Saints: Who is back and who will have a delayed start

[saynta]

From Herald sun.com.au

ST KILDA

Return dates

First to four-year players – November 21

Others – December 5

Who is fit?

A group of about 20-plus Saints hit the gym and braved the rain for a running session at Moorabbin late this week. Getting a headstart on their pre-season campaign of their own volition, the group included skipper Jack Steele, Callum Wilkie, Jack Sinclair, Marcus Windhager, Mitch Owens, Seb Ross, Jade Gresham and Daniel McKenzie.

Who is starting on time?

Gresham (knee), Josh Battle (ankle) and Oscar Adams (back) will be on light duties in the lead-up to Christmas. But all are expected to resume full training early in the new year. Jack Hayes and Nick Coffield have already commenced running following their ACL ruptures and both are progressing.

Who was in for surgery?

Jack Billings is the only longer-term concern for the Saints this pre-season after back surgery in September to correct a disc protrusion. His recovery will push his return to training into early 2023.

New faces

Former Western Bulldog Zaine Cordy is the only new player to arrive at the Saints over the off-season after joining as a restricted free agent. Cordy has already been at the club, working out in the gym ahead of the official pre-season return. Off-field is where the big movement has been at Moorabbin as the returning Ross Lyon takes the reins as senior coach again and the Saints also welcome back favourite sons Robert Harvey and Lenny Hayes as assistants.

[Banger9798]

Wonder when Clark will show up

[st sandy]

Clarke was at the club during the week & was at the press conference.

He was in pictures & videos talking to Ross the Boss

Hopefully Hunter will be one of the players to get the best out of skills under RTB

[B.M]

Billings never got going last season

And injury hampered his footy

They should take there time to get him right.

[WellardSaint]

Clarke was at the club during the week & was at the press conference.

He was in pictures & videos talking to Ross the Boss

Hopefully Hunter will be one of the players to get the best out of skills under RTB

Clark woulda been running laps, but when the fitness and conditioning coach asked Hunts how long he would spend in the gym, he opened up his locker and retrieved a letter from a doctor which said:
'To the St Kilda coach-
Hunter is currently unfit to do any weights.
Regards, Hunter's Doctor'

[B.M]

Needs to get fitter
- not bigger

[WellardSaint]

Needs to get fitter
- not bigger

AFL is a contact sport.
Being bigger means being better equipped to handle the bumps that occur the entire game.
More chance of getting up quicker after a bump.
He still has the physique of a 17 year old boy

[The_Dud]

Word is Dan Hannerbry is looking good for round 1

[Mr Magic]

Word is Dan Hannerbry is looking good for round 1

Would you please change your avatar.

[B.M]

Not sure it would have mattered if he was Rene Kink with the hit from McKay
Unless he had bigger muscles on his jaw - because that was shattered when McKays shoulder went through it!

He isn’t actually that skinny - just has not muscle tone
An indication of a lack of work

[CURLY]

Not sure it would have mattered if he was Rene Kink with the hit from McKay
Unless he had bigger muscles on his jaw - because that was shattered when McKays shoulder went through it!

He isn’t actually that skinny - just has not muscle tone
An indication of a lack of work

Not necessarily. Look at Craig Bradley.

[B.M]

Craig Bradley and Robert Harvey were the fittest players in the AFL in the 90s

Not sure the comparison with Clark is a good one

I want him to be fit… not big

[MC Gusto]

Would love banger and co to instill the work effort into hunter. Without doubt one of the most skilful going around. No tank tho. Someone said on here he’s like that Uber talented kid at your local that never makes it but actually made it. So true! Needs to prove the doubters wrong.

[Yorkeys]

R. Report seems slow to get on the track.

Hard to read anything into that though.

[WellardSaint]

Everyone knows the story of Lyon's first day at Moorabbin, last time, and how 42 players finished a run into the oval and all of them watched a lone Troy Schwarz struggle in. Then Troy was exited.
Will RTB make a statement this time around?

[Saintmike65]

Needs to get fitter
- not bigger

AFL is a contact sport.
Being bigger means being better equipped to handle the bumps that occur the entire game.
More chance of getting up quicker after a bump.
He still has the physique of a 17 year old boy

If Hunter is going to make it as a midfielder it’s likely only going to be as a wingman.
But to do this, as B M stated, he must get a lot fitter!

[saynta]

OK , so that's settled then.

Hunter Clark (with no f****** e) is our no.1 whipping boy now that Gears and Hanners are gone.

Hill will be a close second.

[Sanctorum]

OK , so that's settled then.

Hunter Clark (with no f****** e) is our no.1 whipping boy now that Gears and Hanners are gone.

Hill will be a close second.

One of the real positives with RL coaching St Kilda is that we will get to find out once and for all if Brad Hill can recover the great form he displayed at both Hawthorn and Fremantle, he obviously did well under Lyon's guidance at Freo. If he does that will be a massive boost to the team's prospects....

I'm also confident that under Lyon we will find out how a handful of other "ranked" players that have not performed to what is generally regarded as their full potential, in the main Hunter Clark, Jack Billings, Nick Coffield, Jade Gresham, even (shock, horror!) Max King. Then there are the unranked players like Jack Hayes and Cooper Sharman, maybe Tom Highmore, who have shown promise but have yet to be proven capable of making best 22 consistently. Also the more experienced ones like Dougal Howard, Zak Jones, Jack Higgins, Dan Butler all of who are "alright" but lack consistency and impact; finally a couple of young ones in Leo Connolly and Matt Allison.

There's a lot to look forward to!

[WellardSaint]

OK , so that's settled then.

Hunter Clark (with no f****** e) is our no.1 whipping boy now that Gears and Hanners are gone.

Hill will be a close second.

I'll throw some names up.
Dangerfield.
Sidebottom.
Fyfe.
Pendlebury
Luke Parker
Cripps
Neale

Clark will never be compared to any of those guys above.
Does he belong in that group?
We'll never know unless he takes the next step to be the best version of himself.
Being soft might have been Ratt's downfall, or contributed to it.
Will Clark ever get to the podium of the TB award?
Softness won't get him there.

[CURLY]

Craig Bradley and Robert Harvey were the fittest players in the AFL in the 90s

Not sure the comparison with Clark is a good one

I want him to be fit… not big

I’m talking body type. Bradley looked like he’d never been to training.

[CURLY]

OK , so that's settled then.

Hunter Clark (with no f****** e) is our no.1 whipping boy now that Gears and Hanners are gone.

Hill will be a close second.

I'll throw some names up.
Dangerfield.
Sidebottom.
Fyfe.
Pendlebury
Luke Parker
Cripps
Neale

Clark will never be compared to any of those guys above.
Does he belong in that group?
We'll never know unless he takes the next step to be the best version of himself.
Being soft might have been Ratt's downfall, or contributed to it.
Will Clark ever get to the podium of the TB award?
Softness won't get him there.

Clark isn’t soft ridiculous to suggest he is.

[B.M]

What does body type matter?

As long as the player is elite fitness it doesn’t matter

Plenty of skinny guns have played AFL footy… both currently and throughout history

The question is

Is Hunter Clark fitness levels elite?

Answer

No

[B.M]

Clark is about as courageous as you’d get on a footy field

Don’t confuse courage with laziness

[D.B.Cooper]

I think Wellard was trying to state that a soft approach from a coach won’t get him (Clark) there, not that Clark is soft.

No one would doubt Clark’s courage or skill, so what is holding him back?

Elite fitness and continuity appear to be forum consensus.

[Yorkeys]

I think Wellard was trying to state that a soft approach from a coach won’t get him (Clark) there, not that Clark is soft.

No one would doubt Clark’s courage or skill, so what is holding him back?

Elite fitness and continuity appear to be forum consensus.

Catch 22s
Get your jaw smashed in a dog act. Make a return after rehab, cop serious shoulder injury early.
Come on Hunter we need continuity. Malingering?

Ok so you had to eat through a straw, is that any reason to lose condition.
You mentally soft?

Looking for a change of scenery to change your luck, tired of the coaching?
Watch a general post about the staggered return to training turn into a personal pile on or uninformed condescention about body shape.
We know that picture of you in the gym was photoshopped.

Fans eh?