Saints aiming to catch up to Geelong

06 Feb 2009

ST KILDA midfielder Leigh Montagna says the acquisition of assistant coach Leigh Tudor from Geelong will help bridge the gap between the two teams.

Tudor took up an assistant coaching role with the Saints over summer after coaching Geelong’s VFL team.

While Geelong didn’t win the premiership it was the most dominant side of 2008, losing just two matches.

Montagna said the Saints’ new forward coach has already pointed out several areas the team can work on to step up to the Cats’ level.

“He’s made a few comments from what he’s seen and what he’s learnt from Geelong. Things that we can work on to get to that standard Geelong have set in the last couple of years. No doubt the boys will pick his brains once the footy starts,” Montagna said.

“He can just relay some stories about similar situations the two clubs are in and how they got themselves to that elite standard.

“He’s been terrific with some of the input he’s made. Just minor things we hadn’t really thought about that are going to be quite useful for the 2009 season.”

Tudor will take charge of St Kilda’s forwards, while Tony Elshaug will take charge of the midfield. Montagna says Elshaug, a long-serving AFL assistant coach brings a wealth of knowledge to the role.

“He brings a lot of experience, he’s been in the coaching circles for years. He’s good, he knows we’ve got a pretty experienced bunch of guys in the midfield. He’s allowing a lot of input from Lenny Hayes and Steven King - blokes who have played a lot in the midfield,” Montagna said.

After a preliminary final finish last year, the Saints would have been tempted to top-up their list with experienced players. But Montagna said fans can expect to see plenty of fresh faces coming through the line-up.

“This year they have made the decision to bring in a lot of kids and really develop them. That was part of Ross’s thinking. He thinks we have got a good core group of players but he wants to develop around that core with some younger kids,” he said.

“They’ll bring some enthusiasm and some speed and pace through the midfield. We’re looking to continue to work on our systems and push for finals and see what happens late in the season.”

Source: www.saints.com.au

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Saints aiming to catch up to Geelong

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