David King: St Kilda must make bold decision on next coach to break cycle of mediocrity
St Kilda is fast becoming the AFL’s black hole, but all is not lost. The list has enough talent to push for finals next season — if the Saints make the right coaching call. But they must be brave.
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St Kilda Football Club is fast becoming the AFL’s black hole.
It has chewed up and spat out many great people — players, coaches and administrators.
Since Allan Jeans held up the Saints one and only premiership cup in 1966 there have been 15 coaches try to replicate that feat, without succeeding.
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Only four of those coaches took the Saints to September, and only two — Ross Lyon and Stan Alves — made it to the Grand Final.
The Saints have not had an individual player recognised as an All-Australian since 2014. Not one.
Matching the on-field failure was the decision to relocate St Kilda’s base to Seaford and a training facility that was far from the world-class standards that were promised.
Saints icon Nick Riewoldt recently stated that the move “crushed” the club — coming at a time when it had assembled its best-ever playing list and should have been firmly in the premiership hunt.
St Kilda has never known who it is or what it has had at its disposal.
A season after back-to-back grand finals — 2009-20010 — they allowed Ross Lyon to vacate the premises after a nonsensical contractual dispute that should never have reached that point.
Not forgetting the sacking of previous coach Grant Thomas, who was the first St Kilda torchbearer to take them to three consecutive finals campaigns.
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Only Brisbane, Carlton and the Gold Coast have won less games since the start of the 2014 season.
The Saints have won less than half as many games as Hawthorn, Sydney, West Coast and Geelong in that period.
St Kilda’s recent history is littered with unfathomable decision after unfathomable decision.
It’s time for the Saints to cease the self-harm.
As bad as St Kilda’s recent history reads, it may be so poor that it becomes attractive.
AFL Hall of Famer Robert Walls always challenged Kevin Sheedy to take on a struggling club to endorse his coaching legacy.
Maybe Alastair Clarkson, who is already considered the best AFL coach the game has seen for 50 years, could identify with this enormous challenge?
One thing’s for sure, St Kilda cannot appoint known mediocrity.
It is time for St Kilda to either attract the very best coach who always appears unattainable — ala Al Clarkson — or perhaps take the brave route of a mentor coach with a successor in the wings.
Could Brett Ratten guide Sam Mitchell, who has publicly stated that he doesn’t quite feel ready for the main role, for one or two seasons?
That way they could jump the queue that will inevitably form for Mitchell’s services, given the positivity surrounding his early assistant coaching tenure.
Are the Saints courageous enough to bypass Brad Scott or Michael Voss types to offer the role to Craig Jennings, who never played AFL but has taken the professional coaching pathway instead?
Jennings possesses a coaching CV that’s the envy of like kinds seeking an interview.
The list goes on and on — Matthew Nicks, Justin Longmuir and Jade Rawlings are all young and unknown just like the Saints’ playing roster.
While the Malcolm Blight appointment was a spectacular failure, most St Kilda fans embraced the fact the Saints tried something outside the norm which was full of dare.
Is James Hird dissimilar or too far outside that once challenged norm right now?
It’d be well worth a phone call at least.
He has an extraordinary football mind combined with a genuine relationship-building ethos.
There’s something about Hird that oozes “I’m your man”.
I wonder what St Kilda identifies as crucial for its club.
What fits its uniqueness?
It was interesting to hear that Nick Riewoldt and Grant Thomas were prepared to be involved in the coaching appointment process.
St Kilda would be foolish to turn down such an opportunity, as for years corporate minds have masqueraded as fonts of knowledge regarding the traits potential AFL coaches’ need.
I would guarantee Grant Thomas would challenge the norm.
That’s exactly what St Kilda requires.
Last week the Saints fielded the most inexperienced 22 players and performed admirably without winning against Geelong.
The next coach will enjoy developing elite talent from this list such as Jade Gresham, Jack Billings, Hunter Clark and hopefully Max King.
There’s enough talent to challenge for the finals as early as next year.
Unfortunately for Alan Richardson his style of play did not work for this group but don’t assume that all is broken.
New ideas, new methods and a fresh start often works wonders.
It is time to make St Kilda great.
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