St Kilda cranked things up a notch on Wednesday, playing the most intensive match simulation of the pre-season to date.
With AFLX now behind us and the JLT Community Series starting this weekend – St Kilda versus Carlton next Wednesday night – the Saints played three 30-minute periods at Trevor Barker Oval.
Star midfielders Seb Ross and Jack Steven showed their class in windy conditions in Sandringham, while Jack Sinclair, Mav Weller, Koby Stevens and David Armitage also stood out.
After managing just two senior appearances last year due to persistent groin issues, a fully fit Armitage is set to boost the Saints’ engine room this year, with the star midfielder finding plenty of the ball in tight and inside 50 on Wednesday.
With only a handful of players unavailable due to injury, the competition for midfield spots was fierce. The teams were pretty evenly split in the midfield.
Ross, Steven, Sinclair, Stevens and Acres led the black team, while Jack Steele, Luke Dunstan, Newnes, Clark, Weller and Armitage went through the middle for the yellow team.
Weller also spent plenty of time across half-forward in the connector role he has executed in the past two years, providing a key link in transition.
St Kilda’s first pick in last year’s NAB AFL Draft, Hunter Clark, was eye-catching again with his poise and disposal, as he continues to emerge as a candidate to debut early in the year, perhaps even as early as Round 1.
Clark wasn’t the only draftee to impress at Trevor Barker Oval. Ben Paton took a handful of strong marks overhead, while his former Murray Bushrangers teammate, Doulton Langlands, broke the game open on several occasions with his blistering speed and penetrating kick.
After overcoming knee arthroscopes over the pre-season, key forward Josh Bruce and midfielder Jack Newnes had their first full hit-out of the summer and will be better for the run as they build fitness ahead of the season opener against Brisbane at Etihad Stadium.
Much like the midfield battle, the football department lined up a collection of the best forwards against a set of the best defenders.
Power forward Paddy McCartin and Tim Membrey went head-to-head against defensive key posts Jake Carlisle and Nathan Brown. In swirly conditions that made entries difficult to pinpoint and intercepts difficult to read, all four had their moments at different times.
McCartin took a handful of strong clunks and bagged a couple of goals, as did Membrey who covered plenty of territory in Sandringham. Gresham nipped at their feet at times, as well as spending spells in the midfield in a sign of things to come.
St Kilda skipper Jarryn Geary, Dylan Roberton, Shane Savage and Brandon White all played in defence for the black team, alongside Carlisle and Brown, as they look to build synergy ahead of the new season.
When the final whistle sounded after Jack Lonie ran down Darragh Joyce in a big tackle, the work wasn’t over for the Saints list. Instead,
