A lot has changed between Season 2020 and Season 2021 for St Kilda, but Jack Steele has been unswerving.
Each week – regardless of narrow win, heavy defeat or hard-fought contest – it’s the same sentiment: ‘Steele can hold his head high tonight’. And rightly so.
While peaks and troughs comprise any regular season, the No. 9 hasn’t let his individual performances falter throughout the Saints’ rollercoaster campaign, even with the added responsibility of co-captain in 2021.
On-field, Steele is again leading by example, shouldering the bulk of St Kilda’s midfield drive, attacking the contest with unmatched ferocity and is doing everything within his power to drag his side along with him.
It’s been a challenging debut season at the helm for the reigning Best & Fairest, but as we’ve all come to expect from the No. 9, he won’t be backing down.
By the numbers
Games (2021): 13
Goals (2021): 9
Key stats: First for St Kilda’s total disposals (358), inside-50s (66), metres gained (5247), contested possessions (180), ground-ball gets (122), clearances (77), tackles (103), effective disposals (244) and pressure acts (321), equal-second for score involvements (75), third for uncontested possessions (180)
| Disposals (avg) | Tackles (avg) | Clearances (avg) | Inside-50s (avg) | Goals (avg) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020* | 21.9 | 5.5 | 5.0 | 3.3 | 0.6 |
| 2021 | 27.5 | 7.9 | 5.9 | 5.1 | 0.7 |
*Please note that none of last year's numbers have been normalised for the change in game-time.
It comes as no surprise that Steele tops most of the Saints’ major statistics – some by a considerable margin.
With games returning to regular lengths this season, the All-Australian midfielder has registered more inside-50s and goals from 13 games than he did across his 19 last season.
Steele has also tipped over 30 disposals four times in 2021 – a feat he didn’t achieve once in limited minutes in Season 2020.
As of Round 14, the No. 9 also ranks second in the league for tackles (103) and sits in the top-10 for pressure acts (equal-fifth), ground-ball gets (equal-fifth) and contested possessions (sixth).
Best game
Any number of Steele’s 13 matches could indisputably slot into this category.
The co-captain has polled AFL Coaches’ Association votes in over half of his matches last season, sitting level on 42 votes alongside Dustin Martin, Christian Petracca and Nic Naitanui.
Three goals and 25 disposals against Melbourne highlighted the co-captain’s resolve at its best, while high-numbers masterclasses against Sydney and Adelaide in recent weeks have been just as influential.
But it was Round 4 against West Coast which was flawless in every sense, with 33 disposals, seven inside-50s, six clearances and a goal to ice the game adding the exclamation mark to a brilliant outing.
Steele also polled a perfect 10 AFL Coaches’ Association votes for his captain’s performance in the stunning turnaround.
The season to date
Awarded the shared honour of captaincy alongside Jarryn Geary following his All-Australian and Best & Fairest year, Steele was in prime position to continue his progression as an A-grade midfielder of the competition.
That journey got off on the right foot in the opening month of 2021, with a three-goal burst almost inspiring his side to edge past the Demons for Spud’s Game.
Steele was at the peak of his powers in Round 4, piecing together an unstoppable, pressure-driven performance as St Kilda astonishingly overturned a 33-point deficit to run over the top of West Coast.
The skipper’s bullish presence inside left him with 33 disposals, six tackles and a goal by final siren, with Brett Ratten and Adam Simpson rewarding the first-class performance with a perfect 10 coaches’ votes.
While St Kilda’s results slipped in the ensuing fortnight against Richmond and Port Adelaide, Steele refused to ease his attack. It was the same story in the triple-figure defeat to the Western Bulldogs a few games later.
Another scoreboard burst against Gold Coast (two goals) put the Saints back on the rails and highlighted his growing presence in front of goal, while consecutive 30-disposal displays against Sydney (31) and Adelaide (34) proved there’s plenty of drive left in the tank. In recent weeks, his combination with Brad Crouch has been a highpoint of the Saints' engine room.
At the midpoint of the season, Steele is an undisputed frontrunner for this season’s Trevor Barker Award and is well in the hunt for consecutive All-Australian honours.
