reason to be excited.

SOS and the team did good.

[Saints58]

How well did we do?

It’s a question you naturally ask at the end of any trade and draft periods.

In 2023 I’m in no doubt the answer is extremely well.

Our plan was completely transparent. To use both opportunities to fundamentally re shape our playing list. And we have.

The priority was speed and endurance with a little bit of X factor for good measure.

During trade we recruited Paddy Dow, a player that the Saints hierarchy believe is capable of so much more than he ever showed for Carlton. A player they hope will cement his place as an inside mid who will give us first use. Dow is also strong and quick.

Liam Henry a young midfielder who showed plenty for Freo. Good footy nous, good skills, upside and should continue to improve at the Saints.

All of the kids we recruited in the draft have speed, endurance, athleticism and unique skills.

Darcy Wilson reminds me of a young Josh Kelly. Lance Collard again super quick, tested super well at the combine has genuine X factor. Hastie a super quick rebounding defender who likes to launch attacks and take the game on.

And finally Schoenmaker. An absolute steal at pick 62. Really glad we took this kid. I’m sure some clubs were put off by his alcohol indiscretion that got him banned for 10 weeks. He learned his lesson, starred for the allies after serving his suspension and let his footy do the talking. He is also a prodigious kick. Some of you might remember Bernie Quinlan if you’re as old as me. This kid can really roost a footy just like Bernie.

I don’t know how many if any of the draft kids will play in season 2024. I hope some or all. But they all bring something we need and didn’t have. For that reason alone we have reason to be excited.

SOS and the team did good.











didn't we also draft Hugo Garcia at pick 50?

[Banger9798]

We got a Darcy, a Lance, an Arie, an Angus and a Hugo....

Good names

[TheGreatZacsby]

We got a Darcy, a Lance, an Arie, an Angus and a Hugo....

Good names

No bloody Jacks for once!

[damienc]

How well did we do?

It’s a question you naturally ask at the end of any trade and draft periods.

In 2023 I’m in no doubt the answer is extremely well.

Our plan was completely transparent. To use both opportunities to fundamentally re shape our playing list. And we have.

The priority was speed and endurance with a little bit of X factor for good measure.

During trade we recruited Paddy Dow, a player that the Saints hierarchy believe is capable of so much more than he ever showed for Carlton. A player they hope will cement his place as an inside mid who will give us first use. Dow is also strong and quick.

Liam Henry a young midfielder who showed plenty for Freo. Good footy nous, good skills, upside and should continue to improve at the Saints.

All of the kids we recruited in the draft have speed, endurance, athleticism and unique skills.

Darcy Wilson reminds me of a young Josh Kelly. Lance Collard again super quick, tested super well at the combine has genuine X factor. Hastie a super quick rebounding defender who likes to launch attacks and take the game on.

And finally Schoenmaker. An absolute steal at pick 62. Really glad we took this kid. I’m sure some clubs were put off by his alcohol indiscretion that got him banned for 10 weeks. He learned his lesson, starred for the allies after serving his suspension and let his footy do the talking. He is also a prodigious kick. Some of you might remember Bernie Quinlan if you’re as old as me. This kid can really roost a footy just like Bernie.

I don’t know how many if any of the draft kids will play in season 2024. I hope some or all. But they all bring something we need and didn’t have. For that reason alone we have reason to be excited.

SOS and the team did good.











didn't we also draft Hugo Garcia at pick 50?

Yes. I did. Apologies. Couldn’t find much on him. Midfielder from the Calder Cannons. Versatile type with upside is how he was described. A work in progress.

[D.B.Cooper]

We’ve all been excited then disappointed over the years.

The Clark/ Coffield draft, the Dunstan/ Acres draft to name a couple that looked promising but went pear shaped.

What I like about this crop is we got a couple of genuine sliders who (from what I’d read) could have gone higher in Wilson & Schoenmaker and brought in speed, agility and endurance across the range of picks.

IMO we are playing a strategy and even if it doesn’t work, we are not just fumbling around without direction with our drafting.

I feel we are getting ready for a big fish free agent next year, I wonder if it is B.King?

[cwrcyn]

Darcy Wilson: Class. Could have gone top dozen. Running machine. Neat skills. Just what we need in the midfield. Will likely player seniors earlier rather than later.

Lance Collard: This could be boom or bust. Speed, agility, goal sense, but can he settle into life away from home? It's a 50/50 call. High risk/high reward pick.

Angus Hastie: Very good selection. Plays like Darcy Wilmott from Brisbane. Speed, agility, takes the game on, and neat disposal.

Hugo Garcia: Who knows? Interesting that we would trade a future third rounder to get this guy, considering it's a speculative pick.

Arie Schoenmaker: 194cm but not really a key defender. A player who's had issues, whose character has been questioned. Rated by some, not by others. At pick 62, a risk worth taking from a talent perspective.


Who did we miss out on?

Cooper Simpson. It would have meant passing on Angus Hastie, so perhaps a line ball decision. I'll back Chris Toce, given his recent record, but I think Freo were thrilled to get Simpson.



As always, the proof is in the pudding, and no doubt at least a couple of these guys won't make it. I'm backing Wilson and Hastie to be the ones who will still be at the club and thriving in 5 year's time.

[Beno88]

I was most impressed by our trading over the last two nights.

Trading our 2024 R3 pick (received from Melb for Billings) to Melbourne for pick 42 allowed us to package 40 & 42 to Gold Coast for 27. Clever trading given GC weren't going to use 27, they just needed the equivalent points. This gave us access to Angus Hastie at 33 (27 slid to 33) when he almost certainly would've been gone by pick 46 (40 sliding to 46).

Then we cleverly pounced on GWS' desire to get James Leake, bluffing that we may take him to ensure a one pick slide (17 to 18) in return for GWS' 2024 R2 pick. Essentially a top 40 pick for nothing and we still had access to Darcy Wilson.

Finally, to ensure we had access to Hugo Gracia, we parted ways with another 2024 R3 pick (received from Carlton in the Coffield trade) to grab GWS' pick 50. Effectively moving us forward 12 spots (and 12 months). SOS utilizing his old GWS connections very well.

At the end of the day we've picked up three players forecast to go inside the top 30 (Wilson, Collard & Schoenmaker), two more well rated players that fill a need (Hastie & Gracia) and we gain a 2024 R2 pick for the loss of two 2024 R3 picks (but we still hold our own 2024 R3 pick). This puts us back into the 2024 draft second round after trading out of it for Liam Henry. Incredibly, that trade washes out as Liam Henry for Jack Billings + 2024 R4 + A one spot drop in 2023 R1.

Superb trading and drafting to ensure we maximized the 2023 trade period and draft without compromising 2024.

[Banger9798]

Garcia is the one that interests me.
I hadn't heard of him at all, and yet we traded F3 to get him, seemed odd.
I wonder whether it was the completion of a deal with GWS that we would trade a third back for the second they traded to get Leakie?

[George27]

With all the academy stuff, the first round went for 29 ( or so ) picks. If that is replicated next year, and if we finish mid table, our 3rd rounder is mid 50s. We thus have not given up much.. a bird in the hand…

[Beno88]

Garcia is the one that interests me.
I hadn't heard of him at all, and yet we traded F3 to get him, seemed odd.
I wonder whether it was the completion of a deal with GWS that we would trade a third back for the second they traded to get Leakie?

We had three 2024 R3 picks, we were never going to use them all in next year's draft, so they brought one forward 12 months.

[B.M]

We did very well

We landed
Darcy Wilson - high half forward/wing/mid
High production runner
Lance Collard - small forward
Dangerous around goal
Angus Hastie - Half Back
Speedy running back with skill
Hugo Garcia - forward/mid
Don’t know much about him - obviously good defensively
Arie Schoenmaker - HB/3rd tall defender
Tall intercept defender with huge left foot.
Liam O’Connell - Half Forward
Project player/Good athlete

[samoht]

Roberton was pick 49, I know Shoenmaker has big shoes to fill, but he's a shoemaker by name - he can make his own shoes.

[skeptic]

Fingers crossed but it feels like we’ve done alright the last 2 drafts.

Feel like we’ve been assembling a decent core quietly over a few years

[Yorkeys]

In regards to a diverse, deep talent pool: Excellent.

In regards to ethnic diversity: Excellent.

In regards to attracting new members from the communities of all our draft picks: Excellent.

Making supporters happy for a while: Excellent.

(Can you imagine the dismay of the Eagles supporters when young Reid fronted for photos wearing bright yellow elevator crocs and long socks.)

[Saintmatt]

We’ve all been excited then disappointed over the years.

The Clark/ Coffield draft, the Dunstan/ Acres draft to name a couple that looked promising but went pear shaped.

What I like about this crop is we got a couple of genuine sliders who (from what I’d read) could have gone higher in Wilson & Schoenmaker and brought in speed, agility and endurance across the range of picks.

IMO we are playing a strategy and even if it doesn’t work, we are not just fumbling around without direction with our drafting.

I feel we are getting ready for a big fish free agent next year, I wonder if it is B.King?

I remember never being excited about the Acres / Dunstan draft. Never. Even less so after they started actually playing. Mainly because I knew both of them combined would never be as good as McEvoy was at that stage ... let alone what the Dawks would turn him into. What a fu£king debacle. And we got the sooky version of Shane Savage as part of it just for added shizzles.

Absolutely low point in the last 10 years that was.

[Vortex]

I feel we are getting ready for a big fish free agent next year, I wonder if it is B.King?

I must admit Gold Coast’s first selection did pique my interest and cause me to muse over the question WHY and if it is an insurance policy?

[Saintmatt]

Fingers crossed but it feels like we’ve done alright the last 2 drafts.

Feel like we’ve been assembling a decent core quietly over a few years

We've done exceedingly well in the last 3 drafts. The NWM7 / Owens / Windy draft was the true start of the rebuild. We need one of Hotton or Van Es to kick on to A Grade status with Phillipou from last year.

[bobmurray]

I feel we are getting ready for a big fish free agent next year, I wonder if it is B.King?

I must admit Gold Coast’s first selection did pique my interest and cause me to muse over the question WHY and if it is an insurance policy?

It was tipped in the media that Bing will soon re-sign with the Suns. I think they drafted Walter so that they'd have 2 decent Key forwards.
Walter may also be insurance for an injury prone King.

[theoracle]

ESPN thinks we did well:

"It's a group of players taken with upside in mind, and the Saints will be thrilled to have pulled off selections for sliders in this year's pool. St Kilda traded back one selection and banked a future second-rounder on night one before taking hard-running wingman Darcy Wilson. The Bushranger loves a chase down tackle and kicks a lot of goals, suiting Ross Lyon's run-and-gun system to a tee. The Saints then brought in small forward Lance Collard who offers one of the highest ceilings in the class. He's a smooth-mover who kicked 10 goals in his final two games in the WAFL Colts, bringing elite goal nous to go with dynamism with ball in hand. Collard blitzed the combine's speed and agility tests, and on the field offers shades of Shai Bolton, but some clubs had doubts on his willingness to move interstate. Speedy Falcons halfback Angus Hastie was the choice in the second round, while the athletic profile and clean hands of Hugo Garcia appealed as a point of difference on-baller to develop. Finally, Arie Schoenmaker could prove the steal of the draft at pick 62. The Tasmanian has one of the best kicks to come through the draft in recent years and ended the season on fire for the Devils. The Saints could look back on this bold haul of high-upside prospects as the catalyst for something special.
Grade: A+"

[saynta]

Rating A -

[Saintmike65]

We got a Darcy, a Lance, an Arie, an Angus and a Hugo....

Good names

No bloody Jacks for once!

Liam’s the new Jack!!

[B.M]

Keeler is the one with the high ceiling

Or could be a bust

[magnifisaint]

Fox Sports reckons B+

[D.B.Cooper]

I feel we are getting ready for a big fish free agent next year, I wonder if it is B.King?

I must admit Gold Coast’s first selection did pique my interest and cause me to muse over the question WHY and if it is an insurance policy?

I think it is more that the 2nd best player in the draft was an academy member than strategic for a BK replacement.