AFL Odds: Real Opportunities For Young Saints
January 15th, 2015 by TJ Dilfer2014 was another tough year at St Kilda. The Saints finished with the wooden spoon in their trophy cabinet, and they shipped more points than any other side on the ladder. Their 2015 ambitions will be modest, then, and you can see from the AFL odds that they will have to find some real inspiration from somewhere if they’re going to be playing finals football: we’re seeing odds of $13.00 for them to find a finals berth come the business end of the season, but they’ll need something from somewhere if they’re going to make that happen.
The inspiration could easily come from their new young guns, mind you, who are already in work, and who, according to coach Alan Richardson, have no ceiling set for them in the 2015 season when it comes to finding themselves a place in the Saints side, or making contributions to finding wins for that side. The new crop of Saints players this year includes number one draft pick Paddy McCartin, and so Richardson is going to get used to answering questions about when his young prospects will be seen in St Kilda jumpers. Whenever they’re ready, it sounds like: ‘it’s very similar to last year. It doesn’t change. It’s about picking them and selecting them when they’re ready to play. Do they understand whatever role we give them, what’s required, have they been able to display that level of understanding in their training and their trial game form leading up to it? Do we physically think they’re ready to go, because we’re not going to compromise what they’re here for, and that’s to be long-term strong players for us. They’re not here for a game, they’re here for a career and if they’re ready to go, they’ll play. If they’re not, that’s OK – they’ll continue to develop and work on their game at VFL level or on the training track.’
And with the right approach to handling this newest crop of players – who include some genuinely quality prospects – then there’s a brighter day on the horizon for the Saints and their fans. Check the AFL odds for them in the 2015 season, maybe – they could be shorter next year…
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