I need to apologise.
I got ahead of myself in 2024 and thought the Saints would repeat their 2023 form, making finals and maybe even making some September noise.
I was wrong. So very wrong.
What I had after the season was a flurry of messages and emails from readers who remembered my bullish (not a typo) preview this time last year, telling me that I was now part of the St Kilda faithful, inasmuch as I had now experienced what they experience year after year. Getting my hopes up and then sitting idly by as the club destroys them.
Again, I’m sorry. If I felt disappointed in the way St Kilda played the first half of 2024, then you must have been devastated.
That said, there were signs in the second half of the year that made me start believing again. I know… I know – don’t be silly, HB, right?
I cannot help it. I look at this Saints team, brimming with high-end young talent, and I start to wonder how good they could be if they just put it all together for a year or two.
Is it a tease? The eternal St Kilda tease that lulls you in, promises all types of delight, and then pulls the rug from underneath you, leaving you flat on your arse, wondering why you invested so much?
Or could it be that Ross Lyon has a vision that will finally come to fruition with this young cohort taking on a leadership role at the club, and emulating the feats of some other teams that have backed their kids and come from the clouds to push deep into September?
I’m torn.
I’m genuinely torn on St Kilda. I see so many positives with this line up, but the history of the club is such that your own supporters are telling me to hedge my bets.
The Saints won five of their last six in 2024, with the only hiccup (and it was a pretty big hiccup) coming at the hands of the eventual premiers.
You know what? That’s the team I had faith in. That is the team that lured me in and said “this is who we are”. And that team I saw out there is the reason I am not jumping off the Saints, despite people attempting to convince me to do just that.
I’m in!
It’s that time of year, already.
The break after Christmas and New Year is well and truly in the rearview mirror. The holidays are finished for AFL players, and the hard stuff happens now. Yes, the teams had been training for well over a month prior to Christmas, but as we head into 2025, the stakes are raised, and the intensity increases.
This is where premierships are won and lost. This is where improvements are made and lists come together. This is where the kids show if they’re serious or not. New faces, new colours, old heads with renewed passion… so much feeds into the making of a contender. And as the days tick down toward the intra-club clashes, practice games, and eventually the real stuff, questions are raised about each team and how they’re going to perform in this new season.
And that’s where HB and The Mongrel come in.
We don’t do things by halves here, at The Mongrel Punt. When we do a season preview, we go all out to make sure it is the best, most comprehensive coverage you’ll receive. We pride ourselves on it. If you are going to read one season preview for your team, or any team, this series will provide it.
The way it works is as follows.
Each club has a minimum of 15 questions asked about the upcoming season, their coaches, their players, and their expectations. The answers are not glossed over. We dive deep on each and every one of them – some singular answers would normally be long enough for an entire column. The first five questions/answers are free for you to consume. The next 10-14 for each club are for our members, including a special appearance from Mrs Mongrel to throw her two cents in the mix.
Isn’t it a bit early for a season preview? Well, I suppose, but do you know how long it takes to write seven-to-nine thousand words? That’s 18 x 8,000… gets out the calculator… that’s 144,000 words. The average novel is about 85,000 words, so buckle the hell up with these previews; we’re going deeper than ever.
Also, if there are any issues that arise after the publication of the preview for any team, they will be covered in standalone articles to act as additions to this preview.
You will not read a deeper season preview than this – I guarantee it. This is where we start the run to the new season, and believe me – nobody does it better than The Mongrel.
And now we come to the 2025 Saints
Enjoy.
1 – IS THIS THE SEASON MATTAES PHILLIPOU BREAKS OUT?
Its the popular opinion, isnt it?
I’ve been on the Phillipou bandwagon right from the start. From his confidence on draft night back in 2022, to the way he was able to find his own ball and have some big outings to end the 2024 season, Mattaes has always had something about him that draws the eye.
His boyish good looks, perhaps?
Yeah, I get a bit of that, too… happens to us good-looking young fellas.
Just under 12 months ago, I made the pilgrimage to Moorabbin, to watch the Saints run around in an intraclub game. I try to do a bit of that in each pre-season, and I was glad I did in this case. What I saw that morning was something that stuck with me. I saw a young man take control of a game.
Not for the entire game, but he snagged three goals whilst running through the midfield, and the name “Phillipou” was in my notes more than any other player. But whilst i was very impressed, I maintained that expecting a 19-year-old to come in and do that week after week at senior level was probably a little far-fetched.
And so, I earmarked 2025 as the season he would really start to turn heads.
Another preseason in the gym, another year in the system, and the knowledge that he absolutely belongs at the top level, should see Phillipou go to the next level, this season.
I heard some saying it last year – too early, boys… too early. He was still finding his way.
However, let’s have a look at the way he finished the year.
After an admittedly slow start to the year, Mattaes was back in the VFL, where he played good footy and earned his way back into the team for the Round 18 clash against the Swans.
And from there, he didn’t look back.
For the remainder of the season, he averaged 22.5 disposals per game, 6.5 tackles, and 4.25 clearances.
The step has been made. The boy became a man in the last part of the season, and is now ready to claim his place as one of the best young stars in the St Kilda team.
No, scratch that – one of the stars of the St Kilda team.
Phillipou has all the tools required. He has a great pair of hands, wins his own footy, hits the scoreboard, and sticks his tackles.
People, I have been reserved about this bloke – as reserved as I can be given what I have seen, and what I believe he is capable of… but enough of that. Now is the time to buy shares in Mattaes Phillipou. If you collect trading cards, grab some. If you have a duffle coat and want a player badge on it, buy his!
2025 is the year Mattaes Phillipou elevates his game. And apologies to his mum, Nat for piling on the plaudits, and pressure with it… but he is a gem, and the league is about to find that out.
2 – HOW DOES LOSING JOSH BATTLE IMPACT THIS TEAM?
It hurts – there is no getting around it.
Coming off a career-best season, it was probably the most inopportune to lose a player of his stature, given his versatility and the lack of other experienced options to slot right in and pick up the slack.
It’s going to force Ross Lyon to be a little more creative, and it will also place a fair bit of pressure on some young shoulders, but this is just as much an opportunity as it is any type of crisis. Probably more so.
I want to throw the name of Arie Schoenmaker out there as an option, right off the bat. Again, pressure on young shoulders, but this kid showed plenty in his debut season, despite some stories about him surfacing on social media that weren’t too flattering. My hope is that he has matured since the days when he was a little bit of a lout at school, and that he is able to fill the shoes of Battle.
Having just turned 20, Schoenmaker lacks the physical strength that Battle spent years building up, but he attacks the footy hard, and provides powerful run from defence. Add those aspects to his prodigious kicking ability, and you have someone who may jump out of the box in 2025 to make a bit of a statement.
I’d also be tempted to have Cooper Sharman at the ready, should the Saints require a little more help in defence. He has played both ends before, and whilst he once again demonstrated he could be a potent forward in 2025 (his clinic against the Bombers that saw him with 21 touches, ten marks, and three goals, was brilliant), need may prompt a move to defence.
Sharman is one of those player who has promised a bit in patches, but has also spent ample time out of the side. A permanent role across half back, putting that marking prowess to good use, might be the avenue that finally cements him a place in this team.
Next, this one is a bit more from left field – could Mason Wood fill the role?
Initially played as a forward by North Melbourne, he became a wingman at St Kilda and played his best footy in the role. However, his overhead ability is probably underrated, and at whilst he is not the biggest fella in the world, he is right around the same height as Battle, and has a mature body to contend with marking players.
I’ll get to the plethora of wing options for the Saints later on, but this is like killing two birds with one stone. Wood to defence to cover the loss of Battle, and a spot on the wing opening up for another runner to fill the void he leaves behind.
Think about it – I’m not as nuts as people make me out to be.
Lastly, I haven’t mentioned Anthony Caminiti, as his shoulder reconstruction has tempered my expectations for 2025. He could be an option to switch ends, particularly if Max King is up and about.
Between those four options, the hope is that the Saints have enough to cover the hole left behind by Battle. It will also mean even more responsibility heaped onto the shoulders of Callum Wilkie, but if there is one thing we’ve learnt about him over the past couple of seasons is that he is ready and willing to take on whatever is thrown at him.
Battle was always going to be a loss. Battle, in the form he was in for the duration of the 2024 season, is a big loss.
But in a situation such as this, you sometimes find that what you have in reserve can be pretty bloody handy in their own right. I’d like to see what Schoenmaker can do, first up.
3 – AT WHAT POINT OF THE 2024 SEASON DID WE SEE THE REAL ST KILDA?
It depends whether you’re an optimist, or a pessimist, doesn’t it?
The Saints came out of the gates like they were ready to take on the world, but two close losses (four points to Essendon in Round Three, and one point to GWS in Round Five) saw them sitting 2-3 after five matches.
But for one or two crucial moments, the Saints could have been off to a flyer.
However, “could haves” and “should haves” mean nothing when you add things up. The cold, hard facts are that the Saints blew it by dropping winnable games. Whilst they did languish in the bottom half of the ladder for the majority of the season. All of it, actually… the way they finished the year gave a glimpse into what’s possible.
So, what are you? An optimist, or a pessimist?
I oscillate a bit with the Saints – more than any other team, actually.
As covered in the opening, I am a believer in what the Saints are doing, but until the club is able to compose themselves in tight situations, they’re not going to make noise. They were 4-6 in games that were decided by under two goals, and finished two games outside the top eight.
What does that tell you?
The Saints need to nail those close games. To say they’re going to win all of them is a huge stretch, but reverse those results from 2024, and you have a team that makes finals on your hands for a couple of seasons in a row. Does that make you less of a pessimist?
It’s only when you look at the bounce of the ball in any particular game (and a big hello to Stephen Milne) that you truly understand how fickle the nature of our sport is.
The Saints, despite what we saw at points in 2024, were not a bad team. They were, but for the close losses, right around the mark. Not contending for a flag-type of mark, but on the improve, and demonstrating the type of form that should instill hope.
Ah yes, hope… there has been plenty of it from St Kilda supporters over the years, and from all conversations I have with them, it is now in short supply. Maybe there is just a touch left?
Are they going to contend this year?
Look, I never rule anything out. I think they’re good enough to play finals, and if you can get there, it is not about having a 16 or 17 win season to secure the flag – it’s about how playing your best football at the right time of the year.
If the Saints can keep their heads in close games, they can make finals.
And if you make finals, anything can happen. The Lions won only three more games than the Saints did in the 2024 home and away season.
Let that sink in.
Hope can turn to belief pretty quickly in footy.
4 – CAN NASIAH WANGANEEN-MILERA BE THE BEST REBOUNDING DEFENDER IN THE GAME?
He’s on the way, or at least it feels as though he is.
Nas has class. He reeks of it. When he gets the footy in his hands and he has time to look further afield and assess what’s going on, it is almost as though you start feeling the ball is in safe hands – Wanganeen-Milera will hit the target… don’t worry about it.
What I loved as the 2024 season progressed was that Nas started to take risks. Given license to do so by Ross Lyon, he was doing what it usually takes players years to do – have the confidence to trust his skills, and actually make tough kicks into the corridor.
You just don’t see kids doing that.
NWM will turn 22 before the season commences, and looks like he is ready to go to another level. Already averaging over 25 touches per game, the club and the coach trust him with the footy, and defer to him when the ball is coming out of defence. Imagine that responsibility? 21 years old and the old, grizzled, grumpy Ross comes to you and tells you you’re the man he wats with the footy in his hands?
You wouldn’t know whether you were peeing yourself with nerves or excitement!
And I don’t pee myself, for the record. I can’t speak for Nasiah, though.
Okay, after that unfortunate aside… where do we see Nasiah maxing out in 2025? Does he have the capacity to do what the big half-back accumulators have done over the journey, and hit 30 touches per game?
I really don’t think he has to. His 25 touches were brilliant in 2024. It seemed as though the Saints had the mix right with him. From here, it might come down to how he uses those disposals. Does Ross want to see him push further up the ground to use those kicks inside 50?
Blokes like Darcy Wilmot and Liam Duggan had better numbers for inside 50s in 2024, but I would back Nas to do far more damage with the same number.
But of course, when you add something to a player’s game, you run the risk of losing something else.
Having Wanganeen-Milera run forward and kick to leading forwards more often would be brilliant, but the structures need to be amended to cover for him when he does. Get that right, and the Saints might be ready to have the most potent 25-possession player in the league on their hands.
And perhaps their next All-Australian.
5 – DO THE SAINTS NEED TO DECIDE WHO THEY ARE?
I found this interesting.
During the run up to Christmas, one of our esteemed writers did the “New Years Resolutions” article and what he came up with for the Saints stemmed around finding their identity.
That has never been an issue for Ross Lyon-coached teams in the past, but in 2024, we saw the Saints switch from dour defensive team to run-and-gun on a couple of occasions. It seems it unsettled some people.
So, I started thinking – is it better to have your identity defined with one style of play, or in the modern game, is it better to be able to switch between the two styles, as the Saints did last season?
You know, Lyon gets a heap of criticism. It is varied, and some of it is justified, but the most common one I hear is not justified, and it is that he only knows how to coach defensively. So, then he goes out and allows his players to play a more offensively-minded game… which completely disproves that narrative, and they criticise him for that, as well.
“Oh, he needs to decide what he wants this team to be.”
What?
Why does he have to?
If they get down by four or five goals, playing a defensive style isn’t going to win it. Do you want him to go even more defensive? The team needs to be able to switch things up and adapt. They need to be able to change gears and go from defence-first to run-and-gun, depending on need.
When I sat and watched the Saints do this in 2024, I wasn’t critical – I was actually excited to see it. Sometimes, you have to look at the big picture, and I believe that Lyon was preparing the players for a time when they will need to be more offensive. He was covering all the bases and ensuring his squad was ready to change tack when the situation dictated it.
Sure, his preference is to build an accountable, defensive team, but there is a time and place for everything, and it is no use attempting to pull the trigger on a faster-paced style of play when you’re in a pinch, if the team has never even tried it and doesn’t exactly know how to execute it.
So no, I don’t buy into the “St Kilda needs to decide who they are” stuff. Not at all – I think it is bullshit trotted out by those who want to pigeon-hole any team that Lyon coaches into a certain category.
They are who they are, and who they are will chop and change in response to the game, the conditions, and the opposition. That is how you build a good team.
The next 13 questions are for our members. Option to join below.
This is just under a third of our preview. The rest is available exclusively to our members. People, we give value. No same old gabage you’re going to hear from ten others, taking turns in mimicking each other. No played out opinions. Thoughtful and comprehensive – that’s what we aspire to provide in these previews, and your support makes them bigger and better every year. Jump on board.
