, Brad Crouch, Bradley Hill and Seb Ross are all winners of AFL club best-and-fairest awards. Along with Zak Jones and Jack Billings they are all between 25 and 27. This is a group that should be close to the peak of its powers. And yet it is misfiring.approached coaching staff from rival clubs - speaking this week on the condition of anonymity - in a bid to better understand where St Kilda are being let down.
“A little bit more intensity, without the ball, with the ball, and a bit more urgency around our communication and what we’re trying to achieve. We’ve had a few weeks that we haven’t been at the level that we want to,” Ratten said.This view was shared elsewhere in the league. It was noted that the Saints’ contested and ground-ball numbers were well down on the same point of last season.
A theme from the rival views espoused was that the Saints had been drawn towards the ball too much and not paying enough respect defensively to their opponents. While a lack of cohesion - Crouch is only four games into his St Kilda career - was identified as part of the explanation, there was also a suggestion that the Saints’ midfielders looked overly focused on themselves and not in playing their part in a system.