Luke Hodge has called on St Kilda to re-sign Brett Ratten, adding he believes the under-pressure club will still play finals.
St Kilda president Andrew Bassat told SEN’s Whateley earlier in June that the club would begin contract talks with Ratten after the impressive start to the year that had the Saints in the conversation for a top four finish.
However, they’ve since suffered consecutive defeats after their bye, including a surprise loss to Essendon last week.
The 35-point loss has unanimously been accepted as St Kilda’s worst performance of the year, with Hodge suggesting their potential was far better than what they put up on Friday night.
“Unfortunately they came up against a team in Essendon who had a point to prove who tweaked their game style, and you could just see St Kilda were flat,” Hodge told SEN’s Whateley.
“So after such a good start for that football club they’ve got a tough run coming up, but we’re going to see what they’re made of.
“That forward line, I still like it. (Max) King, (Tim) Membrey, then you’ve got Paddy Ryder or (Rowan) Marshall resting down there. If they can do the same as what GWS have done and take a few more risks and get the ball into the forward line quicker, they can hurt any team on their day.”
The loss raises questions about a contract extension for Ratten, whose current deal concludes at the end of the year.
The Saints played finals in his first year in charge before missing September action in 2021. Given the coaching market is likely to feature numerous big names at the end of the season, there’s plenty of pressure on several in the last nine games of the season.
But Hodge wants to see the Saints back in their man.
“Yep, I’ve got no doubt (Ratten is the right man for the job),” he said.
“You see how he is with the players, we talk about coaches, they’re managers just as much as coaches.
“He’s clearly got the understanding, he’s got a football brain which there’s no doubt if you talk to him about football for two seconds, but it’s also the care that he has for the players, and I think in today’s game that’s just as important as anything.
“So, just because they’ve dropped a couple and they’ve got a tough run home I wouldn’t hold off the contract for that, I’d be signing him up, at least that way the whole club knows we’re they’re going.”
The Round 14 loss to the Bombers drops St Kilda to eighth on the ladder, equal with four other sides on 32 points.
They’ll play six top eight teams in the run home and will likely need another five wins to play finals.
When asked whether St Kilda feature in September, Hodge pointed to the likely return of captain Jack Steele next week as the reason to why he thinks they will.
“Yes I do,” the four-time premiership Hawk said.
“They’re sitting on that borderline, but as we said, this is such an exciting year. How often do we get to this stage and you’re ‘umming and ahhing’, you can have ticks and crosses against all teams on why they should and shouldn’t.
“But they’ll get Steele back in, and he makes a massive difference. They’ve been able to play a certain brand without him but the last couple of games I reckon you can see the difference Steele would make to that football side.
“So you get him back in the mix, I’m still confident they make the finals.”
The Saints face a crucial clash against Sydney in Round 15 on Saturday night.