Pelchen on his role in the coaches box:
My role is to purely assist Richo in any way I can and ensure that activities run smoothly in the coaches box. My role also involves mixing with players, coaches and staff.
This is my third season with the Saints. I hope to play a part in the club's resurgence over the coming years.
Pelchen on list management:
As per our strategic plan, we aim to increase draft activity by 50% from 2013-2015 and we certainly hope to focus this activity on the first three rounds of the draft. Last year we brought in five mature age players and we will continue to assess this strategy as needed. Obviously we try to learn from other successful models, including Hawthorn, and will continue to make changes accordingly.
Our recruiting staff have done an excellent job in recent years. We're pleased with the younger players' progress.
Pelchen on St Kilda's direction:
Our most recent results may have been challenging but we are certainly making progress with younger players. We always anticipated that 2014 and 2015 would be difficult, but we should see an uplift from 2016 onwards. We are undecided (about asking for a priority pick), at this stage. It's obviously something we will consider going forward. We have a deliberate recruiting model which concentrates on specific needs with talent still being at the core.
Our academy plays an integral part in building to our next flag. We will further expand resources over the next 12-24 months.
Pelchen on targeting opposition players in the trade period:
Recruiting Nat Fyfe away from WA would be very difficult. I wouldn't like to speculate on what would be required (to get him to St Kilda).
Adam [Tomlinson] is a quality player who would attract the interest of most AFL clubs. We will monitor him as we are a number of players.
Dylan Shiel is a quality player who would make a welcome addition to any AFL club. We will follow his progress just like other clubs. We are certainly open-minded to bringing in new players from other clubs, but I'm unable to individualise who they may be. We have a need for another tall forward, but our priority between that and other players is still to be determined for 2014.
Pelchen on the Junction Oval:
There are a number of parties involved in the discussion around the Junction Oval. The Saints will follow developments with interest.
Pelchen on Jack Billings:
As Jack develops physically, we do anticipate him playing through the midfield in the future. Like all players recruited through the National Draft, Jack is contracted for two years but we continue to have dialogue with his manager (about his contract).
Pelchen on Nick Riewoldt's role:
Replacing champions like Nick is always difficult. But we will certainly prioritise recruiting a key forward in the next two years. Nick's form has been outstanding and we will revisit both his and the club's plans at some point in 2015.
The match committee regularly discusses various team setups (such as Nick Riewoldt playing on the wing), and Nick's role forms part of these.
Pelchen on Alan Richardson:.@thesaintsrhere Recruiting Nat Fyfe away from WA would be very difficult. I wouldn't like to speculate on what would be required #AskPelcs
— St Kilda FC (@stkildafc) June 19, 2014
Richo has been an excellent addition to our club. His experience working with younger players is unrivalled. Richo understands that we are transitioning the list through youth and appreciates the challenges associated.
Pelchen on Nick Riewoldt's captaincy:
It will be similar to conversations of the past two years. We'll discuss this subject with Nick and the leadership group at the end of 2014.
We are developing a number of young leaders at the club and anticipate having several options beyond Nick's captaincy. Tom [Hickey] displays genuine leadership traits and may assume a formal leadership role in the future.
Pelchen on the Saints in New Zealand:
Our current commitment runs until 2015 and will be revisited in the next 12 months.
Pelchen on Ahmed Saad:
We are in discussions with Ahmed's management and no decision has been made on his recruitment back to the Saints.
Pelchen on Peta Searle's responsibilities:
Peta is focusing her attention on the younger 1-3 year players rather than any one specific player. She also has a match day role with Sandringham.
Pelchen on Jason Holmes:
We've been delighted with Jason's first year of AFL footy. He has surpassed our initial expectations.
Pelchen on Spencer White:
Spencer has had an interrupted season due to injury. He's making positive progress in his development. Any senior selection will be based on form. We are hopeful of a strong finish to the season.
Pelchen on Eli Templeton:
We certainly intend to retain Eli at the Saints beyond 2014 and are currently talking to his management.