Still pretenders

I can only imagine what it would be like to be a St. Kilda fan. Seriously. This is a team that has won one premiership ever. Ever. And it was by one point. But really the past five years must be the pinnacle of St. Kilda despair. I mean, when you look at the youth that this team drafted it's incredible that they haven't won multiple premierships. The foundation of the team is built with Nick Riewoldt, Justin Koschitzke, Nick Dal Santo, Leigh Montagna, Luke Ball, Matt McGuire, Brendon Goddard, Sam Fisher and the Clarke brothers. Has there even been that talented a core group of young players? Ever? I don't think so. Add in the veteran presence of Robert Harvey, Lenny Hayes, Max Hughdton and Fraser Gehrig, with a surplus of capable role players, and you have what should be a dynasty. Why hasn't it happened? There are a few reasons, some excusable, some not.

A lot can be blamed on simple bad luck. The preliminary final of 2004 where the Saints fell by a lone goal to Port Adelaide at AAMI stadium wasn't because of poor play. Play that final quarter 100 times and St. Kilda would win the game 50 times. It was heartbreaking, but it could be attributed to a lack of luck and simply it was Port's year. This becomes mute though because St. Kilda would never have threatened Brisbane in a Grand Final. The 2005 season went down the drain because of bad decision making. The QF victory in Adelaide was possibly St. Kilda's best win of the decade. This was in vein though because St. Kilda management opted to play players like Justin Koshitzke, clearly limited by injury, in the preliminary final vs. Sydney. Not surprisingly St. Kilda's wounded soldiers were rolled by the Swans in the final quarter.

Much of the 06 and 07 seasons can be pinned on injury. The Saints lost countless core players for large portions of these seasons. It seemed players like Hayes, Koschitzke, Hamill, etc just never took the field.

But there's something that runs deeper than injury and luck with the Saints. The simple fact is that at the end of the day, as a team, St. Kilda are soft and mentally inept. Every time the Saints take the field in an important match it just seems as though they lack any sort of inner belief or testicular fortitude. When good teams are challenged they respond. When the Saints are challenged they wither and die. In finals since 2004 St. Kilda are 2-4. For a group so talented, that is unacceptable. For good measure, look at Collingwood since 2002. Hardly a super talented lineup of big names like St. Kilda, but Collingwood win because of self-belief and confidence. The Pies are 6-4 in finals since 02, and were probably one kick away from being 8-3.

2008 is supposed to be the year that St. Kilda comes together and makes it click. They are fully healthy, fully fit, and have addressed the big issue of ruckman. There truly are no excuses left. They have a new fitness staff, new found depth, and they should have a unquenchable thirst for success.

Last night we saw that the Saints are exactly the same team that they have always been. Lots of big names, occasional spurts of brilliance, but when forced under pressure they show their true self - undeniably soft.