THE last time St Kilda had two players nominated for the Rising Star award in the same year was at the beginning of a golden period in which the club won at least 11 games in ten successive seasons.

In 2003 Luke Ball (round two), Brendon Goddard (round seven) and Leigh Montagna (round 20) were all nominated for the award that was eventually won by Hawthorn midfielder Sam Mitchell.

In the decade since, the Saints have had just five nominations with a core group of experienced players driving the club agonisingly close to a premiership and into three Grand Finals.  

But now with the playing list rebuilding under the watchful eyes of Ameet Bains and Chris Pelchen, the push for youth is the strongest it’s been since the early 2000s.

In round one, Luke Dunstan was nominated for his 21-disposal, seven-tackle performance in St Kilda’s 17-point win over Melbourne.

RELATED: Dunstan a rising star

While Billings also debuted in this game, he had minimal impact after beginning the match as a sub.

In the three months since, it’s been a far from easy journey for the talented teenager, who spent much of the 2013 season on the sidelines due to a knee injury and was in and out of rehab over the summer with various complaints.

Dropped back to the VFL, Billings was a handy contributor initially, until his match fitness improved to the point where he was able to run out games and have an impact for four, rather than two, quarters.
Everything clicked against Frankston in the VFL on April 5, when he booted four last-term goals and helped Sandringham to a hard-fought 20-point win.

“He’s very coachable, Jack,” Development coach Paul Hudson said after the game.

“He’s getting better each week and is learning the defensive side of the game all the time.”

From that point on, Billings has been a regular fixture in the senior side, and was even nominated for the AFL’s goal of the year for his long-distance effort against Essendon in round five.


The moment Jack became a Saint.


Billings has now played 10 league games, been the sub twice, and gathered 15 or more disposals in seven of them.

Yet his consistency does not just reflect this quantitative analysis, rather it’s the quality of his possessions that separates him from not just his peers, but the majority of the competition.

In a match where the Saints average disposal efficiency was 70 per cent, Billings went at 100 per cent for his 25 touches against the Eagles on Sunday. In addition to this, the left-footer pumped the ball inside 50 on six occasions, registered four rebound 50s, booted three first-quarter goals and finished with two score assists.

Where previously Billings had given St Kilda fans glimpses of his precocious talents, this was the day in which he demonstrated his prodigious abilities for the entire 120 minutes. 
A more complete game from an 18-year-old, especially in a loss, would be extremely difficult to find.

Alan Richardson has played 39 players in his first year as Saints coach, and had Eli Templeton not broken his arm on Anzac Day the club may well have already celebrated another Rising Star nomination.

Indeed the experienced heads of Lenny Hayes and company warms the heart and evokes a sense of nostalgia among those who’ve seen it all before, but nothing quite excites the everyday fan as much as an up-and-coming champion like Jack Billings or Luke Dunstan – St Kilda’s two Rising Star nominees for 2014.

VIDEO: Dunstan, Templeton and Billings to debut

Complete list of ST KILDA RISING STAR NOMINATIONS:
1993
Peter Everitt
Brodie Atkinson

1994
Shane Wakelin

1995
Austinn Jones
Joel Smith

1999
Lenny Hayes

2000
Brett Moyle

2001
James Begley
Caydn Beetham
Justin Koschitzke

2002
Nick Riewoldt
Xavier Clarke

2003
Luke Ball
Brendon Goddard
Leigh Montagna

2005
Raphael Clarke

2007
Sam Gilbert

2009
Jarryn Geary

2011
Jack Steven

2012
Arryn Siposs

2014
Luke Dunstan
Jack Billings