St Kilda shows bright future as it battles North Melbourne for Josh Kelly signature

ST KILDA and North Melbourne have both placed giant novelty cheques under Josh Kelly’s door, so the GWS star would have watched this game with added interest. What did he learn?

St Kilda’s Koby Stevens clears out of the middle. Picture: Michael Klein

JOSH Kelly would have been waiting for this one.

Propped up on his couch in Sydney, you could picture the AFL’s most sought-after player scoping out each team on the telly last night, as he weighed up his future.

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Both North Melbourne and St Kilda have already slipped giant-sized novelty cheques under his door, with the $12 million nine-year offer for the Greater Western Sydney midfielder up there with the biggest in the game’s history.

So, as they say, pass the popcorn.

This was an opportunity to put those massive dollars aside for a moment, and instead analyse each team’s position on the premiership clock, and the other young faces that he could partner up with in the midfield. Clearly, there was much more than four premiership points riding on it.

St Kilda entered the match under the pump, but by halftime all the problems were definitely North Melbourne’s.

The Roos have batted above their average this season, overcoming Adelaide, Melbourne and a much-improved Carlton in impressive fashion before the bye.

Jack Newnes charges past North Melbourne’s Shaun Atley. Picture: Michael Klein

It’s a credit to the club that it has been able to run deep into September in recent years without the benefit of a cluster of top draft picks like other clubs.

But the Kangas desperately need Kelly to add some midfield polish and their deficiencies in this department were on show last night. They hacked at the ball like a rusty axe.

North’s efficiency in the first half was 59 per cent, and plummeted even further to 38 per cent in the forward half of the ground. Kelly is the silk the Roos’ require.

But on all evidence, the Saints have to be closer to a flag.

They have had a few years head start in the rebuild stakes and when Kelly’s head hit the pillow last night, it was hard not to think Alan Richardson’s men had skipped a yard ahead in the behind-the-scenes race for the smooth-moving ball-winner.

Jade Gresham provided plenty of spark. Picture: Michael Klein

The football wasn’t exactly pretty, and the Giants might have been buoyed themselves by the constant turnovers and Bronx cheers from the crowds.

They want him to stay for the lure of immediate success.

But the win was a tick the Saints desperately needed.

Jack Billings had another breakout game and looked like kicking a bag, hard nuts Seb Ross and Luke Dunstan met the challenge against Ben Cunnington and Jack Ziebell and the forward line has three genuine pillars, with Paddy McCartin back on the sidelines.

While the Saints may lack an absolute star, it is clear they have a more even spread of talent on the inside and outside of the contest.

On the scoreboard they won by 17 points, but the prize at the end of the season could be far greater.