Crossroads ahead for St Kilda in quest for success
- Jasper Cormick
- Jun 28
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 29
Round 16 brings another chapter of the nightmare that the 2025 AFL Season has been for the St Kilda Football Club. The Saints sit 15th only notching the five wins thus far and have shown little action to remedy their inadequate play.
The consistent issue for the Saints is the decaying midfield group, that has failed to positively impact stoppages, ranking 11th in total clearances.
Additionally, St Kilda ranks 5th worst in inside 50s and consequently struggles to give their forwards a chance to hit the scoreboard, if they win the unlikely clearance.
Thus, the Saints have struggled with connection and cohesion when delivering the football inside 50 in 2025.
While the club has a very young list, they do not necessarily field a young side, playing the most twenty-nine-year-old and over players in the competition besides Collingwood.
This is not always a negative, but for a team struggling to win football games, and should be looking to the future. This is the pinpoint that can help address the clubs lack of success.
Ross Lyon has already begun to address this at the selection table, with the inclusion of Hugo Garcia, Jack Carrol and Liam Henry, all vibrant and youthful talent ahead of their Round 16 Clash with the Fremantle Dockers.
But veteran presences have been a staple of this static Saints midfield that has perennially underperformed. And calls into question why more youthful options are not being explored.
The philosophy under the tutelage of Ross Lyon is that seniority matters. As young and rising Saints midfielders are consistently forced out of such a nonetheless average midfield.
Jack Steele has been a central contributor for the Saints ever since his move to the club in 2017, recording a top 3 finish in the 2020 Brownlow Medal, and claiming multiple All Australian nods.
However, 2025 has been disappointing for the captain, as he has averaged 21 disposals, the worst of his years at the Saints as well as seemingly absent from large periods of the game.
This is extremely uncharacteristic of the consistent and hard running midfielder who has been one of the competition’s marquee players for many years.
It calls into question whether Ross Lyon needs to adjust his role. Whether that is fewer centre bounces, a more defensive role, or a move out of the midfield.
It is time for the Saints to evolve and move the magnets to make their midfield much more dynamic. And lucky for St Kilda they have plenty of tools in the shed.
Mattaes Phillipou if healthy and fit, should undeniably be the first magnet placed in that midfield after the impressive midfield stint witnessed at the back end of 2024, as he attended more and more centre bounces.
He notched several twenty disposal and one goal games to round out his 2024 campaign.
Phillipou offers an X-Factor that Saints fans have not been accustomed too for many years. Being a taller, and more athletic build and encompassing tremendous ability above his head.
Furthermore, young players yet to make their mark on AFL football such as Hugo Garcia and Tobie Travaglia are important pieces in the puzzle as St Kilda undergo their quest to win their first premiership since 1966.
The club has investigated the draft, and utilised key picks on these players, and so far, have been yet to store any real faith in these players skill.
Hugo Garcia has failed to keep himself afloat in the AFL side although feasible play despite a lack of centre bounce attendances and time on ground.
We saw Hugo’s brilliance in Round 8, in which he secured 19 disposals and a goal, obtaining that rounds Rising Star Nomination.
It is also worth noting the ambition of Nasiah Wanganeen Milera, one of the Saints best players in 2025 to spend more time in the midfield to maximise his innate ability to influence the game by foot.
Saints CEO Carl Dilena outlined this on the Saints Nation Podcast this week, “He wanted to spend some time in the midfield, so Ross (Ross Lyon) ran him through the midfield.”
The Saints are hopeful they will retain the vital presence he provides for many years to come.
Wanganeen-Milera like Phillipou, provides something unprecedented for this team, that is vital to the success of the St Kilda Football Club going forward.
Averaging 29.1 disposals in 2025, and ranked second in the competition for total kicks, maximising his ability to make opposition sides pay.
Whilst there is still a significant role for the captain Jack Steele in this team, an emphasis must be placed on fostering the growth of the future. Particularly as they have shown significant talent and deserve to have a reserved role going forward.
The future is bright at St Kilda if the club is willing to lean into its youth. Players like Phillipou, Garcia, Travaglia and Wanganeen-Milera offer an exciting glimpse into what could be a revitalised Saints midfield. The foundation is there — it’s now a matter of trust, opportunity, and development.
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