Sandringham Senior Coach and St Kilda Specialist Coach Aaron Hamill has his say on the Saints’ best performers in the VFL.
David Armitage 19 kicks, 20 handballs, eight marks, 10 tackles
It’s not easy for a 12-year player to go back and perform, but not only was Armo’s performance outstanding, he was first-class in his ability to lead the group. You really enjoy coaching a player like that because you know what you’re going to get.
Ben Paton (1.0) 12 kicks, 12 handballs, three marks, five tackles
We’re really pleased with Ben’s development. He was really good in offence and defence and he was able to get 10 contested possessions as well. Last week there was a little bit of lag to his defence, but he was able to tighten that up this week. His concentration, work rate and work ethic were much better, and his GPS suggests that.
Hear Aaron Hamill and Ben Paton in H&M Tracey's Emerging Stars below:
Darren Minchington (1.0) 15 kicks, eight handballs, two marks, four tackles
Minchington’s been really good for us the last two weeks. To have the influence he’s having on reduced time is really encouraging. He needs to get a couple more games under his belt, but he’s very clean in tight and makes really good decisions with
Doulton Langlands (1.0) Eight kicks, nine handballs, two marks, two tackles
Doulton’s a contested player, so we just want him to keep the game simple and take the game on. He played wing on the weekend and ran his lanes really well. He’s working on a couple of areas of his game, but we like what we see in terms of him being really dynamic and confident with
Ray Connellan (3.0) 10 kicks, six handballs, three marks, two tackles
Goals are clearly never his focus, but his ability to reset and get in front of the ball was quite pleasing. He’s invested in what he’s doing in his career, and he’s been clearly one of our better performers from a defensive point of view. We like what we see but we’ve just got to keep trying to get that consistency with him.
Ray Connellan shows his blistering pace in defence.
Josh Battle (3.1) 10 kicks, six handballs, five marks, three tackles
In his own words, Josh hasn’t been at his best for the last couple of weeks, so his positioning has been a little out of whack and we haven’t helped him with opportunity. He’s progressing nicely and got on the end of a couple, basically through his good, solid work rate.
Hugh Goddard Eight kicks, seven handballs, seven marks, one tackle
Hugh played one of his better games in defence. He was swung forward as well, and his contested work was really good. He’s coming off some significant injuries, but he’s finding some really good form at both ends of the ground.
VFLW: Three in a row for Southern Saints
Nathan Wright 14 kicks, ten handballs, two marks, seven tackles
Rowan Marshall (1.1) 12 kicks, eight handballs, seven marks, one tackle
Darragh Joyce Six kicks, six handballs, three marks
Billy Longer (1.0) Nine kicks, two handballs, four tackles
Oscar Clavarino Four kicks, four handballs, three marks, three tackles
Lewis Pierce (Frankston) Bye
