St Kilda players call each other out in a Monday review after five losses in row

A fifth straight loss was the catalyst for a harsh player review at St Kilda where the players didn’t hold back.

St Kilda players put themselves through one of their most confronting reviews of the season on Monday in a player-led conversation where “really honest and truthful” thoughts were laid bare in a bid to end a horror form slump.

A finals-bound 8-3 record before the bye has become 9-8 with five losses in their past six matches by an average margin of 35 points. The Saints have fallen outside the top eight, if only by percentage, following a meek first half in last week’s 28-point loss to the Bulldogs.

The club’s leadership group, including star defender Callum Wilkie, drove the hard chats in the review of the match that resolved to address their lack of consistency by “taking responsibility” for their on-field actions ahead of a must-win clash against West Coast in Perth on Sunday.

Players were called out but Wilkie said it wasn’t just about pinpointing what was going wrong but also asking why they were so “easy to play against”.

“We’ll hope to really galvanise the team and get the boys together,” Wilkie said on Tuesday of the hard warts-and-all review.

“We’re obviously feeling the pinch a bit after the last six weeks and some hard, honest conversations to each other yesterday.

“It’s been a lot better than it has previously, a lot more honest and hard conversations which have needed to be had and putting more stuff on the table about why it’s happening … how it’s making everyone feel and the flow-on effect of the lack of consistency of effort.

Callum Wilkie said the players put the blowtorch on each other this week. Picture; Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

“You actually heard people talking from the heart and not just hearing and watching the bad efforts or lack of structure. We actually got a bit of care out of it.

“We had people speaking really honest and truthful about the effect it’s having on the whole team. It felt like we got further than we have in previous reviews when you’re not just looking at the bad efforts but delving deep into the why.

“I do, most of the players do, and they do care so much about taking this group forward.”

A potentially season-ending injury to veteran ruckman Paddy Ryder has made the task of making finals that little bit more difficult for the 10th-placed Saints, who need to make a statement in the next fortnight with winnable games against the Eagles and then Hawthorn.

Losses could mean their season is over.

“Everyone’s keeping the door open. There’s five games to go, we want to try to instil some respect back not just for ourselves and not just for our fans but the wider community that we can play finals,” Wilkie said.

“We’ve shown patches that we’re a tough team to play against, but (also) patches that we’re just too easy to play against. It’s just not good enough.

St Kilda coach Brett Ratten needs to turn things around. Picture; Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“It comes down a lot to the players. Our game plan in the front half of the year has stacked up against good teams. It just comes down to 100 per cent consistency to abide by the team structure and the game plan, which we’re just not seeing at the moment.”

The Saints should get back both Seb Ross and Marcus Windhager, who are out of health and safety protocols, while Hunter Clark is in the frame to return following a sickening facial injury last fortnight.