"Saints big on building ruck stocks" - The Age

[my les foote]

Interesting, no mention of Brooks or Watts either as ruck candidates or recent delistees.

Saints big on building ruck stocks
Karen Lyon | October 15, 2007

JUST days after securing Geelong premiership ruckman Steven King in last week's trades, St Kilda is looking to further lift its ruck department in next month's national draft.

The Saints will go into the draft with four selections — Nos 9, 42, 58 and 74 — and coach Ross Lyon said the team would select four young players, including a ruckman, to continue rebuilding stocks.

While Carlton will almost certainly select ruckman Matthew Kreuzer with the opening pick, there are other ruckmen available, including Ben McEvoy from the Murray Bushrangers and his teammate Dawson Simpson, as well as Gippsland Power's Brent Connelly, Tassie Mariner Tom Bellchambers, Western Jets' Will Sullivan and Joel Smouha from Queensland's Mount Gravatt.

The Saints spoke to young Geelong ruckman Mark Blake, who missed out on the premiership medal when the Cats chose King ahead of him for the grand final, but Blake remains at Kardinia Park.

After a thorough medical for King and what the coach labelled an "impressive" meeting, Lyon said he was prepared to take a "calculated risk" with the ruckman, believing he has another two or three good years in him.

"He is still hungry," Lyon said. "What I saw on grand final day was a lean, hungry, highly conditioned athlete."

Lyon also believes King is motivated by Geelong's decision to ultimately choose Blake in front of him, even though King tasted premiership glory. "He has a point to prove, according to him. Not according to Geelong, or according to me," the coach said. "I have real confidence in him, I am thrilled to have him and there is work to be done over our pre-season."

With ruckmen at a premium during trade week, and given the Saints' lack of success in the area in recent years, Lyon believes King buys the club time to "grow our own" and develop another young ruckman.

With Matthew Clarke retired and Michael Gardiner continuing his comeback from injuries, the club wants to put time into a young ruckman. Luke Van Rheenen has agreed to spend another year on the Saints' rookie list.

The coach said the addition of King and Geelong teammate Charlie Gardiner, as well as Sydney premiership duo Adam Schneider and Sean Dempster, would create "pressure on spots around the edges" of the senior team.

Having given up pick No. 90 for the Geelong pair — a pick that neither St Kilda nor Geelong would be likely to use — the Saints have effectively picked up four experienced players, three of them under the age of 25, for pick No. 26 in the draft. Three come with premiership experience, something that can be a double-edged sword, according to Lyon.

"It's a problem if they have been to the top of the mountain and are just playing out their years, but they are still hungry. They come from two teams, Geelong and the Swans, that encourage hard workers and they are highly disciplined; they will bring these traits with them and they are traits, I think, that are already inherent in our group," Lyon said.

"If you look at the two players we got from the Swans, they could be 150-game players for us."

Lyon had been looking at another, unnamed, ruckman but went with King not just because of his interview, but because of the chance of also getting Gardiner, who is seen as a possible replacement for Aaron Hamill or Brett Voss.

http://realfooty.com.au/news/news/saint ... 7213.html#

[Riewoldting]

What's even more interesting is that Karen Lyon didn't attribute www.saintsational.com as the source of much of that material.

[SaintBot]

ben mcevoy (sp?) - his chances for pick 9 just lifted

[LTN16]

Dawson Simpson pick 42

[Oh When the Saints]

Brent Connelly ... Saints spoke to him at least twice at Draft Camp.

Would probably be around at pick #58 ...