Head of List Management James Gallagher is “optimistic” St Kilda's young nucleus is firming after adding another four players through this year’s 2022 NAB AFL Draft.
After rolling hard during the Trade Period over the past few seasons, the Saints have centred their attention back on building its young core through the draft, adding key defender James Van Es (pick No. 31), midfielder/forward Olli Hotton (pick No. 35) and ruck/forward Isaac Keeler (pick No. 44) to last night’s top-10 selection Mattaes Phillipou.
The new crop adds to last year’s draft class of Marcus Windhager, Mitch Owens, Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera and Oscar Adams, the former three of which all featured at senior level in their debut seasons.
“It was a clear plan, we’ve gone and done it and we’re rapt,” Gallagher told reporters at Marvel Stadium.
“After bringing three or four really good kids in last year, we wanted to go again this year to make sure we bring some kids in that can play with that group of boys.
“That’s a good nucleus to build from alongside our established senior players who have all got a lot of footy ahead of them too.”
Gallagher was bullish on the club’s final selection of the night, Keeler, with the ruck/forward tipped by Saints recruiters to go “certainly higher” than pick No. 44.
Keeler, a member of Adelaide’s Next Generation Academy, was able to join the Saints after the Crows didn’t nominate the ruckman under NGA draft rules.
“He’s a talented lad, Isaac. We’d sort of come to terms that he was probably going to be gone by the time we got to that pick, but when it kept drifting out we were rapt to be able to call out his name,” Gallagher said.
“We’ve seen him play a fair bit of footy over the last couple of years, and I’m really confident that he’s ready to come into an AFL environment and he’ll certainly improve.
“If we get him somewhere near his ceiling over the next few years, there’s potentially an exciting AFL player in there.”
First-round draftee Phillipou has similarly garnered excitement for his potential, and like Keeler, slipped slightly down the order to pick No. 10 for the Saints to snap up his services.
While Phillipou’s confidence has generated its own buzz in the lead-up to and immediate aftermath of the draft, Gallagher is confident it isn’t misplaced.
“He’s got a bit of confidence, but he’s certainly not putting it on. It’s not an act,” Gallagher said.
“Mattaes is a pretty bubbly kid, He was in at the footy club today and he’s just really happy, really grateful, comes from a great family and he is what you see.
“He’s so excited to get started, he really wants to get to work. He’ll eat up a pre-season and I think he’ll improve a lot just in the course of the next few months,
“Who knows what his first year holds for him, but like any draftees you take a long-term approach.”
