Smart trading has put St Kilda in a strong position to attack the 2017 season with confidence

ST KILDA will emerge from the trade period with a blindingly good report card. The next step is to achieve on-field success, writes Mark Robinson.

Jack Steele has joined the Saints. Phil Hillyard

WITH a day and a half to play, St Kilda will emerge from the trade period with a blindingly good report card.

The Saints are well pleased, but are not banging their chest Silverback style.

“We are definitely happy with how things are going,” chief operating officer Ameet Bains said.

LIVE TRADES: FOLLOW ALL THE MOVES AS THEY HAPPEN

KEY DEFENDER: FREE AGENT BROWN ADDS TO ST KILDA’S DEPTH

St Kilda’s Round 1 team in 2017 will include a two new key defenders, Jake Carlisle and Nathan Brown, two new midfielders in Jack Steele and Koby Stevens, and who knows what they will get with picks No. 23 and No. 36, which they acquired from Hawthorn.

The Stevens deal, for a possible third-round pick in exchange with the Western Bulldogs, is expected to materialise over the next 36 hours.

The depth of this year’s draft suggests the Saints will get a good player at No. 23 and could find a nugget at No. 36.

Koby Stevens will be traded to St Kilda. Picture: George Salpigtidis

Better still, they have two first round picks next year — one was secured from Hawthorn, the other is their own — in what knowledgeable people are already saying will be a bumper draft.

They could go for youth, or trade in.

And then there’s the free agents.

Fremantle’s Nathan Fyfe is the most fashionable of these types, but whether it’s he or someone else, the Saints will be at the 2017 free agency party well past midnight.

The Hawks deal, which saw the Saints give up pick No. 10, is seen by industry minds as a huge win for the Saints.

Others have been more damning on the Hawks. “It is one of the worst trades,” a leading player manager said.

It’s been a raging success for St Kilda and list manager Tony Elshaug and chief operating officer Ameet Bains must be congratulated for an outstanding October.

But congratulations doesn’t deliver success.

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If anything, adding mature bodies to a rapidly developing playing list means believable excuses will be needed if they do not play finals in 2017.

They won 12 games and finished ninth this year and staked themselves as a hard-running, rebounding and contested-ball outfit fronted by three key forwards — Tim Membrey, Paddy McCartin and Josh Bruce — and a group of emerging midfielders.

Nathan Brown played against the Saints earlier this year. Picture: Colleen Petch.

“Expectations definitely go up on the basis of how we finished the year off and the fact we have brought in some mature players,” Bains said.

“We are still predominantly have under 24-year-old players and that will be a challenge for them next year.”

The Saints had two aims this draft period which were 1) improve the overall draft position and 2) recruit specifically for needs — a key defender and midfielders.

“We improved our draft position over a two-year period and overwhelmingly our fan base are really happy. But general Joe Punter is still asking why have we got rid of our pick 10 (to Hawthorn),” Bains said.

“We’d say we didn’t have a second-round pick this year, but we effectively retain two first-round draft picks and come out of it with two second-round draft picks.”

Jack Steele will add depth to the St Kilda midfield. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Jake Carlisle looms as the prized pick-up and will replace Sam Fisher, who is battling to get another contract.

Brown is handy, but not Alex Rance, but will be a big body and the highly-rated Steele, 20, and aggressive Stevens, 25, will slot into the midfield.

Fisher is one of five players out of contract with Eli Templeton, Brodie Murdoch, Tom Lee and Cameron Shenton.

This successful October means the careers of three or four of them will be over.

Originally published as Smart trading has put St Kilda in a strong position to attack the 2017 season with confidence