Who is the next A grader?

[Longwayfromhome]

We constantly talk on this forum about the need to find a young player with the necessary grunt to make it to the big league.
We confuse this with the need to get rid of players such as McQualter, Peake,Dempster, Clarke,Blake, Baker.
But who is ready to make the next step.
No one IMO has shown me enough in the magoos to suggest a call up to the senior side.
Stevens, Amitage, Lynch and any one else recruited in the past couple of years have not set the st Kilda world on fire let alone pushed for a regular spot.
It's all very well to say give the young players a go, but if they don't deserve it via their performances in the VFL then why bother.
Play Blake and Baker who we know will give us 100% each week.
Play McQualter in the middle of the park to replace Ball. Play Dempster, Clarke and Peake until we find some one who will give the side more options than these players offer. At the moment there is very little in the offering.
I would love to see some up and coming youngsters ripping the VFL apart, demanding a spot on the St Kilda senior roster.
Unfortunately this has not happened for some time.

[Bernard Shakey]

His name is Jack Steven, not Stevens.

[plugger66]

His name is Jack Steven, not Stevens.

While you are there BS can you give me any logical explanation why Jackson Ferguson was in the seconds for Sandy on Saturday.

[#1GILL]

I think a few of the current crop of younger players have the potential to reach A grade status.

Rhys Stanley, Jack Steven, Jamie Cripps and Tom Lynch are the 4 I believe are most likely to become genuine stars of the game.

[Bernard Shakey]

His name is Jack Steven, not Stevens.

While you are there BS can you give me any logical explanation why Jackson Ferguson was in the seconds for Sandy on Saturday.

After his performance the previous week maybe he was showing up to many of the more senior players. Beats me.

[Dr Spaceman]

His name is Jack Steven, not Stevens.

While you are there BS can you give me any logical explanation why Jackson Ferguson was in the seconds for Sandy on Saturday.

After his performance the previous week maybe he was showing up to many of the more senior players. Beats me.

Think it could only be due to the log jam created by the Saints not playing and the need to get some game time into some of our guys.

The Saints players who missed senior selection were basically first year rookies or Siposs who was only second game back from injury. Archer (upgraded rookie) and Eddy (experienced rookie) were exceptions.

From all reports we can expect to see a fair bit more of JF in the Sandy firsts as the season progresses.

[Thinline]

Ledger, Cripps, Crocker, Armitage, Steven all look like future A's to me.

Archer has something going on, but not sure if it's A material.

I think Lynch is no more than a VFL player but I'll happily be proven wrong.

Ferguson and young Siposs I simply know too little about to comment, but I like what I hear. Bit of X factor about both.

Call me impatient, but I'm tiring of waiting for Stanley to do something remotely worthy of a raised eyebrow. He farted for a bit two years back and threatened to s*** it in, but forever since it's been one long and unhealthy period of constipation.

Yeah, yeah. The talls take extra time. Blah blah blah...Just DO, Rhys. Get on with it.

[Bernard Shakey]

Ledger, Cripps, Crocker, Armitage, Steven all look like future A's to me.

Archer has something going on, but not sure if it's A material.

I think Lynch is no more than a VFL player but I'll happily be proven wrong.

Ferguson and young Siposs I simply know too little about to comment, but I like what I hear. Bit of X factor about both.

Call me impatient, but I'm tiring of waiting for Stanley to do something remotely worthy of a raised eyebrow. He farted for a bit two years back and threatened to s*** it in, but forever since it's been one long and unhealthy period of constipation.

Yeah, yeah. The talls take extra time. Blah blah blah...Just DO, Rhys. Get on with it.

Nicholas Winmar will be a class act.

[Dr Spaceman]

Call me impatient, but I'm tiring of waiting for Stanley to do something remotely worthy of a raised eyebrow. He farted for a bit two years back and threatened to s*** it in, but forever since it's been one long and unhealthy period of constipation.

Yeah, yeah. The talls take extra time. Blah blah blah...Just DO, Rhys. Get on with it.

His efforts in NZ over summer suggest he misunderstood the coach's message that he "needed to get more of the pill"

[Thinline]

Ledger, Cripps, Crocker, Armitage, Steven all look like future A's to me.

Archer has something going on, but not sure if it's A material.

I think Lynch is no more than a VFL player but I'll happily be proven wrong.

Ferguson and young Siposs I simply know too little about to comment, but I like what I hear. Bit of X factor about both.

Call me impatient, but I'm tiring of waiting for Stanley to do something remotely worthy of a raised eyebrow. He farted for a bit two years back and threatened to s*** it in, but forever since it's been one long and unhealthy period of constipation.

Yeah, yeah. The talls take extra time. Blah blah blah...Just DO, Rhys. Get on with it.

Nicholas Winmar will be a class act.

Ah yes. So they say. But for me he falls in the Ferguson/Siposs bracket. Simply not seen enough to comment with any authority.

(Le Noise? Growing on me. Taken a while....)

[CeilidhSaint]

N. Winmar
J. Cripps

Ledger excites me too in the nicest possible way.

[Bernard Shakey]

Ledger, Cripps, Crocker, Armitage, Steven all look like future A's to me.

Archer has something going on, but not sure if it's A material.

I think Lynch is no more than a VFL player but I'll happily be proven wrong.

Ferguson and young Siposs I simply know too little about to comment, but I like what I hear. Bit of X factor about both.

Call me impatient, but I'm tiring of waiting for Stanley to do something remotely worthy of a raised eyebrow. He farted for a bit two years back and threatened to s*** it in, but forever since it's been one long and unhealthy period of constipation.

Yeah, yeah. The talls take extra time. Blah blah blah...Just DO, Rhys. Get on with it.

Nicholas Winmar will be a class act.

Ah yes. So they say. But for me he falls in the Ferguson/Siposs bracket. Simply not seen enough to comment with any authority.

(Le Noise? Growing on me. Taken a while....)

Daniel Lanois more productive than Daniel Archer.

[Thinline]

But he was given opportuinites!

[Con Gorozidis]

N. Winmar
J. Cripps

Ledger excites me too in the nicest possible way.

agree. these 3 are our best chance. and stanley a maybe.

the rest are average.

[QuestionOfAccuracy]

Ledger, Cripps, Crocker, Armitage, Steven all look like future A's to me.

How could you say Armitage looks like a future A-grader? He is now in his fifth season, and has hardly shown enough to warrant a regular spot in the side.

I know he has been starved of opportunities at times, but when he does get given the chance he doesn't impress much. He was barely noticeable on Friday night. For an in-and-under midfielder he doesn't get enough disposals at all.

[lefty]

Ledger, Cripps, Crocker, Armitage, Steven all look like future A's to me.

How could you say Armitage looks like a future A-grader? He is now in his fifth season, and has hardly shown enough to warrant a regular spot in the side.

I know he has been starved of opportunities at times, but when he does get given the chance he doesn't impress much. He was barely noticeable on Friday night. For an in-and-under midfielder he doesn't get enough disposals at all.

And please tell me, where did Ross play him most of the night?....... Exactly.

Think before you state he had no impact.

The forward line structure was gone. What did Milne or Gamble do exactly? Least Armo hit a few tackles/bumps and chased, and he wasn't even playing in the midfield where he should of been.

[maverick]

Ledger, Cripps, Crocker, Armitage, Steven all look like future A's to me.

How could you say Armitage looks like a future A-grader? He is now in his fifth season, and has hardly shown enough to warrant a regular spot in the side.

I know he has been starved of opportunities at times, but when he does get given the chance he doesn't impress much. He was barely noticeable on Friday night. For an in-and-under midfielder he doesn't get enough disposals at all.

And please tell me, where did Ross play him most of the night?....... Exactly.

Think before you state he had no impact, the forward line structure was gone. What did Milne or Gamble do exactly? Least Armo hit a few tackles/bumps and chased...

I thought he was OK.
I thought Gamble struggled and Milne poor and Mini terrible.
How did we nearly win this?

[PJ]

I guess the question that has been posed is - if there are players that are not cutting it do we replace them with kids that have not shown a higher level of capability, yet?

If you have a player that is not meeting expectations you have to ask - are they doing the job required or showing at signs of previous capability? Form is the strongest guide for any sportsperson.

If you are in a slump then staying in the team isn't going to magically turn it around. Opportunity should only be afforded to those that are demonstrating the level - yes our past heroes should be afforded the opportunity to show their stuff but if it's not happening they need to go back and work on it.

If however they appear to not have another gear or the x factor then why persist - particularly if the team is going backwards.

The youth - These guys will only progress with opportunity and it should not be just gifted to them for youth sake but if they have demonstrated a growing capacilty, consistency and discipline then I believe they should be rewarded with the chance. Particularly if they have skills in a required area.

There is however inconsistency shown to elevations from the young brigade - either you put them in and give them time or not at all. I have little time for the 1 or 2 week shot where it's sink or swim. Development needs a reasonable amount of time.

[stinger]

We constantly talk on this forum about the need to find a young player with the necessary grunt to make it to the big league.
We confuse this with the need to get rid of players such as McQualter, Peake,Dempster, Clarke,Blake, Baker.
But who is ready to make the next step.
No one IMO has shown me enough in the magoos to suggest a call up to the senior side.
Stevens, Amitage, Lynch and any one else recruited in the past couple of years have not set the st Kilda world on fire let alone pushed for a regular spot.
It's all very well to say give the young players a go, but if they don't deserve it via their performances in the VFL then why bother.
Play Blake and Baker who we know will give us 100% each week.
Play McQualter in the middle of the park to replace Ball. Play Dempster, Clarke and Peake until we find some one who will give the side more options than these players offer. At the moment there is very little in the offering.
I would love to see some up and coming youngsters ripping the VFL apart, demanding a spot on the St Kilda senior roster.
Unfortunately this has not happened for some time.

who was the last..???.....when did we have someone pick up a rising star nomination...???...too long ago for this little supporter to remember.....

[#1GILL]

We constantly talk on this forum about the need to find a young player with the necessary grunt to make it to the big league.
We confuse this with the need to get rid of players such as McQualter, Peake,Dempster, Clarke,Blake, Baker.
But who is ready to make the next step.
No one IMO has shown me enough in the magoos to suggest a call up to the senior side.
Stevens, Amitage, Lynch and any one else recruited in the past couple of years have not set the st Kilda world on fire let alone pushed for a regular spot.
It's all very well to say give the young players a go, but if they don't deserve it via their performances in the VFL then why bother.
Play Blake and Baker who we know will give us 100% each week.
Play McQualter in the middle of the park to replace Ball. Play Dempster, Clarke and Peake until we find some one who will give the side more options than these players offer. At the moment there is very little in the offering.
I would love to see some up and coming youngsters ripping the VFL apart, demanding a spot on the St Kilda senior roster.
Unfortunately this has not happened for some time.

who was the last..???.....when did we have someone pick up a rising star nomination...???...too long ago for this little supporter to remember.....

Jarryn Geary I think...Steven was robbed of one after his matchwinning performance against Geelong last year.

[Moods]

We constantly talk on this forum about the need to find a young player with the necessary grunt to make it to the big league.
We confuse this with the need to get rid of players such as McQualter, Peake,Dempster, Clarke,Blake, Baker.
But who is ready to make the next step.
No one IMO has shown me enough in the magoos to suggest a call up to the senior side.
Stevens, Amitage, Lynch and any one else recruited in the past couple of years have not set the st Kilda world on fire let alone pushed for a regular spot.
It's all very well to say give the young players a go, but if they don't deserve it via their performances in the VFL then why bother.
Play Blake and Baker who we know will give us 100% each week.
Play McQualter in the middle of the park to replace Ball. Play Dempster, Clarke and Peake until we find some one who will give the side more options than these players offer. At the moment there is very little in the offering.
I would love to see some up and coming youngsters ripping the VFL apart, demanding a spot on the St Kilda senior roster.
Unfortunately this has not happened for some time.

who was the last..???.....when did we have someone pick up a rising star nomination...???...too long ago for this little supporter to remember.....

I reckon Gilbert was the last player that got any of us excited. McEvoy I've got my fingers crossed will be the next big thing. For the first time in ages I can say though that I like the look of some of our youngsters. they show pace and skill - something we've been lacking. Let's hope they've got heart. Winmar, Ledger, Cripps I'm talking about.

I still have high hopes for Walsh as well.

Armo - literally make or break year. Lynch doesn't excite me at all - too slow, too light, and no penetration in his kicking. Still baffled why we drafted him. Steven looks too slow for the position he needs to play for mine. Stanley has the goods - does he have the heart?

[QuestionOfAccuracy]

Ledger, Cripps, Crocker, Armitage, Steven all look like future A's to me.

How could you say Armitage looks like a future A-grader? He is now in his fifth season, and has hardly shown enough to warrant a regular spot in the side.

I know he has been starved of opportunities at times, but when he does get given the chance he doesn't impress much. He was barely noticeable on Friday night. For an in-and-under midfielder he doesn't get enough disposals at all.

And please tell me, where did Ross play him most of the night?....... Exactly.

Think before you state he had no impact.

The forward line structure was gone. What did Milne or Gamble do exactly? Least Armo hit a few tackles/bumps and chased, and he wasn't even playing in the midfield where he should of been.

But I thought the question was about who is going to be a future A Grader? A few tackles/bumps and chases doesn't get you anywhere near A Grade.

Okay so he wasn't on the ball 100% of the time on friday night - but this is his fifth year remember. I hope he is a future A Grader, but after four and a bit years I really don't see it.

And yes I agree Milne and Gamble weren't up to scratch. Neither of them are A-Grade either.

[Con Gorozidis]

yeah geary our only nomination in the last 5 years. shocking result.

i agree with all of moods post.



cripps, winmar and ledger all look like thay can actually really play the game. im excited.

walsh and mcevoy still hold hopes.

steven too slow. i know people on SS love him because of that geelong game.
armo average - but could play a luke ball role which is all still good and can play a part in the side.
lynch - really dunno but hes a maybe.
stanley - can do it if he wants to. still a good possibility

i loved attard. he was great.

[degruch]

steven too slow. i know people on SS love him because of that geelong game.

I think, including the NAB Cup, 3 games and 6 goals against Geelong (correct me if I'm wrong)...very quick, and WAS robbed of a Rising Star for his last game against Geelong.

[lefty]

But I thought the question was about who is going to be a future A Grader? A few tackles/bumps and chases doesn't get you anywhere near A Grade.

Okay so he wasn't on the ball 100% of the time on friday night - but this is his fifth year remember. I hope he is a future A Grader, but after four and a bit years I really don't see it.

And yes I agree Milne and Gamble weren't up to scratch. Neither of them are A-Grade either.

We'll he played against the Hawks in 09, got 3 votes after Ross decided to rest lenny etc in his first game back, played another game and Ross drops him?

Was injured most of the '10 season, but Ross played Eddy instead after he missed a heap of games? Armo played well against Adelaide at the end of the year, but dropped?

Played in 08, but Ross didn't want to have two Luke Balls in the team and starves him of game time. He was what, 21 yrs old? To be A grade takes time and regular selection.

The issue here is Ross doesn't have faith in our younger blokes and doesn't given then enough regular game time. He dominates in the VFL. I've seen his X-Factor, as many have. Probably the hardest tackler in the team. I see Geary as the same issue as Armo is having. Both could be regulars, but both had spots already taken, eg Ball/Armo and Baker/Geary, yet everyone here expects them to be superstars like Goddard because they've been on the list for "x" amount of years.