St Kilda’s late season prediction and captaincy in 2017

St Kilda boys get a week off at Round 13, but my weekly footy writing is still going. I had decided to write a feature article this week even the topic had been changed many times.

 

My prediction after the bye

 

My boys have been doing well this season although I think we should have won over Hawthorn and North Melbourne, and had massive losses to West Coast and Adelaide.

 

At the next round and onwards, we are having six games against clubs currently outside the top 8  – Gold Coast, Essendon, Melbourne, Carlton, Richmond and Brisbane. As we are improving and performing attacking footy, we will win these games although it can not be easy or comfortable.

 

For other games, we are facing four of the current top eight clubs.

 

At the next round, Geelong will be our opponent. As they were defeated by Carlton and Collingwood, I had thought we would win. But Saturday’s win over Bulldogs shows they are strong. Dangerfield, Selwood and Moptop were in good form. If our ruckmen get more hit outs and pass balls well, we will score more goals. It would be hard to win, but I hope Saints play hard against Cats and win like has Carlton done.

 

We were far behind the Bulldogs at Round 2 and both clubs are facing in each other in Round 18 again. Sadly Bulldogs have injuries and lost to Geelong by 53 points on Saturday. Even though they are doing very well, as Saints show good ball work and attacking footy, we might win over Doggies.

 

At the following round, Nick Dal Santo faces his old club. We played well and lost just by seven points at the last meeting. North Melbourne lost the close game against Hawthorn on Friday night and Brad Scott unleashed his frustration on umpiring. They are no longer an undefeated club. Then St Kilda will have another chance to upset hopefully.

 

At Round 21, we face Sydney Swans. They have been a great side for years and the venues are not their issues. On Sunday afternoon, they gave the Demons a quiet afternoon allowing them only four goals. Even Jessie Hogan only kicked a goal. I admire their good performances. I cannot guarantee our win, but as always, I will provide the best conditions to support the mighty Saints.

 

I reckon Saints will win at least seven games at the rest of the 2016 Season that St Kilda ends the season with 12 wins at least. Hopefully more.

 

Captaincy in 2017

 

Just before the match against Carlton, Nick Riewoldt has re-signed with Saints for one more year. It’s good to see him committing with the club.

 

His leadership is wonderful and respected in the club as well as amongst fans. Many experts expect Rooey to break the longest serving skipper in the VFL/AFL history. Breaking Stephen Karnahan’s record would be great.

 

But in my opinion, the club needs a young leader to lead the team for the future. Jack Steven did a great job as captain in Round 12. He not only played well but also acted well on the field. Scored 3.1, 25 disposals, 19 kicks, six handballs and three marks show that he is a team player.

 

In 2017, appointing Riewoldt and Steven as co-captains would be a good idea that benefits Rooey’s breaking the record and having a young leader.

 

The Age article about Steven’s speech before the game was interesting. It seemed hard for him to pick words to make a speech. But he performed well on the field. Then gaining speech skills from Riewoldt would be good. So having co-captains would be nice for this reason.

About Yoshihiro Imagawa

Love, passion and pride are seen on the footy that is the biggest part of my life. 1. St Kilda Club member: I am a passionate and crazy Sainter. Just hope we will win the second flag soon, especially after Dogs and Tigers having ended long premiership draughts. 2. The Osaka Dingoes Player and Public Relations Officer: Player number 44 that I chose to honour Stephen Milne with my wish being like a small forward like him. Lenny Hayes' hardworking attitudes are adopted on my trainings and practices. Nick Riewoldt's great plays are in my player audiobook too. 3. Writing: Here on the Almanac and also on the World Footy News. My skills utilise on great footy websites.

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