Jamarra Ugle-Hagan is starting to show signs that he could live up to his No. 1 turnover, and the hype around Sam Darcy suggests he could be even better.
Luke Beveridge has said this week that he sees Darcy, for now, as a striker, but where he will eventually settle will be really intriguing.
The admission of dogs chasing Rory Lobb is also interesting. What would it mean for the development of Ugle-Hagan and Darcy?
I’ve heard others suggest that it means Naughton could fix the biggest dog deficiency in his back, but I’m not a fan of that thought, even though they have a history of having made that kind of change with Chris Grant.
But playing forward isn’t that easy and Naughton has already proven to be the top man in his front half. Regardless, they have flexibility.
They have currency exchange in players like Josh Dunkley, who is still out of contract, and they are probably only one or two pieces away from fighting again.
The Saints, on the other hand, could find themselves in a very complicated position. Just a few weeks ago they were talked about as the top four candidates, but now that’s a dream.
Aaron Naughton, Western Bulldogs striker. Credit: Getty Images
As it stands, they depend too much on a 34-year-old ruckman.
Last week, Paddy Ryder jumped over Sean Darcy of Fremantle from the start, handing the ball to his midfielders on a silver plate. He has also won games with his own boot when he has pulled ahead. But at his age this is not sustainable.
Bradley Hill is the other barometer, the shape of which, the difference between the best and the worst, can be the difference between winning and losing. He is also 29 years old.
Geelong has shown how important it is to stop depending on a select few senior players. Can the Saints do the same?
They have claimed some scalp this season, beating Fremantle, Richmond, Geelong and Carlton, but unless their effort is absolutely unconditional, they are not good enough.
In an even competition, where even the slightest descent can be a problem, like a few others, you don’t know what you’ll get in St Kilda from week to week.
The Saints need an injection of true talent in the offseason if they want to make the leap from mediocre to a true contender.
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But if they can’t get a player like Jordan De Goey, are there commercial moves that are simply papered over the cracks?
They could go from needing a reinstatement to needing something more substantial, and unlike the Western Bulldogs, there doesn’t seem to be the same young talent on the Saints list.
Being a “destination club” has become that mystical thing about football.
At the very least, the Saints have to prove in the final rounds of the season that they are not as far apart as we think; that a potential free agent, like De Goey, could be the missing link.
Otherwise, they’ll be trapped in no-man’s land by Footy – they’re not good enough to really fight, but not bad enough to get the high-end talent they need to change things.
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