St Kilda’s finals aspirations are hanging by a thread after their latest hiding to Port Adelaide.
The 54-point loss to the Power comes off the back of 75 and 86-point thrashings to Essendon and Richmond respectively with the Saints’ percentage of 67 their lowest since Round 6, 2002.
Brett Ratten’s side must beat Hawthorn and Gold Coast in the next fortnight to ignite their flicking finals hopes.
Brownlow Medallist Gerard Healy discussed where he thinks it’s all going wrong for the 16th-placed Saints with a lack of leg speed through the midfield and across half-back glaring weaknesses.
“If I’m a St Kilda supporter or in the team, I’d be reasonably worried about them because they’ve lost their way in a huge way,” Healy told Sportsday.
“It would appear that most clubs have worked them out, they’re not taking their backs up so all those goals they were getting over the back with (Dan) Butler aren’t coming up.
“(Jade) Gresham’s injured … but it’s the sameness of their midfield that has been exacerbated by the recruitment of Brad Crouch. (Jack) Steele, (Seb) Ross, Crouch, (Dan) Hannebery, Hunter Clark and (Jack) Bytel – all much of a muchness by the way of pace.
“Hunter Clark’s on the back flank, getting plenty of ball, probably not doing quite enough with it, he’s had about three good games and three averages games.
“But he gets exposed because he can’t run with smaller players.
“Off the half-back line, (Jack) Sinclair was good early in the season but is struggling now, they’re missing (Ben) Paton a lot in a lockdown (role), Hunter Clark doesn’t give them rebound, Nick Coffield doesn’t give them rebound and (Jarryn) Geary doesn’t give them rebound.
“So where’s the rebound coming out of the backline?
“They’ve had two top 40 picks in the last three years … and they’ve got one top 40 pick this year which is their own first-rounder.”
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Overlooking Christian Petracca (Melbourne) and Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs) in the draft is continuing to haunt the Saints.
St Kilda decided to select Paddy McCartin with pick No.1 in the 2014 draft and Jack Billings with pick No.3 in the 2013 draft.
Petracca (pick No.2 in the 2014 draft) and Bontempelli (pick No.4 in the 2013 draft) have gone on to become superstars of the competition while McCartin was delisted by the Saints and Billings hasn't hit the heights expected of him.
“You have to nail your top 10 picks,” Sportsday host Sam McClure said.
“Billings is probably a maybe. McCartin’s obviously a no for different reasons. And Clark and Coffield, the jury is out. I think you can make a case that Clark is a tick and that Coffield the jury is out.
“Instead of McCartin you draft (Christian) Petracca, instead of Billings you draft (Marcus) Bontempelli. You’re a different club.”
