St. Kilda Need An Attacking Culture | Thebigtip

Are St Kilda on the slide? Judging by their first three games, we could probably say yes they are heading downhill fast. Coach Ross Lyon is almost at panic stations during press conferences, blaming firstly the players' fitness and then their desire.

Add to this the mental weight of two tumultuous pre-seasons as well as the season-ending injury of their second best player and it may seem to the players that everything is imploding around them.

But there is light at the end of the tunnel if the coach will open his gaze from the narrow plane he is in right now.

Great coaches, of which Lyon is not, thrive in these circumstances. How many times did Kevin Sheedy produce a backs-to-the-wall win during his time at the Bombers? How many off-field dramas has Mick Malthouse had to put up with at Collingwood? Even Paul Roos, for his little time in the game, continually had his side written off but kept producing.

The Saints now have two weeks before their next game and it is quite obvious that they need to rethink their game plan, and not in subtle ways, but a complete revamp of it. This is for several reasons.

Firstly, if they were fully fit, at the top of their game and with a whole list to choose from, the Saints still would not win a premiership with their current game plan. This is because Collingwood is far too good for them. Not that they are unbeatable, they are just too good for the St. Kilda style. Given that the Pies were one of the youngest lists in the competition last year when they won the title, they are only going to get better. St. Kilda will not compete with them unless they change.

Secondly, the Saints have lost their best close-quarters player in Lenny Hayes. Lyon came to the club from a hard-nosed Sydney background and was able to transform their play based around the brilliance of Hayes. Well, he is not there anymore and there is definitely no other player on the list that can replace him. So, a different tactic has to be looked at.

The third and fourth reason why Ross Lyon must change his ways are to do with his two remaining fit superstars. Nick Reiwoldt is the best forward in the league - few dispute this fact. But what the coach has done over the last four years is systematically take him out of the game by playing slow, processed football. With their best ground player out, it is now time to bring out the best in their captain by making him the go-to man.

This means that instead of stoppage based, low scoring, dreary football, the club must embrace a culture of positive, risk taking adventure to get near Collingwood. We can only imagine the damage if Lyon releases Montagna, Dal Santo, Gram et al around the packs so they can take a risk and deliver the ball one-out to Reiwoldt. He may just become a 100 goal forward then.

And the point is doubly made when the other on-ball brigade of the Saints is looked at. Clinton Jones and Steven Baker are stoppers, pure and simple. They have no attacking qualities at all. If they stay fit and healthy, the others around them do not have to play the accountable style in place now, they can push forward and in football parlance, cheat a bit.

Another factor is the three man bench implemented this year. The rule reduces the number of rotations, or at least the amount of time the good players are off the ground, which means that the AFL are actually encouraging St. Kilda to attack more by keeping their best players active for longer during games.

The fourth bench player, aka the super sub, is making a real difference in close games so far this season by adding pace and freshness to the mix. St. Kilda can further capitalise on this situation by making Brett Peake or Sean Dempster this player each week. Thus, a more free flowing attacking brand that helps the team kick winning scores.

The second superstar in the team they need to get a grip on is Brendan Goddard. For two years he has not known his role in the side simply because he rarely plays the same role twice in a row. This is hurting his play. He no longer understands what he is about on the football field.

Last week he played in the midfield on Jobe Watson. Whilst getting a little bit of the ball himself, the Essendon captain carved him up. The midfield is not the place for Goddard, he needs to be able to roam free and do his thing.

He made a name for himself early in his career as a loose backman, able to set up attacks by reading the play extremely well. St. Kilda have, with Sam Fisher and Sam Gilbert, two ideal replacements for him now and with Zac Dawson in the square, the Saints do not need another big man down back.

Goddard's position, if they are able to embrace a more attacking style, is up forward. It may seem a little strange to say an All-Australian backline player's best position is forward, but if St. Kilda are going to compete with Collingwood, they need to make the move.

There will not be a defence in the competition that could stop a forward line consisting of Reiwoldt, Goddard, Justin Koschitzke and Stephen Milne if they can move the ball quickly to them. Not one.

Furthermore, it will end the frustration of the St. Kilda fans. There is nothing worse than watching a talented side squander opportunities continually, but it is not necessarily the original Ross Lyon game plan that is the frustration, it is the fact that when they need to change things up they have no "plan B". At least by becoming more forward focused they will have a backup plan that they are very good at producing.

At the moment, St. Kilda sit a game and a half outside the eight with the bye this week. They have gone from top three in the betting to double figures very quickly. If Ross Lyon is brave, humble and realistic, he will change his ways to better the club and turn around it's slump.