Watson: Questionable midfield depth puts Saints behind Dees in top eight race

Tim Watson believes that St Kilda’s midfield doesn’t have the quality of the AFL’s best on-ball units to be able to challenge for the top eight this season, instead predicting Melbourne to be the side to make the jump up in 2017.

One of the hottest debates of the off-season has been which of the two promising sides, who finished ninth and eleventh respectively last season, is more likely to play finals football this year.

The three-time Essendon premiership player believes that Melbourne are just above the side he formerly coached in the race for the eight, holding some doubt over the current quality of St Kilda’s midfield group.

“I think it’s the depth of their midfield,” Watson said on SEN Breakfast’s The Wednesday Crunch.

“If you’re going to compare them with the best midfield combinations, I think they’re a rung below that group.

“I think they’re pretty well served with some of their talls down the spine…I like the way they play, I think they’re very well coached and I think that the game plan they have adopted suits that group of players but I don’t think that class of midfield they’re assembling is quite there yet.

“I think Melbourne will be just ahead of St Kilda this year.”

Sam McClure agreed, and considers the Demons’ season will be a disappointment if they fail to secure a home elimination final, let alone make the top eight.

“I’ve got Melbourne finishing more than marginally ahead of St Kilda. I think Melbourne will finish fifth or sixth and if they don’t, something has gone majorly wrong with that footy club,” the football writer said.

“They have got a midfield depth that’s fantastic really now with the recruits they have got and they kept Jesse Hogan which is massive. They have good key defenders and they have recruited good half-backs.”

Garry Lyon and Robert Murphy however say that St Kilda are slightly ahead of Melbourne in the finals race.

“I have the Saints instinctively because they have been a bit more trustworthy in terms of consistency and effort,” Lyon said.

“Three years down the line I’d probably change my mind but right now I’ve got them a touch ahead.”