IN ALAN Richardson’s time at the club, never have so many young players been pushing so hard for positions in the senior team.
With injuries taking their toll last year, 42 players donned the red, white and black guernsey, yet the early indications are that nowhere near this many Saints will play AFL football in 2015.
A total of 15 Saints played in Sandringham’s thrilling victory on Sunday, none older than Jason Holmes who is 25 years old.
While a push for youth and list regeneration is all well and good, it doesn’t automatically equate to success. But given the current depth of talent on St Kilda’s list, the future looks bright.
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Midfielders Tom Curren, Darren Minchington and Josh Saunders all performed strongly for the Zebras on the weekend, while ruckman Tom Hickey had his best game for the season.
Tom Lee’s switch to defence is still in its early stages but appears to be a masterstroke if his form on Sunday is anything to go by.
Lee’s foot skills were put to good use in wet and windy conditions, registering 12 second-half kicks to earn him best afield honours, according to VFL coach and St Kilda development coach Paul Hudson.
“I thought he was best on ground,” Hudson said of Lee in his VFL review.
“He’s reading the play well and getting a bit of confidence down there with 17 touches. Each week Tom’s losing less and less aerial contests as well which is really pleasing.”
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Fellow defender Jimmy Webster may also be considered for a recall, although having played just one match in two months due to a finger injury, the left-footer may have to earn his stripes in the VFL for another week or two first.
“Jimmy had 15 touches playing off half-back and on the wing,” Hudson said.
“He’s got such a penetrating kick and he gave us some real drive when he found space, he just needs to do it a bit more often. That will come with playing more games as this was his first match back since the intra club.”
Regardless of the aforementioned players, let us not forget the two elephants in the room: Nick Riewoldt (calf) and Leigh Montagna (knee).
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Both will undergo a test on Wednesday to determine their availability for Saturday’s Anzac Day clash against Carlton in Wellington.
If one or both of them are passed fit, they are walk-up starts. If neither of them are given the doctor’s tick of approval, then Richardson will likely re-visit the Sandringham team from Sunday for potential changes.
And Riewoldt's availability will reverberate in other areas too. Say he is ruled out, then more pressure will be on Josh Bruce to kick goals. Should this be the case, then an argument could be mounted to include Tom Hickey alongside Billy Longer, allowing Bruce to forego any ruck duties and play as a forward alone.
The same applies in reverse. If Riewoldt is fit, then Hickey may find it more difficult to force his way into the team.
On the other hand, the above scenarios may be completely wrong. Only one thing is for sure - we'll find out Thursday evening at 6.30pm.
Josh Saunders collected a team-high 25 disposals on Sunday.
