The State of St Kilda's youth

Not long after the final siren sounded in the 2nd Grand Final, media "experts" started commentating that the Saints may have missed their chance for a flag and that the list was going to be in a real shambles in a few years time.

Then there was an article from The Age's Michael Gleeson (http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/resign-lyon-and-give-him-time-20110721-1hqy4.html) a week ago which quoted anonymous list managers saying that the Saints list is a "dog's breakfast" and needed radical surgery.

Whilst, I don't think the summary by the list experts is 100% correct, we need to look at the fact that what some of what they are saying is correct and their is going to be some wholesale list changes over the next few years.

This article will feature a section on each St Kilda player under the age of 22. One player, Tommy Walsh, will be featured as youth despite being out of the age criteria.

It will chronicle the development the youth players have made, their form this year and their chance of staying on the list for next year. Other than retirements, this is where most of the list turnover will come from.

Warrick Andreoli

This talented winger from WA was selected at Pick 41 in the 2011 Rookie Draft. His biography on the Saints website states that "he is a speedy winger who needs to work on his endurance".

Andreoli hasn't set the world on fire down at Sandringham. He has played 6 games for Sandringham seniors and 9 for the reserves. Only one of his senior games has he featured in the best players.

Question marks still hang over the endurance of Andreoli and I doubt very much whether he will be on the list next season. I don't think he has done enough this season to show that he could be part of a future St Kilda line up.

Daniel Archer

Archer was selected at Pick 36 in the 2010 Rookie Draft. He is a power forward who has had stints in the ruck this season.

After impressing in pre-season, Archer was promoted off the rookie list and selected for his first senior game against Richmond in Round 2 this year.

He only gathered 8 touches on debut and was dropped back to Sandringham straight away.

What concerns me about Archer is his lack of maneuverability and work rate. These are the things that jumped out at me when I've attended Sandringham games this year.

He doesn't work hard enough when presenting for teammates and pressuring opponents at ground level. A lack of agility and speed is a reason for this.

Unless there is a sharp improvement in his deficiencies in the last few VFL games, i think that Pelchen will move Archer on.

His development since his first senior AFL game has stunted and it's a shame because his future looked so promising at the start of the year.

Paul Cahill
Paul was selected at Pick 74 in the 2008 AFL Draft. He is a tall forward that the Saints website has earmarked as a "project player".

The writing is on the wall for Cahill. He has only managed four games for the Sandringham seniors in the VFL. This is not a good enough statistic for a project forward.

The only Zebra senior game i have seen him play was a game that he was hardly seen until the last quarter.

Interestingly he was named in the best players last week for the Zebras but did not kick a goal. This leads me to believe he was playing backline.

Unless the development coaches want to continue to persist with this "project player", I can see Cahill being a casualty of the end of season review.

Thomas Curren
Curren was selected at Pick 24 in the 2011 Rookie Draft. He is a pacey midfielder who reads the play well and has strong endurance.

Tom has made great steps this year. After spending most of the early part of the season in the Sandringham reserves, he has managed 6 games for the Sandringham seniors including the past 4 games in a row.

He development is progressing gradually and each game in the seniors he is starting to become more involved.

He is highly rated by the coaching staff and his fellow players. I think that he will be retained on the list next year, either again as rookie or having been promoted to the senior list.

Jamie Cripps
Cripps was St Kilda's first selection at Pick 24 in the 2010 AFL Draft. He is an elite athlete who can run through the midfield and play forward.

He made his debut in Round 6 against Adelaide as the substitute and played the next 3 games as the sub. After contracting compartment syndrome in his calf, Cripps hasn't been seen at any level since the Melbourne game in Round 9.

In his four games as substitute, Cripps played mostly forward and kicked 7 goals from extremely limited game time. Saints fan likened him to being a "super sub".

Cripps is a certainty be on the list next season. There is a huge probability that he may have still been in the Saints seniors had he not have been injured.

St Kilda fitness coach Dave Mission mentioned during the week that Cripps will be playing a Sandringham reserves game in 2 weeks. This retains the outside possibility that he will feature in the Saints finals campaign.

Sam Crocker
Crocker was the Saints second selection at Pick 43 in the 2010 AFL Draft. He is speedy midfielder who is a great overhead mark for his size. His disposal is his greatest asset and the reason why he is so highly touted.

Sam was drafted as a player who wasn't going to play seniors in 2011 because of his build. 2011 was going to be a development year where he learnt his trade and put on some bulk. His development is on par managing 4 games for the Zebra seniors and 5 games for the reserves.

Crocker has showed enough in the NAB Cup and at times for Sandringham to show that he could be part of a St Kilda midfield in a few years. Currently the club has sent him off for shoulder surgery and he won't play again until next year.

Jackson Ferguson
Ferguson has been part of the St Kilda set up as their NSW scholarship player since 2008. He was rewarded for his development by being selected in the 2011 Rookie Draft and given a chance on the Saints rookie list. He is a tall, key position player with great athleticism.

Jackson has been the bolter amongst the Saints rookies this year. He excelled playing for the Sandringham reserves early on in the season and has been been promoted to the seniors on a regular basis.

Currently, his season is over after undergoing shoulder surgery but he is a certainty to be on the list next year given the progression he made in his development. His athleticism as a tall defender was one of his outstanding attributes that attracted the attention of Saints fan watching the Zebras.

Nick Heyne
Heyne was selected at Pick 48 in the 2008 AFL Draft. He is a strong-marking midfielder with a nice left foot.

He made his debut for the Saints in Round 8 last year against Essendon and acquitted himself well. He managed two more senior games for the rest of the season.

However in 2011, Heyne's development has stagnated. He has been a regular for the Sandringham seniors but has found himself dropped to the reserves in recent weeks.

I have seen Heyne play twice this season, against the Bullants and Port Melbourne, and both times he has really poor games where he struggled to find the football. The few times he got the footy were generally turnovers.

To be honest, I'm not sure where Nick is at. I think that he must show something in the remaining games for the Zebras to keep his spot on the Saints list.

At this stage it's going to be "touch and go" whether he is retained.

Will Johnson
Johnson was selected at Pick 77 in the 2009 AFL Draft directly from the Sandringham Zebras. Johnson is a big bodied defender who has played forward in the VFL this season.

Will has progressed in his development this season. He made his debut in Round 6 against Adelaide and I thought played well until he was concussed and substituted from the game. Since his debut he has not played another game for the Saints.

He has been a goalkicker in the VFL kicking 21 goals in 10 games. He hasn't kicked a goal in the past 3 games for the Zebras.

I think Johnson will be retained on the Saints list for next season. His work rate in the games i saw him live was quite good. His agility and defensive pressure when the ball came to ground was also of a decent standard.

His position on the list will only come under scrutiny should Pelchen deem his spot on the list worthless if the Saints draft a quality, young tall or pick one up in trade week.

Tom Ledger
Ledger was selected at pick 59 in the 2010 AFL Draft. He is a quick, in-and-under midfielder with excellent evasive skills and strong endurance.

Ledger became well known among Saints fans after having an excellent NAB Cup with the senior side.

After being sidelined for the early part of season with injury, Ledger played four VFL games for Sandringham seniors in May and was selected for his debut as the substitute in the Round 11 clash against Collingwood.

Ledger was brought on in the last quarter of that game and quickly amassed 10 possessions and looked at home in the senior team. He played again as the sub the week after against the Bulldogs and kicked his first goal.

Shortly after being dropped to Sandringham, Ledger injured his hamstring and the club decided to end his season and send him off for surgery.

His position on the list for next season is definitely not in question and he will look to build on playing 2 games in his first season with the Saints.

Tom Lynch
Lynch was St Kilda's first selection in the 2008 AFL Draft at Pick 13. He is tall utility who can play both forward and back. Has proven himself to be ball magnet at VFL level.

He made his debut for the Saints in Round 2010 in the loss against Essendon. He was used as a defensive forward on Dustin Fletcher and was soundly beaten by the Bombers veteran. Fletcher gathered 24 possessions and got the 3 Brownlow votes whilst Lynch could only manage 5 touches.

Despite being in the best players for Sandringham nearly every time he has played for them in 2011, he struggled to break into the St Kilda line up. Given his chance against Fremantle in Round 10, Lynch was involved in a collision with Nick Winmar and was left out of the team for the week after because of injury.

Lynch finally broke back in Round 15 against the Kangaroos and played his best game for the club, kicking 2 goals and picking up 16 possessions.

Since then, he has only played 2 more games, including the most recent Saints game against the Suns. Whilst he kicked a goal, he a cut a dejected figure after being subbed out for Jarryn Geary at 3 quarter time.

Lynch's position on the list is another I'm unsure of. I don't think Ross really rates him and he has only got games because of good form at VFL level. He has showed sporadic brilliance at AFL level but it's few and far between.

I think he will be omitted for Nick Riewoldt this week and whether we see him in a Saints jumper again is only known by Chris Pelchen and Ross Lyon.

Tom Simpkin
Simpkin was selected at Pick 29 in the 2009 Rookie Draft and was promoted to the St Kilda list at the end of the following season due to coming runner-up in Sandringham's best and fairest. He is a key defender with a terrific set of hands, great mobility and good skills on either side of his body.

Simpkin made his debut in Round 11 against Collingwood and also played the following week against the Bulldogs.

He acquitted himself well in both games. He looked like a cool customer under pressure. A key stat in his AFL games was that he averaged 6 tackles a game despite being subbed out in both games.

I think his spot on the list is safe and he may even be selected to play against Fremantle this week. His form in the VFL has been superb and he looks a player who could slot into the senior team as soon as required.

Arryn Siposs
Siposs was selected at Pick 75 in the 2010 AFL Draft. He is a strong marking forward with good endurance and an excellent kick for goal.

Not many Saints fan knew much about Arryn when he was drafted. He didn't feature in the NAB Cup and began the season playing for the Sandringham seniors.

His good performance in the seniors has earned praise from Saints fans and he was selected for his debut against Carlton in Round 7. He announced his arrival with a booming 55m goal in the last quarter that put the Saints in front.

Siposs played the next 4 games for Saints; his best performance coming against Hawthorn where he kicked 2 goals, had several score involvements and was named in the best players.

Currently dealing with shin splints, Arryn is guaranteed a spot on the list next year. The way he twists and turns when in possession of the ball and his footy smarts remind me of the way Steve Johnson plays.

It remains to be seen whether he can overcome his injuries and be apart of a potential St Kilda finals campaign.

Alistair Smith
Smith was selected at Pick 62 in the 2008 AFL Draft. He is a tough in-and-under midfielder who has had success at tagging roles, particularly Jason Akermanis in a VFL game last season.

Smith is another player who's development has gone sideways this season. Whilst he made a good fist of his debut against Essendon in Round 3 this year, he only managed another 2 senior games and has not been in AFL selection reckoning since.

He has played 9 games for Sandringham seniors and featured in the best players twice.

In the two games I have seen him play live, he wasn't a prolific ball winner and turned the ball over regularly when he did win it. He looks to be a solid defensive, tagging midfielder. The problem is that Clinton Jones, Sean Dempster, Dean Polo and even Steven Baker are probably ahead of him in this role.

Unless there is big improvement in the remaining VFL games, Smith is one player who I can see not being on the Saints list next season.

He does not win enough of the football and his disposal efficiency is not up to AFL standard.

Rhys Stanley
Stanley was selected at Pick 47 in the 2008 AFL Draft. He is a quick, agile forward/ruckman who came to fame by winning the Grand Final sprint in 2009.

Rhys has had a very disappointing year due to poor form and injuries. He has only added 2 games to the 7 he played in 2010. He played a decent game against Essendon in Round 3 but only collected 2 possessions in the dew against Brisbane in Round 5.

He has only kicked 2 goals in the 7 games he has played for the Sandringham seniors this year.

When i saw him live against the Bullants, he hardly touched the footy before succumbing to a hamstring injury. The injury report this week says he is still 2 weeks away from resuming.

Stanley has so much potential and Saints fans have been so excited about him over the past few years. I believe his major flaw is that when he plays as a marking target, he doesn't have much presence. He reminds me of James Gwilt, who lacked presence when he failed in a forward role in early 2009.

I think the decision on whether Stanley retains his position is line-ball. He may keep his position as he has so much potential and with the improvement of Ben McEvoy, remains one of the clubs only developing ruckman.

Jack Steven
Steven was selected at Pick 42 in the 2007 AFL Draft. He is a dashing, inside and outside midfielder who can kick goals.

Steven made his debut for the Saints in 2009 in the infamous win over Hawthorn in Launceston when the Saints rested a number of players with "general soreness".

He played a further 8 games in 2010 with an outstanding performance against Geelong in Round 13 where he arguably turned the game with his 3 goals.

In 2011, Jack has played every game since round 3. He had a rough patch in Rounds 7 and 8 but the turning point came when he collected 27 disposals against Melbourne in Round 9.

Since the Melbourne game, Steven has only failed to breach 20 possessions once and collected a career high 29 last week against Gold Coast.

Steven has established himself as a future star of the football club. One part of this game that has been outstanding has been his ability to win clearances. He has gone past David Armitage in this regard.

Having only played 22 games, the improvement in Steven this season has been astounding. I look forward to seeing this kid continue to develop and he will be an integral part of a potential St Kilda finals campaign.

Tommy Walsh
Walsh was signed as an international rookie at the end of 2009. He is a tall, agile key position player with a big booming kick.

He spent most of his first season with the Saints in 2010 learning his trade at both senior and reserve level at the Zebras.

After a solid start to the season for Sandringham seniors this year, Walsh was elevated to the senior list in May.

He has been used in a variety of different positions at the Zebras including full back, full forward and in the ruck.

Walsh has been in some good form for Sandringham and has been in the best players in 6 out of last 8 games. Due to this form, he has been mentioned by Ross Lyon for senior selection on a number of occasions.

When i have watched him live, he looks like he could develop into a very good player. He presents well, can take a contested mark and is agile enough to tackle and pressure when the ball is not in his possession.

Walsh has a guaranteed spot on the list next season. It's whether he chooses to stay to pursue the dream of an AFL debut as time is fast running out for a taste of the action in 2011.

Nick Winmar
Winmar was selected at Pick 32 in the 2009 AFL Draft. He is versatile athletic footballer who can play off half back and in the forward line.

In his first season at the Saints, Winmar battled multiple injuries and found himself playing for the Sandringham reserves near the end of the season.

In 2011, he has played 11 games for the Sandringham seniors and despite being selected for 2 AFL games, he hasn't been named in the best players yet.

He has shown several glimpses of his dashing ability from the half back line at both Sandringham and in his only 2 AFL games.

He is definitely a long term prospect and collisions he was involved in, during the Melbourne and Fremantle game, show he is willing to put his body on the line.

Winmar will definitely keep his spot on the list for 2011 and hopefully continue to make strides forward with his development.

Summary
The Saints list is not in as dire shape as most media "experts" suggest. Players such as Cripps, Ledger, Siposs, Walsh and Simpkin should be able to comfortably slot into the side next season.

There will, however, be a decent-sized list turnover through some of these youth players and retirements.

I'm really excited by some of these youngsters and hopefully their development can continue next year and we can prove these so called "list experts" wrong.

Note: Tommy Walsh was out of the criteria I designated as "youth" but I believe that the stage of his development is younger than a 22 year old.