St Kilda must stop playing safe and be more daring, writes David King

ST KILDA will go nowhere if it continues to play safe, timid football. The only way to reignite its season is to find some excitement, writes DAVID KING.

St Kilda needs to get exciting, writes David King. Picture: Getty Images

WHO are the Saints? What is their identity?

Are they better than just an average football team?

The 2017 season is sliding by St Kilda and it’s time for this group to put up or shut up.

Where is this awesome running brigade that promised to be more aggressive with the ball in 2017?

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They told us the corridor would be their pathway. They also assured us that defensively they’d protect their back six better and deny their opposition the luxury of speed on the counter-attack through the corridor.

Neale Daniher said it perfectly.

“When all is said and done, more is said than done”.

St Kilda plays the boundary more than any other team, in fact more frequently than last season, which highlights that those words were exactly that — just words.

Against the Adelaide Crows last Friday night the Saints lacked courage. Not running back with the flight or nose over the ball-style bravery, but intent to challenge the opposition with aggressive ball use.

Blake Acres on the run against Carlton, which the Saints need to see more of. Picture: Michael Klein

The timid, safe approach the Saints adopted in Adelaide will not get the job done consistently, certainly not against the AFL’s best.

The next step in the Saints’ development was to challenge the best teams. The win against Greater Western Sydney was superb but we haven’t seen it since.

They simply cannot score against the most organised teams as they average fewer than 80 points against teams in the top eight.

The Saints must find a way to become excited.

They desperately need a spark to reignite this season and this must involve scoreboard reward.

They average only 87 points a game, but more alarming is that number dropping to a paltry 59 points for the past three weeks.

It’s not about Nick Riewoldt or Leigh Montagna altering the course of this season.

It’s about the next wave of leaders assuming control — Jack Steven, Seb Ross and Dylan Roberton committing to a bmore daring ball movement pattern that shows the way for the younger or less talented teammates.

Seb Ross is one of the young leaders who must help reignite St Kilda’s season. Picture: George Salpigtidis

The Kangaroos have allowed their opposition the opportunity move the ball with efficiency. Only Hawthorn and the two Queensland-based teams have been poorer at defending opposition ball movement than the Kangas, but the Saints must push the envelope to test the defensive threshold.

Coach Alan Richardson must give the green light for a wave-running onslaught out of the defensive end and refresh those explosive midfielders from stoppages. Jack Steven’s running centre bounce clearances that light up Etihad Stadium haven’t been witnessed for a while.

St Kilda’s preference to drive the ball to the top of the goal square is predictable and the Kangaroos will be ready for it on Friday night.

Robbie Tarrant and Scott Thompson are intercept marking specialists so if the Saints don’t mark those high kicks they must bring the ball to ground.

Despite the deep entries St Kilda is only mid-table at locking the ball inside its forward half.

Jack Steven and Jack Newnes have been responsible for some of the run and gun stuff, but it has gone missing. Picture: Michael Klein

The trend for scoring throughout the AFL is from repeat inside 50 entries and the Saints have room for improvement there.

Whilst the Saints are a mark and play on team it’s generally wide, near the boundary. It’s too easy to place a spare defender against them. A more central ball movement method changes that dramatically.

St Kilda is only one win and percentage outside the top eight but it is caught in a logjam of teams struggling to find their best. Fremantle, Western Bulldogs and West Coast all seem to be flailing, but are above the Saints.

The next three weeks will define who the Saints are — North Melbourne, Gold Coast at Etihad and then Fremantle in Perth. These are games they should win.

The “Safe Saints” are going nowhere. Reboot, refresh and reignite the run and gun speed machines.

C’mon Saints, excite us all.