He might end up as a permanent midfielder, but right now Jack Billings is too valuable closer to goal to play anywhere else, according to St Kilda Coach Alan Richardson.
The 21-year-old followed up the best performance of his career last week – five goals from 30 disposals and 568 metres gained – with another eye-catching display against Sydney at Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
This time, Billings set a new personal best with 32 disposals, eight score involvements and five rebound 50s, taking his average disposal haul across the last six weeks to just over 25 per game.
“It’s a great question [where he is best suited]. I reckon we’ve probably tried a little bit too early to turn him into a midfielder; he’s a very special forward,” Richardson said on The Sunday Footy Show after St Kilda’s loss to Sydney.
“He’s had 30 possessions two weeks in a row and I know it’s not all about numbers but when he gets the ball, and we haven’t been great in terms of the connect, generally something comes of it.
“Last week he was able to fill his boots in terms of scoring and kick five.
“He’s heading the right way, eventually he’ll move more into the midfield but right now he’s just too talented for us in the front half.”
While Paddy McCartin didn’t set the world on fire in his return to senior level, Richardson was happy with the way the young key forward finished the game and said the Saints didn’t make his day any easier with their ball use going forward.
McCartin, 21, finished with 1.2 from 11 disposals and three marks in his first game since Round 3.
“Paddy was ok. He was a victim of our ball use to some extent and we probably tried to squeeze it inside and our entry wasn’t much better,” Richardson said.
“Probably at this stage of his career, Paddy needs reasonable use and that’s ok most forwards do, not too many of our talls – Tim (Membrey), Nick (Riewoldt) – were able to benefit from our ball use, they really had to win the footy themselves.
“I thought late in the game he was pretty strong for us, when we could have really turned it up our guys hung in there and I thought Paddy was pretty good for us (late in the game).”
