SEN footy analyst Terry Wallace believes St Kilda has little option but to stick with Paddy McCartin despite suggesting his inclusion for the Round 9 clash against Sydney was a grave effort of judgement.
On back of three strong wins over Hawthorn, GWS and Carlton, the Saints’ coaching staff pulled the trigger on a change that saw Josh Bruce omitted from the side at the expense of No. 1 draft pick.
McCartin managed 11 disposals and one junk-time goal in the 50-point loss. At one point in the second half he was on the wrong end of ironically cheers from frustrated supporters.
“There was no need for the St Kilda Football Club to make the decision they made,” Wallace told SEN’s The Run Home.
“If it’s not broken don’t try to fix it.
“My call would have been that the Saints were playing really good footy and while Josh Bruce isn’t playing at his best, the machinations are working perfectly with him playing his role.
“He’s a hard worker, he pushes up the ground and yeah, it’d be good if he was in better form than what he’s in at the moment, and the other kid is a first round draft pick, but it’s a team sport and as a team they were playing pretty good football.”
“Is the club there for the St Kilda Football Club or are there for the player? I think they are there for the St Kilda Football Club.”
Wallace believes part of the equation is the Saints attempting to avoid McCartin becoming a good VFL player by playing too much at the lower level.
Further clouding the selection issue for the Saints is a seriously debilitating knee injury to former skipper Nick Riewoldt. Despite kicking three goals against the Swans the veteran star looked gimpy from the opening minute, was not able to jump and for large parts of the afternoon pushed to half-back to find a possession.
It’s the third week in a row Riewoldt has looked injured from the opening bounce.
As the Saints prepare to tackle reigning premier Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium on Saturday – a side they beat in Round 18 last year – Wallace said the Saints’ had painted themselves into a corner.
“I think you now have to give McCartin another week in the role,” he said.
Since being drafted one overall three years ago the 21-year-old has struggled to find his feet. He’s kicked 20 goals from 20 appearances but managed just three from three games in 2017.