New midfielder Steele's the show
While Josh Bruce put on a clinic inside 50, off-season acquisition Jack Steele stole the show through the middle of the ground in his second appearance, after crossing from the Giants in exchange for a future second-round pick. The hard nut was one of the more influential players on the ground in St Kilda’s 92-point win over Carlton, finishing with 25 possessions (13 contested), eight tackles (game-high) and two goals. With former Western Bulldogs onballer Koby Stevens also making an impact with 19 disposals and six tackles, the Saints engine room bats deeper than it did last season and has more grunt with the inclusion of those two. Last week it was all about new faces Jake Carlisle and Nathan Brown in defence, this week it was this midfield pairs turn to put their best foot forward ahead of Round 1.
Bruce raring to go after standout day at Ikon Park
Josh Bruce did it all at Ikon Park. He hauled in huge grabs. He kicked a big bag of goals. And he ran and harassed opposition defenders. After the star forward booted 7.1 from nine marks – seven from taken inside 50 – Aaron Hamill told reporters that he was equally as impressed with the defensive side of Bruce’s game. Opposed to Blues rising star, Jacob Weitering, the pillar of their defence, Bruce stamped his intentions for 2017. After producing a breakout season in 2015 with 50 goals, the former Giants defender followed it up with 38 last year but appears determined to head north of that mark in 2017. And then there was Paddy McCartin. Bruce’s partner in crime played higher up the ground where he flaunted his new running capacity, hauling in a game-high 12 marks and launched several bombs from across half-forward. It wasn’t a bad day for two of the Saints' attacking weapons.
Bigger, better, stronger
St Kilda’s evolving engine room flexed their collective muscle on Saturday afternoon and showed one area where they might make significant inroads in 2017 as the club look to return to September action. While the impact of Steele and Stevens has been detailed above, alongside the likes of David Armitage, Luke Dunstan, Blake Acres, Seb Ross and Jack Steven, St Kilda’s midfield packs some serious punch. At the Blues' headquarters on Saturday, St Kilda dominated all facets of the midfield battle, comprehensively winning contested ball (+26), clearances (+14), inside 50s (+32) and tackles (+22). On the outside, Jack Billings was all class as he looks to make a wing his home this season. The highly rated 21-year-old accumulated a game-high 30 disposals and eight scoring chains, where his classy ball use cut the Blues apart on their own deck. With a star-studded Sydney midfield test awaiting on Sunday night, the Saints will get to test themselves against one of the best onball divisions in the game ahead of Round 1.
Selection conundrum looming ahead of Round 1
There are now only 19 days until the Saints open their season against Melbourne at Etihad Stadium. Only one practice match remains between now and then before Alan Richardson and the match committee name their first 22 for 2017. As it stands right now, with a near full list to choose from, Round 1 selection will take quite some time to resolve. Clearly, it’s a good problem to have with competition for spots as fierce as it has ever been in the last handful of years. While the key posts in attack and defence appear set, there are plenty of players around them fighting for only a few spots. Up forward, Jack Lonie, Jack Sinclair, Nathan Wright, Darren Minchington and Ben Long, who got off to a bright start to his career on Saturday, are all competing for a couple of roles. At the other end Bailey Rice put his hat in the ring for an early season debut, but with Daniel McKenzie and Jimmy Webster also in contention, there isn’t room for everyone. There is set to be a lot of unlucky players come Round 1.
