Gallagher comment

[chook23]

5.29PM: WHY SAINTS DECIDED AGAINST GRUNDY PLAY

St Kilda considered making a play for traded Collingwood ruckman Brodie Grundy before deciding to install Rowan Marshall as the club’s No.1 ruck for the foreseeable future.

Ruckman Paddy Ryder has retired and the Saints decided they would prefer to lock in a partnership between Ryder and key forward Max King instead of bringing in the dual All-Australian.

They were unapologetic about their quiet trade period, adamant they wouldn’t go “throwing draft picks (and) money out just to finish sixth”.

They signed lockdown defender Zaine Cordy (Western Bulldogs) as a free agent, who could free up Callum Wilkie to play on a third tall forward and take more intercept marks.

Cordy will also help shelter the Saints’ baby key defenders before they are ready for the rigours of regular AFL football.

List boss James Gallagher said supporters, who would have to be in their late 50s to have seen the club’s only premiership in 1966, wouldn’t mind waiting another 12 months to ensure the Saints spiked sharply.

“There’s a real sense of urgency at our footy club to get better and go up the ladder. But we’re not trying to go up the ladder to finish sixth,” Gallagher said.

“We want to be a team that plays at the real pointy end of the year. If that takes a year longer, that’s OK.

“Our supporters are unbelievably patient. They’re passionate, they are loyal and they are patient.”

Brodie Grundy tries on his new colours at Melbourne.
Brodie Grundy tries on his new colours at Melbourne.
Gallagher said most of the club’s improvement in 2023 would come from their nucleus who missed large chunks of the year through injury.

Top-10 picks Jack Billings and Hunter Clark played just eight games while captain Jack Steele missed a month mid-season.

“All I know is we’ve got a number of good players that we didn’t get a lot out of in 2022 primarily through injury that are going to come back into our side in 2023,” Gallagher said.

“So there’s a lot of growth there. We played some pretty good footy in the first half of the year. We played some pretty ordinary footy in the second half of the year.

“We’re not miles off.”

The Saints had a red-hot crack at free agent Jordan De Goey, but after missing out Gallagher said: “We’re not just going to throw money at getting other players in or another player that becomes available. We’ve got to be really strategic about that”.

Gallagher said picks in the top 25-30 – and the first six – were being tightly held, but he was content with the draft hand and backed recruiter Chris Toce to nail the talent call.

The Saints hold picks 9, 28, 32 and 47.

“We might have a pick inside 10 and then a couple of picks in the second round, which based on what I’ve seen of this year’s draft, that’s a pretty good hand,”

[chook23]

5.29PM: WHY SAINTS DECIDED AGAINST GRUNDY PLAY

St Kilda considered making a play for traded Collingwood ruckman Brodie Grundy before deciding to install Rowan Marshall as the club’s No.1 ruck for the foreseeable future.

Ruckman Paddy Ryder has retired and the Saints decided they would prefer to lock in a partnership between Ryder and key forward Max King instead of bringing in the dual All-Australian.

They were unapologetic about their quiet trade period, adamant they wouldn’t go “throwing draft picks (and) money out just to finish sixth”.

They signed lockdown defender Zaine Cordy (Western Bulldogs) as a free agent, who could free up Callum Wilkie to play on a third tall forward and take more intercept marks.

Cordy will also help shelter the Saints’ baby key defenders before they are ready for the rigours of regular AFL football.

List boss James Gallagher said supporters, who would have to be in their late 50s to have seen the club’s only premiership in 1966, wouldn’t mind waiting another 12 months to ensure the Saints spiked sharply.

“There’s a real sense of urgency at our footy club to get better and go up the ladder. But we’re not trying to go up the ladder to finish sixth,” Gallagher said.

“We want to be a team that plays at the real pointy end of the year. If that takes a year longer, that’s OK.

“Our supporters are unbelievably patient. They’re passionate, they are loyal and they are patient.”

Brodie Grundy tries on his new colours at Melbourne.
Brodie Grundy tries on his new colours at Melbourne.
Gallagher said most of the club’s improvement in 2023 would come from their nucleus who missed large chunks of the year through injury.

Top-10 picks Jack Billings and Hunter Clark played just eight games while captain Jack Steele missed a month mid-season.

“All I know is we’ve got a number of good players that we didn’t get a lot out of in 2022 primarily through injury that are going to come back into our side in 2023,” Gallagher said.

“So there’s a lot of growth there. We played some pretty good footy in the first half of the year. We played some pretty ordinary footy in the second half of the year.

“We’re not miles off.”

The Saints had a red-hot crack at free agent Jordan De Goey, but after missing out Gallagher said: “We’re not just going to throw money at getting other players in or another player that becomes available. We’ve got to be really strategic about that”.

Gallagher said picks in the top 25-30 – and the first six – were being tightly held, but he was content with the draft hand and backed recruiter Chris Toce to nail the talent call.

The Saints hold picks 9, 28, 32 and 47.

“We might have a pick inside 10 and then a couple of picks in the second round, which based on what I’ve seen of this year’s draft, that’s a pretty good hand,”

[chook23]

5.29PM: WHY SAINTS DECIDED AGAINST GRUNDY PLAY

St Kilda considered making a play for traded Collingwood ruckman Brodie Grundy before deciding to install Rowan Marshall as the club’s No.1 ruck for the foreseeable future.

Ruckman Paddy Ryder has retired and the Saints decided they would prefer to lock in a partnership between Ryder and key forward Max King instead of bringing in the dual All-Australian.

They were unapologetic about their quiet trade period, adamant they wouldn’t go “throwing draft picks (and) money out just to finish sixth”.

They signed lockdown defender Zaine Cordy (Western Bulldogs) as a free agent, who could free up Callum Wilkie to play on a third tall forward and take more intercept marks.

Cordy will also help shelter the Saints’ baby key defenders before they are ready for the rigours of regular AFL football.

List boss James Gallagher said supporters, who would have to be in their late 50s to have seen the club’s only premiership in 1966, wouldn’t mind waiting another 12 months to ensure the Saints spiked sharply.

“There’s a real sense of urgency at our footy club to get better and go up the ladder. But we’re not trying to go up the ladder to finish sixth,” Gallagher said.

“We want to be a team that plays at the real pointy end of the year. If that takes a year longer, that’s OK.

“Our supporters are unbelievably patient. They’re passionate, they are loyal and they are patient.”

Brodie Grundy tries on his new colours at Melbourne.
Brodie Grundy tries on his new colours at Melbourne.
Gallagher said most of the club’s improvement in 2023 would come from their nucleus who missed large chunks of the year through injury.

Top-10 picks Jack Billings and Hunter Clark played just eight games while captain Jack Steele missed a month mid-season.

“All I know is we’ve got a number of good players that we didn’t get a lot out of in 2022 primarily through injury that are going to come back into our side in 2023,” Gallagher said.

“So there’s a lot of growth there. We played some pretty good footy in the first half of the year. We played some pretty ordinary footy in the second half of the year.

“We’re not miles off.”

The Saints had a red-hot crack at free agent Jordan De Goey, but after missing out Gallagher said: “We’re not just going to throw money at getting other players in or another player that becomes available. We’ve got to be really strategic about that”.

Gallagher said picks in the top 25-30 – and the first six – were being tightly held, but he was content with the draft hand and backed recruiter Chris Toce to nail the talent call.

The Saints hold picks 9, 28, 32 and 47.

“We might have a pick inside 10 and then a couple of picks in the second round, which based on what I’ve seen of this year’s draft, that’s a pretty good hand,”

Did we not spend huge amount on Hannebery...hill...Howard etc
And finish 10th

[WellardSaint]

So JB and Hunter being healthy, is never going to get it done.
Imagine those 2 at the Cats or Dees.
They wouldn't even be named as emergencies

[bangaulegend]

Wank Wank tell us something we don't know

[CURLY]

So JB and Hunter being healthy, is never going to get it done.
Imagine those 2 at the Cats or Dees.
They wouldn't even be named as emergencies

Untrue. Both fit both play.

[MC Gusto]

Hey Gags I reckon most of us would be pretty happy if you and the team could get us to 6th

Problem is it’s miles off and it’s been miles off for a decade or more

Don’t overstate the patience, most of us are ropable / disenchanted

[Mr Magic]

Hey Gags I reckon most of us would be pretty happy if you and the team could get us to 6th

Problem is it’s miles off and it’s been miles off for a decade or more

Don’t overstate the patience, most of us are ropable / disenchanted

They did in 2020

[nostalgicsaint]

Lol this place.

"I'll be really angry if the club throw money at b graders just to try and climb the ladder, we should go to the draft"

St kilda goes to draft

"I'm so sick of this club, we've been patient enough"

Grow up.

[SydneySainter]

Hey Gags I reckon most of us would be pretty happy if you and the team could get us to 6th

Problem is it’s miles off and it’s been miles off for a decade or more

Don’t overstate the patience, most of us are ropable / disenchanted

They did in 2020

Yep, over a decade, two coaches and two rebuilds and we finished in the top 8 once, during the COVID stop-gap year.

[evertonfc]

I can't recall ever feeling further away from a flag than I do right now.

[Banger9798]

So our improvement will come from having injured players come back?

That's their plan?

[Banger9798]

I can't recall ever feeling further away from a flag than I do right now.

I still think we have a better list than under Richo

There are some genuine talents and A graders in that first 22.

But that trade period was totally uninspired.
The equivalent of playing safe footy in a final.

We were a traffic cone.

Zero presence. And Gags plan to get better is to have injured players return (and presumably not get any injuries next year).

[kosifantutti]

Ruckman Paddy Ryder has retired and the Saints decided they would prefer to lock in a partnership between Ryder and key forward Max King instead of bringing in the dual All-Australian.

I think the second mention of Ryder is a typo, but are they saying Marshall and King alternating in the ruck?

[Rubyjo]

Ryder has retired or has he ???

[bangaulegend]

Ruckman Paddy Ryder has retired and the Saints decided they would prefer to lock in a partnership between Ryder and key forward Max King instead of bringing in the dual All-Australian.

I think the second mention of Ryder is a typo, but are they saying Marshall and King alternating in the ruck?

That's how I took it Kosi . If that's actually correct we really are desperate

[desertsaint]

very inspiring stuff.
we tried to get someone good, we failed, we've got bugger all draft picks, but we got a back up defender, and two players will be playing a bit more next year, hopefully.
one of whom doesn't want to be here, the other one we tried and failed to get any bites for.
and hey we may not make finals next year, and we definitely won't make top six, but who wants that anyway?

[B.M]

Joke

He expects us to swallow that crap?!

[SaintPav]

I can't recall ever feeling further away from a flag than I do right now.

Just look slightly up and to your left.

[groupie1]

Lol this place.

"I'll be really angry if the club throw money at b graders just to try and climb the ladder, we should go to the draft"

St kilda goes to draft

"I'm so sick of this club, we've been patient enough"

Grow up.

Yeah... I agree.

While I wish we had a better hand in the draft, we picked up a genuinely tall defender for nothing, and we should expect improvement from:

Clark
Coffield
Owens
Windhager
NWM
Hayes
Sharman
Bytel

and if they get serious and get a goalkicking coach in, King and Higgins.

The last step alone gets us into the 8: both 2022 and 2021

Our defensive intercept capabilities will grow, and we've all seen how important that has been for the better clubs.

If they draft particularly well, like last year, we've done OK with King, Windy, NWM, Owens, Moose, and add Hayes, Sharman, Highmore, Wilkie.

And then there are the questions around Bytel, Byrnes, and Leo Connolly.

There is a lot of potential in these younger guys, and if we recall our last period of success, it was the dramatic improvement in a developing list that saw us surge up the latter.

[groupie1]

Lol this place.

"I'll be really angry if the club throw money at b graders just to try and climb the ladder, we should go to the draft"

St kilda goes to draft

"I'm so sick of this club, we've been patient enough"

Grow up.

Yeah... I agree.

While I wish we had a better hand in the draft, we picked up a genuinely tall defender for nothing, and we should expect improvement from:

Clark
Coffield
Owens
Windhager
NWM
Hayes
Sharman
Bytel

and if they get serious and get a goalkicking coach in, King and Higgins.

The last step alone gets us into the 8: both 2022 and 2021

Our defensive intercept capabilities will grow, and we've all seen how important that has been for the better clubs.

If they draft particularly well, like last year, we've done OK with King, Windy, NWM, Owens, Moose, and add Hayes, Sharman, Highmore, Wilkie.

And then there are the questions around Bytel, Byrnes, and Leo Connolly.

There is a lot of potential in these younger guys, and if we recall our last period of success, it was the dramatic improvement in a developing list that saw us surge up the ladder.

[Waltzing St Kilda]

Translation.

Ratten is caretaking.

[Yorkeys]

Nice statement.
Gaggs is seriously professional.
He might even be able to wade through the knee deep cynicism on here and get us contending.

[mad saint guy]

So our improvement will come from having injured players come back?

That's their plan?

Brilliant strategy. If we have every player on the list fit and firing for the entire season I bet we're playing finals. Should've thought of that before.

[MC Gusto]

Lol this place.

"I'll be really angry if the club throw money at b graders just to try and climb the ladder, we should go to the draft"

St kilda goes to draft

"I'm so sick of this club, we've been patient enough"

Grow up.

I’m not talking about this period in isolation

I am talking about our entire period under this administration

What have they done for us performance wise? Where have they moved the dial? IMO they haven’t. We’re still in nowhere land and the strategy is all over the place. One season we’re trading away picks for ‘stars’, next we’re hitting the draft

To say we’re a patient bunch is condescending at best, fkn infuriating for most