Selection issues.

[saynta]

From heraldsun.com. au

"ST KILDA

Some big inclusions loom at St Kilda in the coming weeks. Tough midfielder Zak Jones missed Round 1 in light of a hamstring injury sustained in the pre-season.

Although, he was prominent in a practice match last weekend and is set to return.

He is likely to be joined by forward Max King, who missed Round 1 through concussion after being struck by a golf ball in one of the more bizarre off-season injuries.

Recruit Brad Crouch dominated in last weekend’s practice game, but he still has one more AFL game to serve as part of his off-season suspension."

ps. I did see part of a report and video on my phone from the reserves scratch match but it quickly disappeared. Has anyone got it?

[Toy Saint]

So who goes out?

Mckernan, Bytell, Webster or another?

[Trev from the Bush]

So who goes out?

Mckernan, Bytell, Webster or another?

McKernan and D Mac I would think. Bytel (10 tackles) and Webster were both good on Sunday.

[remboy]

https://www.saints.com.au/news/886645/b ... d-the-fort

St Kilda Development Coach and Sandringham Senior Coach Jake Batchelor runs through each Saint who played in the Zebras' practice match against North Melbourne.

Jones, Crouch shine as Zebras outmuscle Roos
Zak Jones

"Jonesy played three quarters and was really good for us inside, was really tough and really explosive when we won the ball.

"He led the midfield for most of the game and was really good for us connecting the two teams, because realistically he won’t be here for too long, I would have thought.


Zak Jones. Photo: Corey Scicluna.
"Zak came in with a great attitude and performed really well. We were thinking whether or not to take him up (to Sydney) and risk him playing versus get some good football minutes into him.

"Jonesy played really well and got through unscathed which is the most important thing."

Brad Crouch

"Crouchy played the whole game. He obviously won’t play AFL next week, so not entirely sure what the plans will be for him, but he got through a really good game of football.


Brad Crouch. Photo: Corey Scicluna.
"Same as Jonesy, he was tough inside and kicked a goal which was good for a midfielder.

"He and Zak complement each other really well. They’ve obviously had the pre-season to work together, but when one was getting in and getting dirty, the other one was pretty smart on the outside."

Luke Dunstan

"Luke played a half, he was our travelling emergency. Same as Kenty, he’s going to play deep forward and inside mid for us and his power was just through the roof.

"You could almost sense that he knew he had a half, so he went out saying ‘I’m going to go out real hard and smash anyone that gets in my way’.


Luke Dunstan. Photo: Corey Scicluna.
"He’s got a great balance between knowing when to go hard but can also control the outside of a contest if we need that.

"He wants to continue to improve his leadership, and he’s doing some coaching with our AFLW side at the moment which transferring over to us a little bit. That’s starting to come out in matches, you see him instructing and he almost wants to take control of whatever team he’s playing in and that’s really good to watch.

Dean Kent

"He was awesome. Keg was probably our most influential AFL-listed player on the day.

"His power and toughness around the ball, looking back and even live he was just bursting through every contest and hitting bodies hard.


Dean Kent. Photo: Corey Scicluna.
"He’s a real thick and solid unit, so he can come in hard and can kick it 60 metres on top of that. We got some real deep entries off the back of that and he got a goal in the end as well.

"His attitude has been really good the last couple of weeks – which it always has been – and he had a couple of midfield minutes as well, so just mixing up where he plays and not letting his opponent know what he’s doing all the time. He can play deep, he can go high or be an inside mid, so we’ll keep working with that."

Jake Carlisle

"Jake worked really well with Darragh and Clav. That’s probably one of the main strengths of our team, we can win the ball back and mark the ball in the air in our defensive half.

"Sometimes we’re going to lose clearances, but it’s ok because we can force the ball high up in the air and those three can mark it really well.


Jake Carlisle. Photo: AFL Photos.
"Jake’s buying in and he’s good with the younger blokes. Watching the vision back and even live on the day, those three controlled everyone in the defensive end.

"We’ve got good competition for spots, so hopefully they’re all chances at some point throughout the year."

Darragh Joyce

"Darragh’s moved back for this season. He played forward a fair bit last year in the hub, but he looks so good behind the ball and just looks so steady.

"He’s now going for his marks and you can see the real shift in the last couple of weeks of him just seeing it and going for it.


Darragh Joyce. Photo: Corey Scicluna.
"For a bloke who hasn’t played much footy, he reads it very well and that’s his real strength.

"DJ and Clav are just workhorses. They put heaps and heaps of work in after training, especially on the important stuff for them – they’re good contested marks, they’re smart readers of the play, so that’s where they put most of their energy into."

Oscar Clavarino

"Clav was very good aerially. We actually put him forward for the last five minutes of the game and after the game he could have done it for a quarter at least. There’s nothing better than a backman getting told he’s going to go forward for a bit.

"He had three genuine chances where he could have got the ball inside 30 metres and potentially kicked a goal, so whether that’s something we look at down the track if we need a swingman or something like that.


Oscar Clavarino. Photo: AFL Photos.
"We’ve got a fair few amount of key backs, so if we need some flexibility and we give players the chance to broaden their horizons a little bit and expand on their current skillset, then that’s our job."

Matthew Allison

"Matty showed some really good signs with his patterning and was able to get to some good spots. Early days he was a little fumbly, but the pleasing thing was he actually got heaps of chances.

"He ran to the right spots, he did some good work, it was just a little bit of polish in the end that cost him a few marks. He’s our main St Kilda player down in the forward line at the moment, so he’s got a big workload and he’ll play on some bigger blokes.


Matthew Allison. Photo: Corey Scicluna.
"For him to continue to get better, he’s got to figure out ways to play on different opponents while he’s developing.

"He’s a great runner, but at times he’s going to have to be a key position player. When our ball movement improves throughout the year as well, he’ll reap the rewards."

Leo Connolly

"Leo’s playing off half-back and whenever he’s got the ball in his hand we know something’s going to happen.

"He’s really creative, got a lot of good foot-skills and he’s put a lot of effort into the defensive and contest side of things over the whole pre-season. Leo knows what his strengths are and we do as well, so we want that from him whenever he gets a chance to get the ball in his hands.


Leo Connolly. Photo: Corey Scicluna.
"There’s still a bit of room to work on the fast defence side of things if we turn that ball over, but we’re in safe hands when someone’s giving him the ball at half-back.

"He’s almost like a Jayden Short from a couple years ago, can go both sides and clean at ground-level. The poise that he’s got and the ability to see tha game probably a second before his opponent is something that’s really exciting for his future."

Sam Alabakis

"Sal had a good battle coming up against two rucks Tristan Xerri and Tom Campbell. Tom’s a really good ruckman who’s been in the AFL system for a long time, so Sal would have learned a fair bit off him but he competed really well.

"He’s still learning, but he’s just going to get better from playing. At the moment he’s our No. 1 ruck so we’re going to give him as many minutes as we can to help him develop and build a connection with the mids and the rest of the team.


Sam Alabakis. Photo: Corey Scicluna.
"Sal's massive, so the more we can use his side and his running ability as well the better he’ll be.

"He can run at high speed for long periods of time, it’s just the knowledge of where and when to run. It’s not the main priority of a ruck, but if you get the ruck craft down-pat then you can start to add that to your game."

[The_Dud]

Jones, King and Carlisle in for me.

McKernan, DMac, maybe Webster or Highmore out?

[roskilde]

So who goes out?

Mckernan, Bytell, Webster or another?

McKernan and D Mac I would think. Bytel (10 tackles) and Webster were both good on Sunday.

I haven't seen the stats but I really liked MacKenzie's game and energy on Sunday. I hope he gets another go.

[remboy]

So who goes out?

Mckernan, Bytell, Webster or another?

Gawn worries me. I’m not sure who is the better option out of McKernan and Hunter. I would have thought McKenzie would go. I hope Bytel keeps his spot but it’s probably a toss up.

[Toy Saint]

If McKernan is out who backs up in the ruck?

[saynta]

https://www.saints.com.au/news/886645/b ... d-the-fort

St Kilda Development Coach and Sandringham Senior Coach Jake Batchelor runs through each Saint who played in the Zebras' practice match against North Melbourne.

Jones, Crouch shine as Zebras outmuscle Roos
Zak Jones

"Jonesy played three quarters and was really good for us inside, was really tough and really explosive when we won the ball.

"He led the midfield for most of the game and was really good for us connecting the two teams, because realistically he won’t be here for too long, I would have thought.


Zak Jones. Photo: Corey Scicluna.
"Zak came in with a great attitude and performed really well. We were thinking whether or not to take him up (to Sydney) and risk him playing versus get some good football minutes into him.

"Jonesy played really well and got through unscathed which is the most important thing."

Brad Crouch

"Crouchy played the whole game. He obviously won’t play AFL next week, so not entirely sure what the plans will be for him, but he got through a really good game of football.


Brad Crouch. Photo: Corey Scicluna.
"Same as Jonesy, he was tough inside and kicked a goal which was good for a midfielder.

"He and Zak complement each other really well. They’ve obviously had the pre-season to work together, but when one was getting in and getting dirty, the other one was pretty smart on the outside."

Luke Dunstan

"Luke played a half, he was our travelling emergency. Same as Kenty, he’s going to play deep forward and inside mid for us and his power was just through the roof.

"You could almost sense that he knew he had a half, so he went out saying ‘I’m going to go out real hard and smash anyone that gets in my way’.


Luke Dunstan. Photo: Corey Scicluna.
"He’s got a great balance between knowing when to go hard but can also control the outside of a contest if we need that.

"He wants to continue to improve his leadership, and he’s doing some coaching with our AFLW side at the moment which transferring over to us a little bit. That’s starting to come out in matches, you see him instructing and he almost wants to take control of whatever team he’s playing in and that’s really good to watch.

Dean Kent

"He was awesome. Keg was probably our most influential AFL-listed player on the day.

"His power and toughness around the ball, looking back and even live he was just bursting through every contest and hitting bodies hard.


Dean Kent. Photo: Corey Scicluna.
"He’s a real thick and solid unit, so he can come in hard and can kick it 60 metres on top of that. We got some real deep entries off the back of that and he got a goal in the end as well.

"His attitude has been really good the last couple of weeks – which it always has been – and he had a couple of midfield minutes as well, so just mixing up where he plays and not letting his opponent know what he’s doing all the time. He can play deep, he can go high or be an inside mid, so we’ll keep working with that."

Jake Carlisle

"Jake worked really well with Darragh and Clav. That’s probably one of the main strengths of our team, we can win the ball back and mark the ball in the air in our defensive half.

"Sometimes we’re going to lose clearances, but it’s ok because we can force the ball high up in the air and those three can mark it really well.


Jake Carlisle. Photo: AFL Photos.
"Jake’s buying in and he’s good with the younger blokes. Watching the vision back and even live on the day, those three controlled everyone in the defensive end.

"We’ve got good competition for spots, so hopefully they’re all chances at some point throughout the year."

Darragh Joyce

"Darragh’s moved back for this season. He played forward a fair bit last year in the hub, but he looks so good behind the ball and just looks so steady.

"He’s now going for his marks and you can see the real shift in the last couple of weeks of him just seeing it and going for it.


Darragh Joyce. Photo: Corey Scicluna.
"For a bloke who hasn’t played much footy, he reads it very well and that’s his real strength.

"DJ and Clav are just workhorses. They put heaps and heaps of work in after training, especially on the important stuff for them – they’re good contested marks, they’re smart readers of the play, so that’s where they put most of their energy into."

Oscar Clavarino

"Clav was very good aerially. We actually put him forward for the last five minutes of the game and after the game he could have done it for a quarter at least. There’s nothing better than a backman getting told he’s going to go forward for a bit.

"He had three genuine chances where he could have got the ball inside 30 metres and potentially kicked a goal, so whether that’s something we look at down the track if we need a swingman or something like that.


Oscar Clavarino. Photo: AFL Photos.
"We’ve got a fair few amount of key backs, so if we need some flexibility and we give players the chance to broaden their horizons a little bit and expand on their current skillset, then that’s our job."

Matthew Allison

"Matty showed some really good signs with his patterning and was able to get to some good spots. Early days he was a little fumbly, but the pleasing thing was he actually got heaps of chances.

"He ran to the right spots, he did some good work, it was just a little bit of polish in the end that cost him a few marks. He’s our main St Kilda player down in the forward line at the moment, so he’s got a big workload and he’ll play on some bigger blokes.


Matthew Allison. Photo: Corey Scicluna.
"For him to continue to get better, he’s got to figure out ways to play on different opponents while he’s developing.

"He’s a great runner, but at times he’s going to have to be a key position player. When our ball movement improves throughout the year as well, he’ll reap the rewards."

Leo Connolly

"Leo’s playing off half-back and whenever he’s got the ball in his hand we know something’s going to happen.

"He’s really creative, got a lot of good foot-skills and he’s put a lot of effort into the defensive and contest side of things over the whole pre-season. Leo knows what his strengths are and we do as well, so we want that from him whenever he gets a chance to get the ball in his hands.


Leo Connolly. Photo: Corey Scicluna.
"There’s still a bit of room to work on the fast defence side of things if we turn that ball over, but we’re in safe hands when someone’s giving him the ball at half-back.

"He’s almost like a Jayden Short from a couple years ago, can go both sides and clean at ground-level. The poise that he’s got and the ability to see tha game probably a second before his opponent is something that’s really exciting for his future."

Sam Alabakis

"Sal had a good battle coming up against two rucks Tristan Xerri and Tom Campbell. Tom’s a really good ruckman who’s been in the AFL system for a long time, so Sal would have learned a fair bit off him but he competed really well.

"He’s still learning, but he’s just going to get better from playing. At the moment he’s our No. 1 ruck so we’re going to give him as many minutes as we can to help him develop and build a connection with the mids and the rest of the team.


Sam Alabakis. Photo: Corey Scicluna.
"Sal's massive, so the more we can use his side and his running ability as well the better he’ll be.

"He can run at high speed for long periods of time, it’s just the knowledge of where and when to run. It’s not the main priority of a ruck, but if you get the ruck craft down-pat then you can start to add that to your game."

Thanks mate. much appreciated.

[saynta]

Match report.

https://www.saints.com.au/news/886651/j ... uscle-roos

[Joffa Burns]

So who goes out?

Mckernan, Bytell, Webster or another?

McKernan and D Mac I would think. Bytel (10 tackles) and Webster were both good on Sunday.

I haven't seen the stats but I really liked MacKenzie's game and energy on Sunday. I hope he gets another go.

Agree, I think he's a better match up against Petracca when he's forward than either Webster or Wilkie due to his speed and athleticism.

Hopefully in are Carslile, King & Jones.
Out Highmore, Mc Kernana & Webster.

With Long, McKenzie, Coffield, Clark, Sinclair, Wilkie, Howard & Carslile in I think the backs are covered without Highmore & Webster.

[Moods]

My preference is to keep McKernan in as it has been shown that part time or even tall mids trying to ruck rarely works. I have more confidence of McKernan playing well under the roof as well as he can use his athleticism.

Lot of love on here for Hunter. I'm on the outer re this one. I thought he barely did a thing and was clearly beaten by an inexperienced 1st gamer. He worries me far more than McKernan.

Obviously King and Jones have to come in. A tall needs to be dropped to make way otherwise we'll compromise our run and carry. McKernan probably most vulnerable due to the fact he only started to have an impact in the last quarter. However he was only really used in the ruck in the last quarter. Does King pinch hit in the Ruck? I didn't mind DMac's game and thought he was a lot safer with the ball than he has been in the past. I'd drop Webster. He doesn't look agile enough for mine and his 2nd efforts were questionable.

[ace]

I select
IN King, Jones, Carlilse
OUT McKenzie, Webster, McKernan

Battle to go 2nd ruck
Less stoppages and with a faster game Gawn complained he could not get to contests being caught in between.
Ruckmen will not be so dominant around the ground and at kick ins after behinds, they will have to struggle just to get to ball ups.
Faster delivery will result in more value from marking full forwards especially those with good leads.

[saynta]

So who goes out?

Mckernan, Bytell, Webster or another?

McKernan and D Mac I would think. Bytel (10 tackles) and Webster were both good on Sunday.

I haven't seen the stats but I really liked MacKenzie's game and energy on Sunday. I hope he gets another go.

9 possessions, 4 tackles in 70% game time,

[Mr Magic]

Has anybody seen any injury report re Brad Hill?
He seemed to injure his knee during the game and appeared hampered by it once he came back on.
If he's not 100% right then he may need a rest.

[ace]

So who goes out?

Mckernan, Bytell, Webster or another?

McKernan and D Mac I would think. Bytel (10 tackles) and Webster were both good on Sunday.

I haven't seen the stats but I really liked MacKenzie's game and energy on Sunday. I hope he gets another go.

9 possessions, 4 tackles in 70% game time,

Another go with Sandringham.
He was the Saints worst player.

[roskilde]

So who goes out?

Mckernan, Bytell, Webster or another?

McKernan and D Mac I would think. Bytel (10 tackles) and Webster were both good on Sunday.

I haven't seen the stats but I really liked MacKenzie's game and energy on Sunday. I hope he gets another go.

9 possessions, 4 tackles in 70% game time,

Thx Saynta. On a day like that that's probably not bad stats.

[remboy]

Has anybody seen any injury report re Brad Hill?
He seemed to injure his knee during the game and appeared hampered by it once he came back on.
If he's not 100% right then he may need a rest.

I think someone said it was a knock to his shin. He should be fine.

[Otiman]

This week:

King:
I think we have to play McKernan, but this puts too many talls up forward.
Therefore King in for HIghmore out, with Battle swinging back.

Jones:
An obvious in, but who goes out? I almost think you drop a small forward. Despite 2 goals it's probably Lonie.

Next Week(s) - pending form changes:
Crouch for Bytel (unlucky)
Haneberry for Lonie or Dmac (oppo matchup dependent)
Marshall for McKernan
Ryder for Fisher

The only other way into the side for guys like Wood and Kent is injuries.
Unfortunately I think Carlisle is in the same boat, but he gets the added bonus of being called in for matchup reasons (e.g. against Geelong or WCE).

[Saintmike65]

You’d think the obvious exclusions would be Wood and McKenzie.

[ace]

This week:

King:
I think we have to play McKernan, but this puts too many talls up forward.
Therefore King in for HIghmore out, with Battle swinging back.

Jones:
An obvious in, but who goes out? I almost think you drop a small forward. Despite 2 goals it's probably Lonie.

Next Week(s) - pending form changes:
Crouch for Bytel (unlucky)
Haneberry for Lonie or Dmac (oppo matchup dependent)
Marshall for McKernan
Ryder for Fisher

The only other way into the side for guys like Wood and Kent is injuries.
Unfortunately I think Carlisle is in the same boat, but he gets the added bonus of being called in for matchup reasons (e.g. against Geelong or WCE).

Why would you drop Fisher, he has done absolutely nothing to deserve being dropped.
Why not drop Paul Hunter to bring back Ryder.

[saynta]

This week:

King:
I think we have to play McKernan, but this puts too many talls up forward.
Therefore King in for HIghmore out, with Battle swinging back.

Jones:
An obvious in, but who goes out? I almost think you drop a small forward. Despite 2 goals it's probably Lonie.

Next Week(s) - pending form changes:
Crouch for Bytel (unlucky)
Haneberry for Lonie or Dmac (oppo matchup dependent)
Marshall for McKernan
Ryder for Fisher

The only other way into the side for guys like Wood and Kent is injuries.
Unfortunately I think Carlisle is in the same boat, but he gets the added bonus of being called in for matchup reasons (e.g. against Geelong or WCE).

Who,the f*** is Fisher?

[Zed]

Out McKenzie Bytel
In king Jones

Need options against Gawn which is why McKernan stays in.
Higgins gets a bit more midfield time to cover 2 mids out and 1 mid in.

Need to give King and McKernan lots of room to run into rather than have the ball lobbed on top of their heads .Even if our key forward can’t hold their marks on the run our fleet of small forward should be well placed to mop up. May destroyed us in the air last year and this year they add Lever into the interceptor mix. We have traditionally struggled against teams with good defensive interceptors. I’m nervously waiting to see how our game style responds this year.

[lefty]

I'd keep McKernan in as he can play multiple positions. I don't think Hunter will go well against Gawn.

[Yorkeys]

Big issues: how can any of the chaps that played Sunday be told they are out for Saturday night, first home game of the season (as they will be).
How to make up to M. Wood for last minute replacement and manage his disappointment/embarrassment.
These things can make or break a team's fragile fabric. I think.
Glad its Ratts job, I'd squib it.