Which St Kilda players should we pick in SuperCoach?

ONE Jack could be headed for a SuperCoach rise in 2018, while another Jack will want to put last season behind him. Here are the St Kilda players you need to consider, and avoid.

IT’S been a frustrating decade of football for the Saints, since premiership heartache and multiple attempts to “rebuild” left the club floundering to regain any kind of dominance. Having narrowly missed the eight once again in 2017, despite finding themselves well and truly within finals contention earlier in the season, can the club finally break its six-year-long finals drought?

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Following the recent retirements of club champions Nick Riewoldt and Leigh Montagna, 2018 brings about a new-look St Kilda Football Club, heavy with young talent and a strong core of established stars.

This is our take on the Saints who are most likely to march your SuperCoach team into September in 2018, as well as those who won’t.

PREMIUMS

Dylan Roberton $509,000 Def

For the 0.4% (only 796 teams) who showed faith in Dylan Roberton for Round 1 of the 2017 season, the running halfback returned the faith. After six games Roberton’s average sat at 109.8 and he went on to crack the ton eight times throughout the season, without missing a game. His average dropped significantly in the back end of 2017 but that has likely helped him start at a reasonable price this season. If Roberton can improve his disposal efficiency (ranked 18th in the league for turnovers per game in 2017), he will be a reliable lock in defence.

Seb Ross $555,300 MID

After a disappointing year for St Kilda’s premier midfielder Jack Steven, it was the emerging 24-year-old Seb Ross who stepped up to fill the void in SuperCoach. After a shaky start to 2017 with just 36 points in Round 1, Ross went on to score 100-plus 13 times throughout the season, and added two scores of 99. After taking out St Kilda’s Trevor Baker Medal in the best and fairest count, the question is: can he do it again in 2018?

Jack Billings $509,500 FWD

There are high expectations on Jack Billings, particularly because he was selected ahead of Marcus Bontempelli in the 2013 draft, but the young forward finally looked to be reaching his potential last season. The only disappointment to his year was his inaccurate goalkicking, booting 23.36. With the Saints recruiting Ben Dixon as their new goalkicking coach, if Billings can flip those numbers around he will continue to push his average up towards triple figures after he finished 2017 with a 92.7 average.

Bad goalkicking let Jack Billings down last year. Picture: Getty Images

MID-PRICE RISKS

David Armitage $310,100 MID

Forgotten midfield powerhouse David Armitage was restricted to just two appearances throughout 2017, undergoing multiple surgeries to resolve troublesome adductor issues. The 29-year-old also revealed that he had barely trained the year prior, despite not missing a game, following back soreness. If Armitage can get his body right and recapture his form from years gone by — anything close to his stellar 2015 season in which he averaged 109.7, which included 15 triple-figure scores from 21 games — he could be the mid-price pick of 2018.

Jack Steven $498,600 MID

Last year was one to forget for speedster Jack Steven. After taking out the club’s best-and-fairest the year prior, he punctured a lung in the Round 2 loss to West Coast but returned two weeks later and averaged 103.6 over the next five matches. However, Steven failed to maintain any sort of consistency from that point on. He added just two more scores of 100 and there were plenty of 60s and 70s in between, and his season-ending average of 90.7 was a long way off his previous two years — not to mention his 2013 average of 110. At $498,600, Steven is a huge gamble but he gave us a reminder what he’s capable of in Round 22 last year with a massive 153 on the back of a season-high of 40 disposals.

Jack Steven had a fall from grace in SuperCoach last year. Picture: AAP

Jack Sinclair $459,500 MID

Another of St Kilda’s ‘Jack’ brigade, Sinclair showed much promise in his 17 games throughout 2017. It took the former No.1 rookie draft pick until Round 6 to break back into the side but he played every game from that point, scoring four hundreds after Round 13. With the Saints possessing enough smalls up forward, Sinclair’s game was reinvented when he was unleashed on the wing as a running outside midfielder. He is one to monitor.

ROOKIES

Hunter Clark $175,800 MID

Taken by the Saints with pick 7, Hunter Clark is a smooth-moving inside midfielder and running defender. After averaging 26.8 disposals, 6.7 tackles and 6.2 clearances in the TAC Cup last year — at an average of 129 SuperCoach points while playing in the midfield — surely he’ll be making his debut sooner rather than later.

Nicholas Coffield $171,300 DEF

St Kilda’s second pick inside the top 10 for 2017, 18-year-old utility Nicholas Coffield is a reliable defensive playmaker. The Northern Knights captain averaged 22 disposals in four games for Vic Metro. The Saints are stacked for mid-sized defenders however Alan Richardson won’t shy away from the chance to give his young players an opportunity if deserving.

Nathan Freeman $123,900 MID

After years ravaged by injury, St Kilda fans will be hoping Nathan Freeman can finally take to the field in Saints colours in 2018. Having shown promising signs throughout his season at Sandringham, in which he was still unable to complete unscathed, could this finally be the year SuperCoaches can use him? Jump on him if he’s named for Round 1.

Will we finally get to see Nathan Freeman? Picture: Wayne Ludbey

NO-GO ZONE

Nathan Brown $210,400 DEF

Though the hardworking defender played a handy role down back for the Saints following the premature departure of All-Australian Sean Dempster, the former Pie averaged only 38.3 in the red, white and black. Like Nick Maxwell and Zac Dawson before him, he’s another key defender who’s just not SuperCoach relevant.

Darren Minchington $257,700 FWD

St Kilda small forward Darren Minchington played only five games throughout 2017 and is far from a certain starter in 2018. While his inconsistent scores reflect the nature of many small forwards, it’s Minchington’s job security that is of more concern, in a side already including Jack Billings, Jade Gresham and Jack Lonie. His price of $257,700 is money that is definitely better spent elsewhere.

Nathan Wright $183,300 FWD

The Saints have persisted with Nathan Wright since he made his debut in 2013 but after managing just three games in 2017, the 23-year-old is only going to continue his battle to break into the Saints side as younger talent continues to emerge. Unless the club is ravaged by injury and suspensions, one can’t see Wright playing many more than a handful of games again in 2018.