SFNL: St Kilda City undefeated in Division 3 following 78-point win over Black Rock

The rebuilding St Kilda City has enjoyed a blistering start to SFNL Division 3. Coach Jason Hamilton takes us inside the 3-0 start and reveals where the club must improve.

Ethan Whish-Wilson in action for St Kilda City. He filled his boots with seven majors on Saturday. Picture: Jonathon Harding.

The rebuilding St Kilda City has enjoyed a blistering start to life in Division 3 of the Southern league.

The Saints are 3-0 and their latest win on Saturday was their greatest yet, downing Black Rock in convincing fashion by 78 points at the Peanut Farm.

“We’re going really well, playing the sort of footy that we’ve been putting a lot of practice in during pre-season, how we want to play,” St Kilda City coach Jason Hamilton said.

“We’ve still got some improvements to make on our game, it’s been really good, I was really pleased with Saturday, we couldn’t have played much better.

“We did everything we had to do and kept the pressure on and it was good to maintain that pressure for four quarters. We have struggled in the past to play four quarters before, we’ve been inconsistent.

“The consistency’s getting there slowly, we’re definitely taking nothing for granted, we’ve still got a long way to go.”

Despite the strong start, Hamilton maintained there was still room for improvement for his Saints, who fell from the lofty heights of Division 1 after back-to-back relegations, despite winning five games in Division 2 last season.

“Our decision-making was a lot better on Saturday for sure, the first two rounds we did all the hard work but we could turn the ball over just doing silly things,” Hamilton said.

“We’ve been working hard at training and doing a bit of match simulation just for decisions. No one’s perfect and we’re not always going to get it right 100 per cent of the time, but if you can make your decision right 75 per cent of the time you’re normally right in the game.

“There were still mistakes there but it was a lot better than the first two rounds.”

St Kilda City coach Jason Hamilton. Picture: George Salpigtidis.

Ethan Whish-Wilson continued his strong start to the season with his best game to date, booting seven goals against Black Rock, while Jordie Gray, Max Lewis and Tom Sargeant were all impressive too.

“We don’t rely on three to five players, we’ve got a real nucleus and team of good quality players,” Hamilton said.

“One superstar’s not going to beat a team of goers … as a coach I do feel very comfortable that we’ve got about 28 to 30 players that can play senior level.

“Last year we had half the reserves playing every week, it makes a difference when you’ve got people fighting for their spots.”

Hamilton also added that while there was time still to smell the roses, the Saints have a long way to go.

“We had a couple of beers on Saturday night and enjoyed it - after last year was a little bit doom and gloom - but we’re straight back onto it,” Hamilton said.

“It’s a really good vibe down there at the moment, the supporters and the volunteers and the committee, we’re all on the one page at the moment and trying to build the club up again.

“We know it’s not going to happen overnight and it might not happen this year or next year but we’re definitely stepping in the right direction to get this club up and going in the next three to five years.

“I just think the culture that we’re trying to create down there is really kicking on now, we’re all one club … it’s really fantastic.”

“I looked around at 8 o’clock at night on Saturday and we still had 50 to 60 people in the rooms, that’s what it’s all about.

“The supporters have been down there for a long time, they come up to you and say it’s fantastic the vibe around the club and the style of football you’re trying to play, things are looking good.

“We’ve still got a long way to go, we’re taking nothing for granted. It’s three weeks and you can go from hero to zero very quickly.

“We’re confident that we can be really competitive this year and be in most games.”

The Saints will face off with fellow Division 3 newcomers Berwick Springs in what appears to be an early season heavyweight clash this Saturday, with the Titans also undefeated.

Hamilton expects an attacking game of footy, with the crunch clash to begin at 2pm at Mick Morland Reserve.