New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\nBut losses to the Magpies and Demons \u2014 who St Kilda is set to be competing with for a finals spot \u2014 have set a harder task for the Saints from here. <\/p>\n
And it\u2019s still hard to see exactly what brand Lyon wants his troops to play after they fell to Collingwood in a rigorous and stingy affair, before falling to Melbourne in a shootout.<\/p>\n
Despite the winless start, Montagna isn\u2019t overly concerned. Not yet, at least.<\/p>\n
The Saints are off to a 0-2 start to 2026.Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n
The 287-game legend thinks his former club has \u201cplayed pretty well without winning.\u201d <\/p>\n
But ultimately Montagna thinks the pre-season hype went a little too far. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels like the expectations on them was different to where I had them,\u201d Montagna told foxfooty.com.au.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think anywhere from that 11 to 13-win mark is probably what I was expecting, if they got into a Wildcard weekend or bottom part of the eight. I don\u2019t think anyone had them finishing top six.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo 0-2 is not an ideal start, but it\u2019s not the end of the world either.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe challenge is they were two games against teams that will probably teams be around them on the ladder, so you would\u2019ve liked to at least won one of them, if they are to play finals. <\/p>\n
\u201cNow they have their work cut out for them. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s still a long season to go to get into that Wildcard spot, but they\u2019re going to have to get a hurry on otherwise the pressure will continue to mount because of the summer they had.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hawks win topsy-turvy thriller vs Swans | 03:10<\/p>\n
SO ARE THEY ALL IN OR NOT?<\/p>\n
One of the big discussions around St Kilda is whether or not its lucrative off-season spending spree meant the club is chips in on this season. <\/p>\n
Or whether it\u2019s a means to help get them to the next level, thus making their 2026 fate less relevant.<\/p>\n
Montagna is very much in the latter camp.<\/p>\n
As much as adding Tom De Koning, Sam Flanders, Jack Silvagni and Liam Ryan helps the club win now, he thinks it\u2019s the development of St Kilda\u2019s younger core will ultimately drive the club to greater success in the coming years.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo doubt it\u2019s a three to four-year window to be challenging. And when you say challenging, you want to be a top four team that\u2019s around the mark to win it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think anyone expected them to be contending this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes the narrative is that they\u2019re all in, but I don\u2019t know what all in means. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey brought in senior players to fatten the senior core, but really it\u2019s going to be dictated by how quickly the kids come on to when they\u2019re going to be a team that looks like it can be a top six contender.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s time, but there is the added pressure of what they did over the summer and Nas\u2019 signature and those sorts of things.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019d definitely want to be showing improvement and they\u2019d be very disappointed if they\u2019re not at least playing in the Wildcard weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n
‘He had 1 possession in the 2nd!’ | 00:52<\/p>\n
Montagna said the Saints showing they’re \u201cbuilding a list and game style that can stack up\u201d for when they\u2019re hypothetically ready to contend is \u201cmore important\u201d than wins and losses right now.<\/p>\n
Therefore the emergence of their next wave of stars, like Mattes Phillipou and Alix Tauru, is the greatest priority.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me it\u2019s more going to be about if we see they have enough quality, up-and-coming A-graders. Because you need a whole bunch of top-end talent,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe whole point is you\u2019re going to be a serious team when you\u2019re younger players fulfil their talent. It will be on the back of Mattes Phillipou, Alix Tauru and Darcy Wilson.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes Max King get back and what form is he in?<\/p>\n
\u201cCan a Hugh Boxshall or Hugo Garcia or someone else like that pop and be a surprise, high-end player like Max Hall already has?<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what St Kilda fans would be hoping to see to know they\u2019re on the right direction. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe bigger concern than losing would be if those guys don\u2019t come on, it\u2019s going to make it difficult for St Kilda in the next couple of years.\u201d<\/p>\n
WHY THERE\u2019S NO TDK CONCERNS<\/p>\n
Tom De Koning was always going to have a target on his back after signing the richest deal in AFL history.<\/p>\n
De Koning has come under fire following his ruck duel with Max Gawn after the Demons star got hold of the marquee Saints recruit in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n
It would be frankly hard for any player to live up to a $1.6 million annual price tag, let alone a player like De Koning still coming into his own. <\/p>\n
But Montagna \u201cdoesn\u2019t get as hung up on the money\u201d as others and thinks it\u2019s an overrated part of the conversation. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf everyone wants to compare him to the price tag, well then you\u2019re expecting him to be the second-best player in the competition. But that\u2019s not necessarily how the salary cap works,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a quality ruckman and for three quarters I thought he did a great job against Max Gawn, then got outworked from one of the all-time greats in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know what we\u2019re going to get with De Koning, he\u2019ll be a very good ruckman over a long period of time. I\u2019m not too concerned about him.\u201d<\/p>\n
NCA. MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA. March 15th, 2026\u00c3\u0089 AFL Round 1. Melbourne vs St Kilda at the MCG. Max Gawn of the Demons and Tom De Koning of the Saints battle . Picture: Michael KleinSource: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n
The false idea that De Koning would be some sort of messiah is one Montagna believes rings true for all four of St Kilda\u2019s recruits.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe recruits sort of are what they are, we knew what St Kilda was getting,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSam Flanders is going to get a lot of the footy, Silvagni will be a rock solid defender and Liam Ryan will show flashes and provide some spark. But I don\u2019t think they\u2019re basing their elevation as a team on the back of them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know what we\u2019re getting from these senior players and they add to the core that need to play well every single week. It\u2019s the younger players around them that need to continue to work on their games and evolve and elevate.\u201d<\/p>\n
IS NAS BEING USED RIGHT?<\/p>\n
Another high-priced player, Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera \u2014 the game\u2019s first $2 million player after signing an extension with St Kilda last year \u2014 has come under the microscope. <\/p>\n
The Saints jet is dealing with the same thing every breakout superstar before him has faced \u2014 added attention from the opposition. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s clamped \u2018Nas\u2019 from having his usual impact, with his average disposal count well down from 29.9 in 2025 to 18.5 through two games in 2026. <\/p>\n
To quell those tags Wanganeen-Milera, has been used in different roles including the 23-year old doing damage up forward with four goals to his name. <\/p>\n
Even Ross Lyon has copped criticism for claims he hasn\u2019t put his ace in the thick of the action enough. <\/p>\n
Montagna has sympathy for Wanganeen-Milera given \u201chow hard it is to get 30 touches when you\u2019re copping a full-on tag.\u201d <\/p>\n
He argued the Saints star was still impacting up forward against Melbourne and and getting to stoppages all around the ground.<\/p>\n
NCA. MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA. March 8th, 2026\u00c3\u0089 AFL Opening Round. St Kilda vs Collingwood at the MCG. Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera of the Saints during the 2nd qtr. b . Picture: Michael KleinSource: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was the least of the problems, it was almost an unrealistic expectation that \u2018Nas\u2019 had to have 10 touches and kick three goals in the last quarter for St Kilda to win,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s just going to have to work through it, his teammates will have to continue to support him and help him when you get tagged as a young player.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd he\u2019s got to help the team and look at ways he might have to sacrifice some of his game for the betterment of the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat all comes with experience, this is just a learning curve for him. I\u2019m sure he\u2019ll get better with it as the year goes on.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019d want some others to really elevate their game, too \u2013 guys like Flanders and Phillipou \u2013 they need to play better to take a bit of pressure off \u2018Nas\u2019 to not feel like he has to do everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
THE \u2018MISSING PIECE\u2019 <\/p>\n
The ace up the sleeve. The \u2018missing piece\u2019. Whatever you want to call it. Ross Lyon does have a secret weapon hidden away \u2014 Max King.<\/p>\n
The issue is we don\u2019t know when we\u2019re going to see him. And what version of Max King we\u2019ll get. <\/p>\n
The star forward hasn\u2019t played at AFL level in two years due to persistent injuries including a right knee issue and calf setback delaying his start to 2026. <\/p>\n
King is all the more valuable to the Saints as the exact type of player they still desperately need \u2014 a reference point up forward and star-factor player who can kick goals and create scores from half chances.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s presuming King can get back to his best, with the former No. 4 pick kicking 52 goals in just third season in 2022.<\/p>\n
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 04: Max King and Max Heath of the Saints compete for the ball during a St Kilda Saints AFL training session at RSEA Park on April 04, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
He\u2019s still only 25 and we\u2019re seeing his twin brother, Ben, rip up the competition in real time for the Gold Coast Suns.<\/p>\n
All Saints fans can do a cross their fingers that Max, who signed a massive six-year contract in October 2024, can get a clean run from here.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he is essential. And the best version of Max King is what everyone is hoping we can see from him whenever he gets back,\u201d Montagna added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one area they are struggling at the moment is probably that class and high-end talent in the forward line.<\/p>\n
Sharman and Owens do a good job they\u2019re more your number two or number three option that need some support. They tried Rowan forward in the first game and we didn\u2019t get a good look at how that\u2019d go but he\u2019s back this week.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Max King is no doubt a 50-plus goalkicker at his best. For them to be a serious team, they need him back, so that is a big piece that\u2019s missing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t ring the alarm bells on the 0-2 Saints just yet. That\u2019s according to St Kilda great Leigh…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":552063,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,9199,69019,273065,64,63,689,55,639,273068,684,209834,88710,1129,41557,273064,14350,104597,68982,2105,9130,163974,69081,69035,21758,6179,133420,3465,12097,647,39320,7197,677,103637,6264,3241,139012,248976,273063,3247,273070,273066,273072,49776,94288,235223,17989,85,1122,26889,273067,273071,1117,52623,660,273069,44325],"class_list":["post-552062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-alarm-bells","tag-alix-tauru","tag-annual-price-tag","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-average-disposal-count","tag-ben-cotton","tag-breakout-superstar","tag-calf-setback","tag-charlie-curnow","tag-club-looks","tag-club-win","tag-darcy-wilson","tag-doing-damage","tag-game-style","tag-getty-images-inc","tag-gold-coast-suns","tag-hawks-win","tag-hugh-boxshall","tag-hugo-garcia","tag-ideal-start","tag-jack-silvagni","tag-learning-curve","tag-leigh-montagna","tag-max-gawn","tag-melbourne","tag-missing-piece","tag-must-win-clash","tag-oceania","tag-off-season-recruiting","tag-price-tag","tag-quality-ruckman","tag-reference-point","tag-richest-deal","tag-right-knee-issue","tag-robert-cianflone","tag-ruck-duel","tag-saints-analysis","tag-salary-cap-works","tag-sam-flanders","tag-secret-weapon","tag-senior-core","tag-senior-players","tag-sports","tag-st-kilda","tag-st-kilda-saints","tag-star-factor-player","tag-stingy-affair","tag-tom-de-koning","tag-top-end-talent","tag-victoria","tag-win-mark","tag-young-player"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/552062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=552062"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/552062\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/552063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=552062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=552062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=552062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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