St Kilda midfielder-forward Darren Minchington put four frustrating seasons firmly behind him in 2016, by producing the most prosperous season of his short career, which culminated in a two-year contract extension last month.

After managing only 10 appearances prior to the start of 2016, Minchington played 13 games this season, including eight of the final 11 games, playing predominantly as a defensive forward, broken up with spurts through the midfield.

Prior to the start of this year, injuries had interrupted the former rookie’s progress, with an impediment emerging every time Minchington started to find some continuity. In 2016, the Dandenong Stingrays product took a significant step forward.

The 22-year-old started the year outside Alan Richardson’s side but quickly earned a spot by Round 3, where he played a role in the Saints’ impressive win over Collingwood. In Tasmania a week later, Minchington again showed signs of his progress.

After five straight games, the dynamic utility found his way out of the team for an extended period before he earned a reprieve in Round 12, where he grasped his opportunity with both hands, collecting a career-high 16 possessions to stake a claim for a regular berth.

From there, Minchington played an important role in the inspiring three-point win over Geelong in Round 14. He kicked three goals and finished with 13 disposals, continuing to build form into the back end of a season that would end up being a career-best.

Rohan Welsh’s Views:

“‘Meatball’ had a sensational year, not purely because of the amount of games he played but more so the continuity of his body. I think this was the first year he was able to get through pretty much a full season with no interruptions with his body and the thing that kept him getting picked was his forward line pressure, his ability to be clean and his ability to tackle; I think in a lot of his games he was our No. 1 pressure player for the game and that’s a strong indicator for us, especially the role he was playing whether it was mid or forward-mid was really beneficial for us. I think he came a lot cleaner this year as well with the ball, so we’ll be looking at next year for him to spend more time in the midfield.

“We know he’s a really good user of the ball, he’s clean, and he’s tough and strong, so if he can build on this year and build on his endurance and fitness, then there’s no reason why he can’t become a really strong member of the midfield. In previous years he’d run into an injury when he was up and running, so he’s had a lot of interruptions with his preparation previously, which wouldn’t allow him to have any continuity with his training nor be able to get a real good base into him. It was really pleasing to see him have such a constant year with his body and it was reflective in his footy, which was obviously really pleasing.”

The Numbers:

13 games
11.2 disposals
5.7 contested possessions
4.2 tackles (No. 5 at St Kilda)
44.9 pressure points (No. 3 at St Kilda)

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