2002 Player Reviews by MB. Part I. September 10th. Another year gone, 5 and a half wins, 6 losses by less than a couple of goals, a horrendous run with injuries and 15th place. What can we make of the 38 players who combined to provide us with this season to forget. 1 Justin Peckett 19 games, 296 possessions A reasonable return from a player who is quite often wears the brunt of the supporter’s frustrations. He is never going to be the hard-at-it tough nut of the side, but given the right role can be valuable as a link man who has good skills coming out of defense. When he was at his peak in 97 (he did legitimately make the Vic State of Origin side and was 3rd in the best and fairest in that stellar year), he was a free running, not too accountable linkman. Opposition coaches woke up to this and dragged him (and Matthew Young) deep into defence to negate his influence. The current coaching panel have realized this and have played him off the wing this year, where he can be damaging and the inevitable brain fades are not as critical. He has earned another year on the list, where he will become one of the more unheralded 200 game players in the club’s history. 2 Aaron Hamill 19 games, 281 possessions, 22 goals, 62 tackles On raw statistics, you’d be questioning his worth, and given his reported salary of anything up to $550K, you’d want a fair bit more for your money. His attack on the ball is exemplary, and this does help justify his high wage, the cost of which is part of the game to convince players to switch clubs, especially to one in as dire straights as St Kilda was at the time. Never stops trying, but sometimes gets himself too worked up and too intense. A number of times he took out a teammate in a far better position to mark because of his single minded attack on the ball, when some more awareness of the players around him would be beneficial. Similarly in some games, he drops easy marks that someone of his ilk should swallow, because of hard hands. 22 goals is not enough from a permanent forward, and needs to be improved. On the positive side, his work ethic and attack can only help in the education of the future stars such as Riewoldt & Kosi, and will hopefully rub off as well on some of the other less robust players in the side such as Peckett and Jones. This is part of the investment, and I’m glad we got him. Given we have signed the Riewoldt, Kosi & Lenny for 3 more years, the salary cap pressure his wage must exert may not be as great as feared. 3 Nathan Burke 3 games, 38 possessions In his last game before injury, he had 23 possessions, laid 6 tackles and kicked 3 goals. Not bad for a veteran returning after a knee injury. Sadly, he hurt his knee again the next week, and the heart of St Kilda was lost for another year (the soul hurt his shoulder 12 weeks later). He deserves to make his own decision about playing on, and hopefully he will, as he shows every sign of wanting to. He is still worth a place inside the best 22, and his experience and cool head were sadly missing in the run of close losses through the second half of the season. 4 Andrew Thompson 22 games 501 disposals, 88 tackles To my mind, the man who should be captain next year in the annual rotation. He is never going to match Andrew McLeod in silky skills, but never stops trying, and in 15 games gained more than 20 touches. He also takes on tagging roles when the situation demands, doing well on Buckley in the “Parting of the flood” game early in the year. I am a big wrap for Thompson, as he has been ultra consistent over the last few years, when a few of his high profile team mates have been extremely inconsistent, or even permanently down. He also handles the media quite well (given a semi regular spot on 3AW Sports Today), which augers well for the captaincy. 5 Austinn Jones 16 games, 303 possessions Finally, the good Aussie Jones has returned. After making some promising steps last year he returned to some excellent form that reminded us of the sensational player he was in 1997. He has been given the “quarterback” type role in defense, where he is given license to create and use his pace and excellent foot skills to the team’s advantage. As part of this he is not given the task of minding the more dangerous of the opposition forwards, in the style that allowed Brad Hardie and Gavin Wanganeen to win Brownlows. Perhaps it is the approach of the current coach that has turned him around, maybe it was the stellar form in 2001 of his contemporaries in Joel Smith and Matthew Lappin , unfortunately at other clubs (hell, even Tony Brown won a Marjory Medal). The only downside was the recurrent hamstring injuries which cost him (and us) the middle of the year. He will be 26 next year and should be approaching his peak. He was trade bait over last summer, but no suitable trades could be organized, I doubt he is trade bait this year. 6 Heath Black 18 games, 345 possession He took a while to find his place in the St Kilda midfield rotation, but ended the year in fine form, finishing with games of 28, 22, 24 and 28 possessions. He was traded for effectively the 17th pick in the draft, and will prove this to be a worthwhile acquisition, especially as the Dockers picked him at number 12 and he was runner up in their best and fairest in 2001. He has better foot skills than most of his counterparts in the midfield (Lenny Hayes aside), and will be an important cog in a midfield that will consist of Hayes, Luke Ball, Black and others for many years to come. 7 Lenny Hayes 20 games, 403 possessions, 100 tackles Fantastic season, and should finish in the top 3 of the best and fairest. For a number of years he has frustrated me with his undoubted ability, but had not stepped up to be anything more than a flashy player with excellent skills and had never imposed himself on a game. This year he has grown as a player and leader in the club, and has been rewarded with the contract extension and being bracketed with Riewoldt and Kosi as the future of the club. Some excellent games, 6 with 25 possessions and more, topped up with 100 tackles for the year, one of only 4 players in the league to do so, also with the best average given he missed a couple of games with a hand injury courtesy of Brad Scott. Apart from the obvious blond haired guy wearing number 12, he has been the revelation of the year, and will be regarded amongst the elite midfielders in the league in the next few years. 8 Max Hudghton 17 games, 166 possessions Another good year from an under-rated defender, who has been taking on much bigger opponents for several years. If only he would actually take some care in the way he approaches the ball and stop landing on his head after marking contests. Unfortunately ended a number of games on the bench with head or hamstring injuries, leaving an already undermanned defense even more stretched. Max bleeds (and occasionally cries) for the club, and as long as he is not entrusted with being a link man out of defence, where he is prone to horrendous turnovers that leave all his team mates exposed, he is an important cog in the backline. 9 Fraser Gehrig 12 games, 145 possessions, 60 marks Here’s a method of determining whether a St Kilda supporter actually knows anything about the game. Ask them what they think of Fraser Gehrig. The less knowledgeable bag him mercilessly, the more discerning supporter realize how good he is and can be (which also might explain your average West Coast fans criticism of him, we all know they now bugger all about the game). Since he joined the Saints, he has played primarily as a key backman on the best opposition forward and has rarely been beaten. In the last game he kept Neitz to 2 goals and 4 kicks, just another key forward he has shut down. He had the dreaded OP for most of the first half of the year, and wasn’t anywhere near fit for the rest of the year. He doesn’t rack up enormous stats, although 12 possessions and 5 marks per game is not too bad for a full back. A fit Fraser Gehrig will be an enormous benefit to the Saints over the next few years, and to trade him for pick 18 and David Sierakowski was a steal. 10 Peter Everitt 12 games, 132 possessions, 264 hitouts There is no more discussed player at St Kilda than Peter Everitt. On the day that I write this, Grant Thomas is all over the press saying Spider is not “untouchable”. Whether this is a ploy by the coach to fire up the enigmatic Spider, or he is foreshadowing trading deals is anyone’s guess. I have long been a supporter of the “Keep Spider At All Costs” faction, but now would be willing to trade him for suitable compensation (note to Collingwood supporters – Dimmatina, Adkins and a 4th round pick is not suitable compensation). I accept he was not fit after missing the first 10 games, but there were more disturbing signs that have nothing to do with fitness, such as the dropping of easy marks when out by himself, and the lack of anything resembling a physical contest or contested mark. Having said this, I would be happy to have him continue, as we should not give him away for nothing. He is, after all, a dual All Australian ruckman, our most recent best and fairest winner, and probably the best tap ruckman in the game. The lack of physicality costs him when he comes up against Primus, King etc. He has better skills than any of his contemporaries, Darcy possibly excepted, but doesn’t produce often enough. 11 Craig Callaghan 12 games, 117 possession. Before I looked at the stats, I would have thought Callaghan played no more than 4 or 5 games for the year. Of the 117 possessions, 59 came in his first 3 games, leaving 58 in the remaining 9, less than 7 a game. This is exactly the sort of return we don’t need from anybody, let alone a relatively experienced player. Good sides do not fall away rapidly after the first 15 or so, which is our current problem. He has hurt his knee and will not see much action in 2003, which will probably be the death knell of his career. This is unfortunate, as I like him as a player and admire his approach, but I think he is gone. 12 Nick Riewoldt 22 games, 319 possessions, 178 marks Not much more I can add to the dozens of articles written in praise of this young superstar. To lead the entire league in marks at age 19 is phenomenal. To have the opposition play their best backman on a 20 game player is testament to his standing in the game already. I have not seen a better player at this age full stop. Better than Lockett, better than Carey. Just hope he can continue in this vein. The best news for St Kilda this year was the signing of St Nick until the end of 2005, a sure sign of club stability and confidence, given he could just about write his own ticket after his initial contract expired at the end of next year. When he steers St Kilda to a flag, we will thank Tim Watson for his ineptitude that allowed us to draft Nick Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke. More to come, stay tuned. Go Saints

September 18th. 2002 Player Reviews: Part II. After re-reading my assessments of numbers 1-12 I wondered why we had only finished 15th. Reviewing the next 12 reminded me why. 13 Brett Voss 22 games 271 possessions Played in every game, but wasn’t particularly impressive or outstanding. He can show enormous courage and skill on occasion backing back into the pack to take marks, but doesn’t do it often enough. Far too many games with little impact (13 games with less than 12 possessions), which is not sufficient for somebody who is not a purely defensive player. Perhaps the strategy is the unlikely hope that his brother will get pissed off with Brisbane and join his brother, but somehow I doubt it. He did come for more or less nothing, in the preseason draft (which also produced Chad Rintoul, Simon, Estaugh, Chris Ladhams, Matthew Dent ie nobody else you be particularly ruing missing out on). I suspect he will struggle to get a game in a good side. 14 Luke Ball 0 games Bracketed with Hodge and Judd last year as the three standouts, he was never going to play a big part this year. If he is as good as the other two mentioned, then we have something to look forward to. 15 Steven Lawrence 21 games, 334 possessions Once he threw off the nagging injuries, he proved to be a very valuable player. He was an integral part of the Lions backline back in 99, when the first stirrings of the current day powerhouse were evident. Very hard at the ball, and also at the man, he should be coming into his peak at 26 years of age. It’s a pity the AFL were so corrupt in the early days of the interstate father son rule, otherwise he may have been a Saint much earlier. 16 Matthew Capuano 7 games, 81 possessions, 37 hit outs The latest in the long line of Lazar Vidovic replacements, ie the relief ruckman to allow Spider to drift forward and dominate as he did in 97-98. I was never a wrap for Capuano while he was at North, 2 premiership medals not withstanding, and he has not done anything to change my opinion. He was thrust into unlikely key position roles during the great injury plague of Rd 4 – 10, which proved he wasn’t a key position player. His spot is safe, as ruck back ups are scarcer than Tim Ellliot Brownlow votes, you can’t forget the seven years TE spent on the list, purely because he had height. 17 Justin Plapp 1 game, 9 possessions Made it for one game, got injured and didn’t reappear. We should have learned by now, never never never draft a player willingly let go by Richmond, by definition they are hacks. Justin, the tribe has spoken, it’s time for you to go. 18 Jason Cripps 20 Games 273 possessions A reasonably consistent year from Crippa, without being outstanding. Usually given a job and does it OK, but did have times where he was cut up by the opposition. It seems sacrilegious to consider the down sides of this player who has missed as much footy as he has. Next year he will be required to be more prominent, now he has had a full year under his belt, and he must return to be the excellent aggressive runner of 5 years ago, where he was an integral part of the (often referred to) 1997 prematurely halted juggernaugt. 19 Chad Davis 9 games, 65 possessions. If you have no expectations, you are rarely disappointed. This is how I view Chad Davis. I have never seen much to get me excited in the last couple of years, and this year was no different. Usually the first one dragged, and subsequently dropped, but this happens for a reason, he is not quite up to it, and doesn’t do the hard things that would keep him in the side, such as tackling, running hard to provide options, shepherding, etc. 7 possessions a game, even with limited game time, is not enough, especially when accompanied by only 10 tackles for the year and 5 goals 1. I can’t imagine any other team being interested in him as a trading option, which means he has little future if we are going to improve significantly. Those who follow Springvale indicate that he played very well there this year, however all that proves is how far apart the standards really are (more on that next week when I come to Chris Oliver). 20 Xavier Clark 16 games 136 possessions A learning experience for the X man, of whom big things are expected. Taken at number 5 in the draft, he has got to cope with the expectations of a top 5 draft pick given the success of our last two high picks. Teased us early with a mercurial 4 goal performance against Melbourne, and some solid performances in the middle of the year, but trailed off and spent some time with Springvale as the multitude of injured players gradually came back into the side. In his last 6 games, he didn’t get more than 6 possessions in any game, which is a bit disappointing, but not something to write him off over. 21 Cadyn Beetham 8 games 76 possessions The current favourite whipping boy of the masses, the success the club has had with high draft choices in recent years makes the selection of Beetham at number 7 a source of frustration. Undoubtedly talented, but appears to lack the will to make the necessary sacrifices to make it at the top level, at least with St Kilda. To have such minimal impact in a season where the club was decimated with injury was disappointing, and the fact he spent so much time with Springvale in the second half of the year was a pretty clear indication that he is on the outer with the coaching panel. Similarly the regular email updates from the club mentioned the lack of application and doing the hard things more than once. We won’t get much for him in a trade, and he may well prove a good player in a different environment, but it won’t be at St Kilda. 22 James Begley 13 games, 155 possessions Another so-so year from Begley, again injury has cut it short. Some reasonable games towards the end of the season may have saved him from being traded, but he needs to show a bit more for a 4th year player, even though he only has 36 games under his belt. He is exactly the sort of player we need to improve into a consistent senior player if we are to improve from the bottom section of the ladder. 23 Stewart Loewe 17 games 201 possessions 80 marks There was absolutely no doubt that Stewie was on his last legs, and has made the right decision to retire. I am also extremely happy that the club allowed him to retire on his own terms, which should be the case for all time club greats. His form this year consisted of a good game every 3 to 4 weeks, it was as though his body took this long to recover from the effort. He still occupied one of the opposition’s better defenders, but the marking gift that has made him one of the greatest marks of all time deserted him for most of the year. I have seen probably 300 of his 320 games live or live on TV, and I have nothing but admiration for the guy who was a tall ungainly rookie back in 86/87 who turned himself into statistically at least, the most prolific mark in AFL history (I did read somewhere this fact, but damned if I can find it again). He worked on his obvious weakness, which had us cringing when he was shooting for goal, no matter how far out or what angle, so that he became a semi reliable kick for goal. From 1995 to now (which is as far back as I could get with the stats) he kicked a very respectable 340.198. He also knocked back very lucrative offers from Freo and other clubs in the mid nineties, and it was a shame we couldn’t reward him (and a few others) with a flag. Much is made of his apparent failures in finals, but by my reckoning, he was in the best 3 on the ground in at least three of them. He was second best for St Kilda in the defeat of Collingwood in 92 (after Harvey ripped McGuane and everyone else apart), the first final in 97 he was thrown into the ruck after Spider hurt his shoulder, and was instrumental in the Saints 8 goal victory against the Lions, after being down at half time. He also set up the 97 preliminary final win early on, with his dominance over Martyn and Archer. There are apparent extenuating circumstances for his 97 grand final, although being double teamed by Rehn and Pittman for most of the game certainly didn’t help matters. It is also often forgotten that he kicked 90 goals in the season after Plugger’s departure. The roar at Moorabbin when he and Plugger ruled the forward line was amazing, the amount of times the crowd called “STEEEWWWWWWWWWIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEE” when another towering mark was taken deep in the forward line will forever be etched in my memory. All Australian 3 times in the early 90s, missed a couple more only because of a guy at North playing in the same position, EJ Whitten medallist and permanent fixture in the Victorian State of Origin team through the 90s, club record games holder in the hardest position on the ground, 1 best and fairest and 4 times runner up in a side containing Lockett, Harvey, Burke and Winmar, 123 Brownlow votes, club captain, CHF in the Saints team of the Century. Thanks Stewie for the memories. Champion. 24 Justin Koschitzke 4 games 25 disposals After a promising first year, missed the majority of this year with injury. By all accounts grew significantly in the off season, and should be one of the mainstays in the years to come. His future partnership with Riewoldt will be something to look forward to. Next week, the remaining players. Go Saints

September 24th. 2002 Player Reviews: Part III. The final installment: 25 Chris Oliver 5 games, 23 possessions, 24 hitouts He has shown me nothing much to date, doesn't seem to have any particular strengths apart from the obvious height. In the few times he was in a position to mark the ball, he showed not much ability in this area, and let a number of regulation marks slip through. He was chosen for the VFL representative side, so he must have shown something there, but I've yet to see it. This appraisal may be harsh on a rookie ruckman, and he will be given time to develop, but it isn't apparent yet if he'll be any good. 26 Nick Del Santo 18 games 191 possessions A pretty good debut year from the number 13 in the draft, he has that unlearnable skill that defines good players, time and poise. It remains to be seen how he will be used over the next few years, but doesn't look out of place in this company. 27 Jason Blake 5 games, 38 possessions Another year of pretty much nothing from Blake, a good opening game against Camporeale, then form and injuries left him with little impact on the year. He will have to start showing something soon, because presently he is not part of the best 22. 28 Leigh Montagna 1 game, 4 possessions He played one game where he had little impact, then broke his ankle and missed the rest of the year. Looked quite small and slight in his one appearance. 29 Stephen Baker 21 games, 283 possessions A very good year as a tagger, with scalps such as Crawford, Cousins and Camporeale. He also turned himself into a less negative player, who was capable of hurting his man offensively, witness the two goals against Carlton the second time around to stem the tide. Usually given first crack at the best opposition small player, and while he'll never be Robert Harvey, every team needs a little bastard to tag, and we've got a pretty good one. 30 Daniel Wulf 16 games, 156 possessions A year where Wulf marked time a bit, gained notoriety throughout the League for missing that shot in the last minute against the Swans. Wulf has struggled to find his niche, he kicked four goals late in the year against Geelong when Thomas was able to engineer a mismatch in the forward line, but is just as likely the next week to not get a touch. Not quite tall enough to be a marking option in the forward line, could be a reasonable wingman. Next year will see if he is to make an impact. 31 Matt Maguire 12 games, 76 possessions Rookie backman thrown to the wolves and expected to hold down a key defensive post during the injury depleted weeks, and acquitted himself ok. He did get taken apart a few times, most notably by Nathan Thompson, but nobody expected him to perform all that much better. He will have gained enormous experience from the year, and this will only accelerate his development. 32 Josh Houlihan 0 games The fact that he didn't get a game this year says he is a long way away from being ready to play. If he is anything like his brothers then he will be very skillful, but not overly physical. . 33 Trent Knobel 13 games, 75 possessions, 161 hitouts Great start, ordinary middle, injumaroon by the end. He played in every game up until Rd 13, but never approached his Rd 1 form, where he exceeded 10 touches for the only time for the year. Ruckmen who do little more than contest in the ruck are not what is requimaroon in today's football, he will need to add a few more strings to his bow to become a valuable contributor in the years to come. He is not ready to assume the Number 1 ruck mantle, so any trade for Spider must be for a ruckman in kind. 35 Robert Harvey 10 games, 194 possessions Still the best player at the club, if only he could get out on the field. Showed in his 250th game how important he still is for the team, he steadied the ship and won the game against Richmond with his cool head and ball winning ability. Don't write him off just yet, he can still match it with the best. A fit Harvey would have seen us win at least three games down the final stretch of the season. 40 Troy Schwarze 20 games, 195 possessions One of the most improved players on the list through the year. Early on he was outplayed on most occasions, primarily on one of the oppositions best forwards, but gained confidence throughout the year. One of the highlights was his kick ins, an area we have been horrendous over the last few years. Low spearing passes to the 50 metre line were the norm and many times set up forward thrusts. Towards the end of the year I was happy to revise my opinion on him to some degree, as long as he is not expected to be the lynch pin of the defence, he may turn out all right. 43 Brett Moyle 12 games, 162 possessions We missed him significantly early in the year, because he can be a ball magnet. He is a deceptive kind of player, not tall, not particularly quick, but has the happy knack of getting the ball. This year he didn't show the form of which he is capable, but hopefully a good preseason will see him have a better year in 2003. 44 Stephen Milne 21 games, 244 possessions, 50 goals The last time a small forward kicked 50 goals for St Kilda in a year was…, well, I don't recall a small forward ever kicking this many goals for the Saints. The most unlikely footballer in the AFL, he had another year as a one man highlights reel. I will admit to being extremely skeptical when he was promoted off the rookie list, he was very small and the step up to the big league looked too great. He has his weaknesses, no left foot and a tendency to try to do too much, but I'll take 50 goals a year from my forward pocket any time. Go Saints.