Kane Cornes’ AFL crystal ball spells disaster for Ross Lyon’s St Kilda Saints
His tip is Finn Callaghan. He reckons the youngster will get extra time in GWS midfield with the departures of Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper to Tigerland.
Kane Cornes
Brownlow: Clayton Oliver (Melbourne). Oliver has received 56 votes over the past two seasons and is poised for another year at the top of Melbourne’s dynamic midfield. He only scored five goals last year; If he gets more into the front half this season, the refs won’t be able to ignore him.
Rising Star: Finn Callaghan (GWS). Callaghan is a prototype athletic midfielder with a large body and a left footed weapon. With the departure of Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper, he gets maximum opportunities through the giant’s midfield. An injury disrupted his first season but the third pick in 2021 is fit and ready for the breakout.
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Story of the season: St Kilda fired Brett Ratten three months after a contract extension, believing their list was better than it had shown. They were afraid of getting stuck on the ladder in the six-to-10 zone. In a bid to dampen expectations of new manager Ross Lyon, they have since distanced themselves from those comments. Anything less than a top 8 finish, however, will see the brutal call to rats go from bad to disaster.
Ascending: Adelaide.
On the slide: St Kilda.
Headline you don’t see: Cameron Zurhaar last laughed in the online feud with ex-teammate Horne-Francis
Biggest point of criticism from the fans: hold ball The league will be keen to keep the ball, giving ball winners less time to dispose of the footy. This is problematic as it discourages players from winning the ball and rewards those who break a sweat tackling. It will lead to an inconsistent interpretation of the rule and drive fans crazy.
Season predictions by Jake Niall
Caroline Wilson’s Season Predictions
Footy coverage comes in The Age
Monday: Ins, Outs and what to expect from each club in 2023 Real Footy Podcast crystal ball predictions from all our experts.
Wednesday: Expert tips and teams.
Thursday: Follow our live blog for news and expert insight from the season opener between Richmond and Carlton at the MCG
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https://www.smh.com.au/sport/afl/bad-to-disaster-kane-cornes-afl-crystal-ball-spells-doom-for-ross-lyon-s-st-kilda-20230310-p5cr03.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_sport Kane Cornes’ AFL crystal ball spells disaster for Ross Lyon’s St Kilda Saints
