Hunter Clark to Midfield???

[Sanctorum]

It is generally agreed by everyone that looks at St Kilda's list and on-field performance in the past 2 years that the team is in urgent need of at least one more specialist midfielder, and usually this has led to looking around to see where St Kilda is going to find an established midfielder that might be available to come over from another club.

What I find surprising is that St Kilda have exactly that type of player sitting in the wings.

Hunter Clark was picked up at pick # 7 in the 2017 NAB Draft - AS A MIDFIELDER!!!

So far Clark has played 60 games and we all know he can play - but he has been mainly selected as a half-back flanker, and it beggars belief that he has spent bugger all time through the midfield or at stoppages. I have not read any reports that suggest he lacks the skills to play midfield, in fact he has often displayed silky skills when he runs with the ball and delivers it to his team mates.

His stats in 2021 are excellent: Above Average in Disposals, Kicks, Handballs and Goals and Elite in Tackling.

He turns 23 in March and is cherry ripe to take the next step to become Elite, so with the return of Ben Paton from injury, and with Jack Sinclair making the half-back flank his own, I really hope that the coaches redefine his role in 2022 as a permanent midfielder.

Problem solved.....

[Banger9798]

Needs to be in elite condition, and could be anything with his side step, dummy and skills on both sides

Steele, Crouch, Jones, Gresham, Clark ,Hill Billings, DMac, Bytel,, Byrnes, Connolly

It's not a bad midfield, but Clark could be the one to step up and give quality at the top end.
Needs to be fit and hungry.

[Sainter_Dad]

Needs to be fit and hungry.

This - and I am hoping that the High Performance Coach spends this Off Season concentrating on Hunter's (and all others) fitness and core strength

[B.M]

Not fit enough

Skilled enough, tough enough but not flint hard fit!!!

If he were to transition to the midfield and take the next step and realise his potential as an inside/outside mid

We would start making headway up the ladder.

[stkfc1]

Not fit enough

Skilled enough, tough enough but not flint hard fit!!!

If he were to transition to the midfield and take the next step and realise his potential as an inside/outside mid

We would start making headway up the ladder.

A fit Clark and an injury free season from Gresham and yes we are a good chance to climb the ladder.

[Gershwin]

Will never be a midfield ‘beast’ in physique or attitude. Not lightning quick. If he builds up his endurance will make a very nice wingman with his side-step and good delivery.

[shanegrambeau]

Wasn’t he tried this year, and it wasn’t great? Like he was pretty dismal or was it dismally unfit?

[Banger9798]

In the final vs Tigers when he went into the centre bounces he got us right into that game.
2021 looked off the pace and unfit.
With his mate Coffield, let's hope it is an aberration.
Those two should train the house down over Summer, they good both be guns and push us right up the ladder.

[Banger9798]

In the final vs Tigers when he went into the centre bounces he got us right into that game.
2021 looked off the pace and unfit.
With his mate Coffield, let's hope it is an aberration.
Those two should train the house down over Summer, they good both be guns and push us right up the ladder.

[bigcarl]

He’s too talented to spend his career st HBF. That would seem a waste. Agree he needs to get really fit and step up to fulfill his ability.

And next time someone clobbers him - and it will happen because our rivals recognise the threat he poses - the whole side has to fly the flag. The Adelaide capitulation still rankles.

[Impatient Sainter]

I agree Sanctorum its time to throw him into midfield and let him find his way. He looks a laconic type, that needs to be challenged to lift his fitness and running over the preseason. But he is the next to be annoited and needs to step up!

[Moods]

You sometimes have to wonder about the commitment of some of these guys. I'm fortunate enough to know the Ridley family. Jordan Ridley has enormous talent but his career wasn't really going anywhere. 2 summers ago he went to USA with McGrath and they both enlisted some guru trainer. Came back for pre season 'flint hard' and ready to go. His talent has taken him to an elite level but his commitment and hunger is what drives him. Both players in Bombers top 5 B&F in 2020 *Ridley winning it) and Ridley 4th this year with McGrath injured alot.

Gee it would be good to be hearing about how some of our players are training the house down before pre season or return to the track 1st day of pre season in mint condition. Just to send a msg to the group and the competition that they have arrived. Clarke, Coffield, Billings, Gresham, Hill even.

[Saintmatt]

Will never be a midfield ‘beast’ in physique or attitude. Not lightning quick. If he builds up his endurance will make a very nice wingman with his side-step and good delivery.

Disagree. Pendlebury isn't/ was never lightening quick. Neither was Banger. Hunter has tools to find time and space with his dummy and step.

The problem is that he's just not fit enough. Like the rest of our team last year. Hunter also had a bit of a problem with his abnormal metabolism when he was first drafted although I'm led to believe that it was fixed with a change of diet.

If I was the coach - I would've bought Hunter two new pairs of running shoes after jaw injury with a specific instruction - wear out one pair before Christmas and the other paid after Christmas and I'll see you with 6% body fat by mid-February.

It would appear that we don't have the salary cap space and/or draft capital to bring in talent so, it's going to have to come from within.

[spert]

My athletics coach mate reckons Hunter C looked less than peak fitness this season(when uninjured)

[repta]

They need to replace his 60l fuel tank with a 90l one.

[Sanctorum]

You sometimes have to wonder about the commitment of some of these guys. I'm fortunate enough to know the Ridley family. Jordan Ridley has enormous talent but his career wasn't really going anywhere. 2 summers ago he went to USA with McGrath and they both enlisted some guru trainer. Came back for pre season 'flint hard' and ready to go. His talent has taken him to an elite level but his commitment and hunger is what drives him. Both players in Bombers top 5 B&F in 2020 *Ridley winning it) and Ridley 4th this year with McGrath injured alot.

Gee it would be good to be hearing about how some of our players are training the house down before pre season or return to the track 1st day of pre season in mint condition. Just to send a msg to the group and the competition that they have arrived. Clarke, Coffield, Billings, Gresham, Hill even.

Ridley's awakening is much like the report I posted recently about Christian Petracca having a long hard look at himself and committing to becoming the best player on the list by sheer hard work on all aspects of his game, and acknowledging that it is up to every individual to get the best out of themselves as the way to achieve team success.

There is no reason why Hunter cark can't become like Petracca - he is the same height (187 cm) but listed at 82 kg compared to Petracca 94 kg, and some extra bulk, all muscle, could well make Clark more intimidating in the contest and become a midfield beast as well.

Clark's mate Nick Coffield similarly could do with some extra muscle - 191 cm but just 86 kg - Nat Fyfe is 192 cm and 96 kg. You don't want players to be fat but the fact that some of these St Kilda players are lightweights makes them far less effective in contests.

[bigcarl]

There is no reason why Hunter cark can't become like Petracca - he is the same height (187 cm) but listed at 82 kg compared to Petracca 94 kg, and some extra bulk, all muscle, could well make Clark more intimidating in the contest and become a midfield beast as well.

You think he should be dishing out concussions rather than receiving them? That would be nice.

I think at heart he is a ball player and sometimes makes himself a target by having his head over the ball. Opponents see the opportunity to smash him and take it. We can’t allow that to happen.

I’m still cut up about that broken jaw. But actually, thinking about it, it was something of a turning point in our season. Despite capitulating on the night, we were harder to beat from then on in.

[B.M]

Heavy players are not always the answer!

Hard runners mixed with power inside Mids

Clark is neither atm

Therefore is a flanker

Until he gets fitter and can run


Therefore he needs to lose weight IMO.

[cwrcyn]

Physically, he's much like Farren Ray, so I don't think losing weight is going to help him. It's just about building his tank. For some players it takes longer. It took Lenny Hayes four years of being in the system to get to that level of fitness. Next year will be Clark's fifth year, but he missed a lot of 2021 on the background of a sub-standard club wide preseason. Expect him to be a lot fitter in 2022 and he'll be a better player for it. In fact, all our younger plays will benefit from a superior preseason program. I'm especially keen to see Bytel, Coffield, Byrnes, and Connolly fitter

[B.M]

Lenny Hayes was a starting game mid in 2001

His third season.

I agree, he is a similar type to Farren Ray

But needs to lose puppy fat which will help him build his fitness to the level required.

[Moods]

Physically, he's much like Farren Ray, so I don't think losing weight is going to help him. It's just about building his tank. For some players it takes longer. It took Lenny Hayes four years of being in the system to get to that level of fitness. Next year will be Clark's fifth year, but he missed a lot of 2021 on the background of a sub-standard club wide preseason. Expect him to be a lot fitter in 2022 and he'll be a better player for it. In fact, all our younger plays will benefit from a superior preseason program. I'm especially keen to see Bytel, Coffield, Byrnes, and Connolly fitter

My god, the excuses we make for players. Seriously, now it’s because our pre season was substandard?? Well, if that’s the case, Ratten should have been sacked at the end of the year.

[cwrcyn]

Christian Petracca was recruited in 2014. He didn't reach his potential until 2020. he spent most of his time at half forward prior to that. Gary Ablett spent his first three seasons at half forward because he hadn't yet developed the tank to play midfield. Every player is different. Walsh at Carlton was an aerobic beast at U18 level and it carried over into his first AFL season. It's not one size fits all with fitness. How many years did it take Dustin Martin to become the high output player we see today? A few seasons at least. Its not about making excuses, it's about the reality that some players take longer to get that kind of tank, and sometimes teams have sub-standard pre-seasons.

[cwrcyn]

Our fitness guy got sacked at the end of the 2021 season. Why do you think that is? We were clearly not fit enough this year.

[B.M]

The reason they take longer

They don’t train hard enough… Hunter needs to listen to Seb Ross talk about his journey.

[CQ SAINT]

The reason they take longer

They don’t train hard enough… Hunter needs to listen to Seb Ross talk about his journey.

As long as skills aren't discussed, that could be a good chat