Options?

[To the top]

We all know what we want to see from St Kilda on the park, week in and week out.

To list the deficiencies is stating the obvious, and these deficiencies have been the case for St Kilda except for 10 rounds of footy in 2004.

Excuses of 6 days vs. 8 days (and a tough physical encounter against Port Adelaide who also wilted today) can be made, but the deficiencies with St Kilda have been around for just too long - in fact, for our history.

Is it the culture, the adulation of players or is it the coaching (history would dictate "No") or is it the players?

Are the following players up to standard :-

Fiora, Schnieder (despite his 3 goals), McQualter, Jones, Geary, Gwilt (position?), Geary, Blake, Koschitzke (position), Eddy, Dempster, Milne (despite his 2 goals a game, which he achieved tonight) and King (without M. Gardiner in the side to give him 50% game time)?

And given they are not, who replaces them?

Because that is near half our team - allowing for Gwilt (defence) and Koschitzke (ruck and full forward) being played out of position and King needing the support of M. Gardiner.

We can not turn over that many players in one Draft, no matter how ordinary they are and how much pressure they place on our upper echelon players to deliver a result.

We are at that juncture when the old adage at Footy Clubs comes to the fore - "You can not afford to fall in love with any player".

Granted there are the Riewoldt's and then there are the Sam Fisher's who you look to build around, the foundation stones you require.

Past that the most effective and precise disposer of the ball (and winner of the ball to boot) St Kilda FC has is to retire at the end of this year.

So where does that leave us?

Particularly with a trip to the vast expanses of Subiaco coming up next week.

And 2009 and onwards to consider.

Over half our team were passengers tonight (once again) yet we got within a couple of goals (acknowledging Collingwood are as ordinary as their Board decisions are - Play School standard).

[Teflon]

Its hard decision time for some "superstars" for mine.......IF we are ever gonna win a flag we gotta be tough minded about the type of player we need to take our club fwd - we have to many front runners and players that need a "cause" to get them excited to play. Thats not acceptable.

[go saintz]

Steele Sidebottom, Jack Ziebel, Tom Hurley or Hamish Hartlett with our first pick.