As per usual, consummate professional Sean Dempster has ticked all the boxes this pre-season, ensuring he gets to the grid for Round 1 in a strong starting position ahead of his 13th season at the elite level.
The former All Australian defender is as reliable as they come. Four podium finishes in the Trevor Barker Award in the last five years attest to this, with his reliability being of the highest quality, week-in, week-out.
For the 32-year-old, who is renowned for his meticulous attention to detail with his preparation and recovery, this pre-season was about weaving session after session together to provide him with the required base to do what he does best during winter.
“I suppose I just wanted to be there for the majority of it (pre-season). Coming into now my 14th pre-season, it’s all about just consistently being out there and consistently ticking the body over,” Dempster told saints.com.au.
“I don’t need to be out there winning everything and being up the front, but if I can get out there Monday, Wednesday, Friday and do the majority of the sessions, then that will hold me in good stead for the season.
“And it will give me a fair bit under my belt to rely on come the middle of the year when you’re really starting to fatigue a little bit.
“I’ve managed to do that, no injuries and I’ve done most of the sessions so it’s been good.”
Saints to surge past 33,000 members
In eight years at St Kilda, which will reach 150 appearances in Round 1, Dempster has seen the club change and evolve like clubs do. In defence, where the father-son Sydney recruit has looked at home in red, white and black, the winds of change have swept through in recent times with experience being replaced with youth.
Of the old brigade that formed a lethal back six during the Grand Final era, only Sam Fisher remains alongside Dempster. Highly regarded leader Jarryn Geary is there too, but below him is a peloton of inexperience. Players with under 100 games next to their name and many with less than 50. For Dempster, the evolution is exciting.
“It’s definitely starting to change; we’ve lost a few along the way. So a few older heads have disappeared over the last three or four years. There’s probably Sam Fisher, myself as the older ones who are still there,” Dempster said.
“And then you’ve got Jarryn Geary and Dylan Roberton as bona-fide senior players who have really cemented their spots and then you’ve got Jimmy Webster, Shane Savage and Nathan Wright that are coming into the side and playing really good footy and Hugh Goddard. It’s exciting times down there.”
Riewoldt: We need to take another step with our improvement
Under the guidance of Alan Richardson, a heightened emphasis on leadership has seen the Saints go from strength to strength in recent seasons. Dempster has seen plenty change during his time at the Saints, although one constant has been the presence of club champions Nick Riewoldt and Leigh Montagna.
But in the last 12 months or so, the growth of emerging leaders Mav Weller, Jack Newnes and Jack Steven, coupled with the blossoming flock below them, has the 203-game veteran buoyed by the state of the Saints leadership at the current time.
“We’ve got a bigger group this year; we’ve got eight in the leadership group. Obviously ‘Rooey’ and ‘Joey’ are really good leaders in their own right and do really well,” Dempster said.
“But it’s the push from Maverick Weller and Jack Newnes that’s been really impressive in the last two pre-seasons.
“We’ve seen what Jarryn Geary and Dave Armitage can do – they both captained games last year so they’re bona-fide leaders as well.
“The appointment of Jack Steven is really important. And then there’s another group under there that are really pushing the club too. We’re in a really good space with our leadership group.”
