Since arriving at the Saints at the end of 2014, budding livewire forward Jack Lonie has quickly become part of the furniture at St Kilda, generating a loyal following for his class and pressure work inside 50.
On the back of Saturday night’s Hall of Fame and 1966 premiership anniversary festivities, plus St Kilda’s emphatic victory over Collingwood earlier in the day, Lonie admits he walked away with a stronger connection to the club, especially with some of the club's greats.
“I just took out of the night that it’s such a great club to be at. For us to be at that time now where we can really enjoy it and make the most of it, it’s pretty special. For me, it’s an honour to play at the club,” Lonie told Crocmedia’s Sportsday.
“I think the 1966 reunion was a fantastic night, Robert Harvey being elevated into legend status was pretty special to hear. Robert Harvey talked about how he loved his days at Moorabbin and he always cherished the moments.”
Aside from the disappointing performance against the Bulldogs in Round 2, St Kilda’s ability to transition from defence to attack, and at pace, has been a feature of Alan Richardson’s game style in 2016.
VIDEO: See what Tony Lockett had to say to saints.com.au at the Saints Hall of Fame night
The Saints desire to get the ball in the hands of quality distributors in Shane Savage, Leigh Montagna and Jimmy Webster has seen St Kilda become difficult to defend against us, and it’s something Lonie revealed had been a focus over the pre-season.
“That’s been a massive focus for us in the pre-season, especially I think we were one of the worst moving the ball from the back half to the forward half, we really wanted to go quick,” Lonie said.
“It really started in the back line. I think Shane Savage, Jimmy Webster, Leigh Montagna has spent a bit of time down there, they’ve really opened up their style and their kicking skills are elite, their run and carry has really gone to another level and I suppose that’s helped out a lot.”
Along with a handful of young midfielders, inside specialist Seb Ross appears to have taken his game to another level in the early stages of this season. After having his 2015 campaign halted due to a serious hamstring injury, Ross has already accumulated two 30-possession hauls and is part of an emerging group that is beginning to take the load off the likes of Jack Steven, David Armitage and Montagna.
“I think Seb was ready to make the move last year and unfortunately he did his hamstring in one of the NAB cup games. His form’s been fantastic, (he’s taken) the opportunity to go into the midfield, he’s got really clean hands,” Lonie said.
“He’s working on his outside game too and I thought he took that to another level as well.
“For us to be a better team we need these (younger) guys to start kicking into gear. For us to push for finals or wherever we want to go in the future, it’s time for the younger guys to step up and lessen the load (on the senior players).”
Limited Edition History Book: Celebrating 50 Years 1966-2016 The Archives Edition
