As we put the bye behind us, and turn for home at 5-7, saints.com.au has dissected the first half of 2016 and identified five players who would be up the pointy end of the Trevor Barker Award at halfway.
Jack Steven
Dual Trevor Barker Award winner Jack Steven has once again set the pace across the opening half of the season with a handful of standout performances. In particular, the 25-year-old speedster’s last month has been right out of the top drawer, forcing many football pundits to stand up and take notice as he has rapidly entered All Australian calculations. And with a few best on ground performances already in the bank with at least ten games to go, could the boy from Lorne be set for a third St Kilda best and fairest? Rare territory if so, given he would be just the tenth player in the clubs history to be a triple club champion.
Stats:
28. 8 possessions (No. 10 in AFL), 12.2 contested possessions (No. 17), 6.3 tackles, 5.9 clearances (No. 13), 5.3 inside 50s, 24.1 pressure acts (No. 3) and 409.7 metres gained.
Key performances:
Round 3 v Collingwood – 30 possessions, six tackles, six inside 50s, five inside 50s and three goals.
Round 9 v Essendon – 40 possessions (16 contested), 10 clearances and nine inside 50.
Round 10 v Fremantle – 32 possessions at 87.5 per cent, nine tackles, six clearances and five inside 50s.
Round 12 v Carlton – 25 possessions, 10 inside 50s, nine tackles, six goal assists and three goals.
Nick Riewoldt
Champion centre-half forward Nick Riewoldt has reinvented himself on the wing this season, while still pushing forward at crucial times to tick the scoreboard over. The Saints skipper has acquired more leather than at any other point in his illustrious career, relishing the opportunity to spend more time higher up the ground. At 33, the end is clearly closer than the start, but on the back of his stunning first half of the year, the six-time Trevor Barker Award winner recently inked a new deal, extending his time at the Saints into a seventeenth season.
Stats:
20.3 possessions (career-high), 10.4 marks (No. 1 in AFL), 3.5 inside 50s and 21.9.
Key performances:
Round 5 v GWS Giants – 25 possessions (10 contested), 11 marks, four goals and four clearances.
Round 6 v Melbourne – 24 possessions, 14 marks, seven inside 50s and three goals.
Round 7 v North Melbourne – 24 possessions, 16 marks (four contested), five inside 50s and three goals.
Seb Ross
After an injury interrupted 2015, emerging midfielder Seb Ross has taken the significant step forward that club insiders thought he would take last season, before a severe hamstring injury ruined the start of his season. The inside onballer has boosted his outside capacity, getting his hands on far more ball this season to become an integral part of St Kilda’s engine room. After never acquiring more than 28 touches in a game prior to this season, Ross has done that on six occasions already in 2016, including five hauls of 30 or more. Of the emerging brigade of Ross, Jack Newnes, Luke Dunstan and Jack Billings, the 23-year-old has been the pick of the bunch across the first nine holes of 2016.
Stats:
26.6 possessions (career-high), 8.3 contested possessions, 4.7 inside 50s, 4.6 tackles and 4.2 clearances.
Key performances:
Round 8 v West Coast – 31 possessions (10 contested), eight tackles and five inside 50s.
Round 9 v Essendon – 37 possessions (16 contested), 11 marks, eight clearances and six inside 50s.
Round 12 v Carlton – 33 possessions (eight contested), four inside 50s and three clearances.
Leigh Montagna
Much like his captain, age refuses to weary Leigh Montagna. The decorated midfielder has transitioned into a full-time half-back flanker, and with devastating effect thus far. With his class and polish, the two-time All Australian has become St Kilda’s ball movement architect, orchestrating defence into attack from the last line of defence. The 32-year-old has played every game so far this season, racking up plenty of touches backwards of centre to continue his stellar career into the twilight zone.
Stats:
27.2 possessions (No. 2 at St Kilda), 20.6 possessions (No. 5 in the AFL), 3.7 inside 50s and 532.2 metres gained (No. 5 in the AFL).
Key performances:
Round 2 v Western Bulldogs – 31 possessions at 80.6 per cent and four inside 50s.
Round 3 v Collingwood – 40 possessions at 82.5 per cent, 745 metres gained, 14 marks and seven inside 50s.
Round 7 v North Melbourne – 34 possessions at 85.3 per cent, 654.7 metres gained and four rebound 50s.
Tom Hickey
Along with Seb Ross, Tom Hickey is one of the most improved players at St Kilda. After playing second fiddle to Billy Longer last season and never previously managing more than 12 games in a year, Hickey has grasped the No. 1 ruck mantle at Linen House Centre in the first half and flourished with the added responsibility. Starting at Adelaide Oval in Round 1, the former Gold Coast Suns ruckman has become an integral fixture in St Kilda’s midfield department.
Stats:
29.8 hitouts (No. 9 in the AFL), 9.8 hitouts to advantage (No. 7 in the AFL), 12.8 possessions, 3.7 clearances and 3.4 tackles.
Key performances:
Round 1 v Port Adelaide – 56 hitouts, 20 possessions (13 contested), six clearances and four rebound 50s.
Round 6 v Melbourne – 36 hitouts, 13 possessions (12 contested) and three tackles.
Round 12 v Carlton – 32 hitouts, 16 possessions (12 contested), seven clearances, four tackles and three inside 50s).
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Others:
Star midfielder David Armitage hasn’t quite reached his career-best heights of last season just yet, but he has still continued to be a crucial component of St Kilda’s midfield make-up. Stalwart defender Sean Dempster always features at the pointy end of the Trevor Barker Award, having finished on the podium in four of the last five counts, and once again, the backman has continued to perform on a consistent basis. While rebounding defender Shane Savage has followed up his breakout 2015 campaign with an even better start to this season, becoming a vital part of St Kilda’s ball movement chain.
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