St Kilda confirms it wants to provide ruck support for Rowan Marshall, every Saints player rated

St Kilda’s new coach faces a major challenge — a list rated 15th in the league by Champion Data. But the Saints have their eye on some big names at rival clubs. EVERY ST KILDA PLAYER RATED

St Kilda has confirmed it is circling Essendon’s Sam Draper and North Melbourne’s Todd Goldstein to bolster its ruck stocks.

Draper and Goldstein are both out of contract at season’s end and have been targeted to partner St Kilda young gun Rowan Marshall next season.

The untried Draper has fielded a four-year offer worth up to $1.8 million, while North has recently upped the ante to help match St Kilda’s three-year deal for Goldstein.

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St Kilda chief executive Matt Finnis said the club rated Marshall highly but admitted they needed to find someone else to help lighten the considerable load on the 23–year-old.

“We’ve got a young ruckman in Rowan Marshall who I think everyone has been incredibly impressed with this year,” Finnis said on 3AW.

“But the fact is he has done it all alone. He needs some help.

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“We like Sam Draper as a young player (and) we like Todd Goldstein as an experienced player.

“And there are other ruckmen who fit within that framework as well.

“But the reality is we are in the market for a ruckman to help out Rowan Marshsll who we think is going to be a great player.”

Essendon’s Sam Draper is on St Kilda’s radar. Picture: Getty Images

Essendon is confident of retaining Draper after taking him with its first pick in the 2017 rookie draft.

He is yet to play a senior game but has shown tremendous potential in the VFL.

The Roos have offered Goldstein a revised two-year deal with a trigger clause for a third season.

Departed St Kilda coach Alan Richardson admitted it was difficult to try and talk to prospective recruits, knowing he would not be at the club next season.

“There are conversations with players that we are not allowed to talk about from other clubs and you are turning up and you are pitching and you are wanting them to join your footy club and there is uncertainty around the senior coach,” Richardson said.

“That doesn’t really work.”

IS THE SAINTS’ LIST ANY GOOD?

St Kilda’s playing list has done Alan Richardson no favours this year and presents a far from appealing proposition for prospective coaches.

Champion Data’s list analysis rated St Kilda’s squad the 15th best in the competition entering this season, but some of the club’s key stars have gone backwards since.

Jade Gresham was the only Saints player to be rated “elite” by the AFL’s official number crunchers entering the year.

As it stands, St Kilda has no elite players and only eight “above average” players, down on nine from last year.

While Gresham has lifted his average disposals from 17.6 to 22.1 a game on the back of more midfield time this year, his average goal output has dropped from 1.6 majors a game to 0.8.

Jack Billings has fallen from an “above average” rating last year to currently sit as only ‘average’.

Jack Billings has dropped from an “above average” rating last year to “average” this year. Picture: Getty Images

Jarryn Geary, Jack Steele, Blake Acres and Daniel McKenzie have suffered the same drop.

Against Geelong last weekend, St Kilda played eight players rated “average”, seven “below average” and one rated “poor”.

This is despite the Saints’ list having eight players who were top-10 draft picks.

The Saints list ranks 12th for average age and 14th for average games.

St Kilda has won six games this season, but four of those came in the first five weeks, three by 11 points or less.

THE PLAYER RATINGS

Elite:

None

Above Average:

Jack Steven (Mid-Fwd)

Jade Gresham (Mid-Fwd)

Shane Savage (Gen Def)

David Armitage (Gen Def)

Rowan Marshall (Ruck)

Jimmy Webster (Gen Def)

Tim Membrey (Key Fwd)

Jack Sinclair (Mid-Fwd)

The Saints rate Rowan Marshall highly. Picture: Getty Images

Average:

Josh Bruce (Key Fwd)

Jack Billings (Wing)

Luke Dunstan (Mid)

Jack Steele (Mid)

Sebastian Ross (Mid)

Jake Carlisle (Key Def)

Jarryn Geary (Gen Def)

Dean Kent (Gen Fwd)

Daniel McKenzie (Gen Def)

Blake Acres (Mid-Fwd)

Below Average:

Jack Lonie (Gen Fwd)

Callum Wilkie (Key Def)

Jack Newnes (Wing)

Billy Longer (Ruck)

Dan Hannebery (Wing)

Sam Rowe (Key Fwd)

Dylan Roberton (Gen Def)

Ben Paton (Gen Def)

Nathan Brown (Key Def)

Ben Long (Gen Fwd)

Ed Phillips (Wing)

Hunter Clark (Gen Def)

Poor:

Josh Battle (Key Def)

Matthew Parker (Gen Fwd)

Bailey Rice (Gen Fwd)

Brandon White (Gen Def)

Nick Coffield (Gen Def)

Paddy McCartin (Key Fwd)

Unclassified:

Logan Austin (Key Def)

Nick Hind (Gen Fwd)

Jonathon Marsh (Key Def)

Darragh Joyce (Key Def)

Lewis Pierce (Ruck)

Robbie Young (Gen Fwd)

Max King (Key Fwd)

Sam Alabakis (Ruck)

Jack Mayo (Key Fwd)

Oscar Clavarino (Key Def)

Jack Bytel (Mid)

Doulton Langlands (Mid)