Saintsational Fan Forum - A passionate community of St Kilda Football Club fans discussing news, history, players, trade rumours, results, AFL stats and more.
B.M wrote: ↑Wed 06 Mar 2024 4:09pm
We got rid of Joel Smith - injured
He went on to play another 140 games win a best & Fairest and was an AA at Hawthorn.
We got rid of Matt Maguire and the pick we received we used in Will Johnson he went on to play 2 game. Maguire another 60-80
Then there’s Everitt Ball lynch McEvoy Stanley Acres
We are s
Those bottom 6 were gotten rid of for reasons other than injury. Maguire was cooked and GOP at Brisbane, nothing more. Joel Smith a clear error, which happens.
A mate asked me last night about Coffield. I said he’s had his chances, was injury prone amongst other issues, HOWEVER he has potential to embarrass the club but I’m comfortable with the clubs decision. Same with Gresh and Billings. Same with Acres(who has gone really well at blues)
History shows we have got most right (Weller, Dunstan, Maguire, X Clarke, etc)
B.M wrote: ↑Wed 06 Mar 2024 4:09pm
We got rid of Joel Smith - injured
He went on to play another 140 games win a best & Fairest and was an AA at Hawthorn.
We got rid of Matt Maguire and the pick we received we used in Will Johnson he went on to play 2 game. Maguire another 60-80
Then there’s Everitt Ball lynch McEvoy Stanley Acres
We are s
Those bottom 6 were gotten rid of for reasons other than injury. Maguire was cooked and GOP at Brisbane, nothing more. Joel Smith a clear error, which happens.
A mate asked me last night about Coffield. I said he’s had his chances, was injury prone amongst other issues, HOWEVER he has potential to embarrass the club but I’m comfortable with the clubs decision. Same with Gresh and Billings. Same with Acres(who has gone really well at blues)
History shows we have got most right (Weller, Dunstan, Maguire, X Clarke, etc)
I always wondered why Coffield went at no 8 in the draft.
Killa wrote: ↑Thu 29 Feb 2024 7:12pm
So, in recruiting players either by drafting or attracting them from other Clubs, the caveat with the St Kilda FC is that if you cop a couple of injuries which cost you game time, and which happen in the AFL competition some injuries costing a season, you are on your bike.
St Kilda FC does not want you.
Simply, you identify class footballers AND, if they are injured, you back in your rehabilitation resources.
Mind you, if St Kilda FC just jettison, think of the savings from not having to have rehabilitation resources.
And, as these players are booted, think what that would do to culture, a culture where you stand alongside your mates including thru adversity.
Not kick them on the way out the door.
And, to add, why is the injury prone Max King still on St Kilda's books?
Send him off to Gold Coast.
Max King is a 202cm athlete who can dominate games.
Clark is an average AFL level half back who has shown 15 games of promise as a clearance winning, evasive mid, who gets impact injuries fairly often.
Mmmm. Let's not get too carried away.
He had his jaw broken by a guy who took him out while Clark only had eyes for the ball.
He had his nose broken in a collision with a team mate while both were bravely in a pack trying to win a contested ball at a crucial time in the final quarter of a tight match. I saw Hunter a few weeks after that injury, it was a bad break.
Brave footballer with skills we are desperately short of. To me he is a bit like Russell Greene.
I'm not sure.
He is a 50% chance of kicking a goal.
He is a 33% chance of winning his possessions in a contest.
His possession rate has never really improved.
What are the skills you speak of?
If courage is a skill, would you think he has been unlucky or unsuccessful?
If courage can be ranked as a skill, awareness would be another.
I'm aware he is courageous.
Richmond had a similar issue with Dylan Grimes. Kept getting injured. For three years it was one soft tissue after another. But they persisted with him because they knew he was a talent. Eventually, it turned around and he became a highly rated defender who helped them win three premierships
Clark has attributes that most players on our list don't. He's a real talent, not some potato.
Based on the logic of some on here we should have delisted Max King at the end of 2023
cwrcyn wrote: ↑Fri 08 Mar 2024 1:30pm
Richmond had a similar issue with Dylan Grimes. Kept getting injured. For three years it was one soft tissue after another. But they persisted with him because they knew he was a talent. Eventually, it turned around and he became a highly rated defender who helped them win three premierships
Clark has attributes that most players on our list don't. He's a real talent, not some potato.
Based on the logic of some on here we should have delisted Max King at the end of 2023
I'm not sure anyone is calling for him to be dumped. Can you point out his skills was the question. I've watched him play and scoured his stats, I'm just not seeing talent translate into consistent results.
The fact he has missed a few games from injury is put down to luck. He has played enough and the stats don't add up. They resemble an average AFL standard half back, who gets foward enough to to kick 12/12 in 6 seasons.
Before the brutal hit that shattered his face, he'd played some really impressive games at half back, a position I think suits him. Since then he's been tried more through the middle and it's been an adjustment for him, with his aerobic fitness holding him back as well as the obvious psychological issues around playing after one of the worst facial injuries we've seen in AFL football. Don't underestimate the guts it takes to get out there again. The club failed him and brought him back too soon and he took a solid hit to his face, which left him with concussion and he missed another string of games. About 10 games after returning from that, he copped another facial injury and concussion after tackling a player ( a freak accident). A few games after his return from that he dislocated his shoulder. Since then, he's had a couple of soft tissue injuries and some more shoulder trouble.
So here we are in 2024. The training reports indicated that he was at his fittest and playing really well during match simulations and then cops an elbow from a team mate and gets another facial fracture. He comes back from that and like the supremely fit Jack Sinclair, does a calf.
There's no real continuity in all that, and let's not forget that Jack Sinclair, up until the age of 25 , had been averaging about 14 touches a games and would disappear in games for lengthy periods. This while having continuity in regards to his body.
To me, Hunter Clark can become a player of similar quality to Sinclair. He needs fitness and continuity to get there, though.
I dont think anyone underestimates his courage.
He doesn't play half back because we have Nasiah and Sincs, who both impact games regularly.
He is a decent footballer who hasn't fully hit his straps.
I'll agree with that.
Perhaps injury has held him back.
Perhaps it's his fitness and endurance.
Sounds like he has a bit to work on, continuity being the most obvious.
He has averaged 15 games a season with the big anomaly being 2022.
He played well last year and will have a delayed start this year.
I wish him the best but I won't be expecting the messiah.
Hunter's slight of hand to release team mates from congestion is rare skill. Hunter as a package is very very good, we just have been deprived of seeing it uninterrupted by serious injury.
Hunter has the ability to think quick in tight, it also appears he lacks awareness.
His skills on both feet are good but not consistent.
Injury time doesn't bring stats but can effect continuence, skills other people dont exhibit might mean continuence wouldn't matter but Id suggest fitness levels vary due to continuence not skill levels.
The fitter you are the more time you have.
Hunter, as a package, has a fair bit of work to do, he pushed himself this preseason and as a result, he may be vulnerable to injury. We will see.
What we see are flashes of brilliance and a lot of average competence in my opinion. I'd say there are a few younger players on the list who will surpass him If he doesn't string 30 very good games together by the end of next year.
Otiman wrote: ↑Sat 09 Mar 2024 11:07pm
We were 11-8 with Clark and 2-2 without.
I don't know what those two games were, but could he have really made the difference?
Possibly. Don't ask me which game we possibly could have won...We just need ball winners. We need more players capable of effective clearances.
I just think when Hunter is in very good form he's an important cog in the midfield.
He was missing in June for a block of games. It was 5 games Clark missed. We won 2 and lost 3.
We played Sydney after the bye plus Richmond at the MCG, Brisbane and Melbourne at Marvel, and West Coast over in WA.
After re-watching last years games It's obvious Hunter has the negative issues that some people keep harping on about, but nevertheless he keeps pushing the ball forward in a very positive way and it's noticeable his efforts round off our best teams, but who's spot does he pinch?
Surely no poster is blaming Hunter for being the victim of his injuries? Or are some and/or damning with faint praise.
Last year he didn't look like a young Arnold S and a number were upset about his body shape.
This year its because others keep hitting him in the head and its his fault because he should be aware.
I think Brayshaw and Simpkin were aware, as as was Joe Frazier when fighting Ali, but they still got hit hard in the noggin.
Most know, don't they, that injury interruptions stuff up an athlete's ability to reach peak potential and perform consistently.
Without knowing Hunter personally, I doubt he likes getting facial/head knocks that break his bones so does all he can to avoid them but still be an effective professional.
Might it be time to give the lad a break and stop the Yes, BUT style niggling.
I think there’s an argument to be made all directions here.
Few would suggest that he has been okay to excellent at times…
Few more would suggest that he doesn’t have a few gears to go up. The challenging thing with Clark is that IMO he could be an elite player of the comp. He hasn’t achieved that status but I hope that he can
For heavens sake, scraping the bottom of the psuedo science barrel know.
Some respect what he brings, some don't, and never the twain will meet.
But spruiking self serving nonsense won't bridge the gap.
The list manager and coach are more interested in what each player offers going forward rather than what they've done in the past. Compare what Clark offers versus what Brad Crouch offers.
Obviously Crouch's averages and overall career shows higher averages and he's been durable and consistent, however he is 30 and has peaked imo ... whereas Clark on the other hand is 25 and has higher upside imo.
If you look at how each player performed in our last proper game (the Elimination Final against GWS) I think that's indicative of the value of each player going forward.
Clark had 19 touches at 73% DE vs Crouch 21 at 66% DE. Clark had 7 contested as did Brad, but...Brad had 14 hb and only 7 kicks. Hinter had 11 kicks and 8 hb's.
Clearances, clangers and inside 50's were similar but I think Crouch had many more opportunities for disposals and clearances considering how many times he is at stoppages. Why should Crouch continue to be favoured as an inside mid if his effectiveness is much lower than others?
