The Moorabbin complex – mutton dressed as lamb?

Potential’s still a dirty word down at Moorabbin, and no one typifies the hype more
than Justin Koschitzke, writes Brett Collett.

Premiership favouritism, a captain with the world – and a young, blonde soapie star – at his feet, a coach whose unconventional methods looked to be finally paying dividends and a burgeoning membership base. The St Kilda Football Club looked like it had it all pre-season, but come July it is staring at a ladder position closer to mid-table than the top of the tree.

At a club where image, gloss and hyperbole has always won out over substance, toil and actual triumph, 2005 was meant to be the year in which the discos and “party culture” would be banished to the basement and a premiership – to follow up on its one and only success at the top level some 39 years ago – would finally confirm St Kilda as the first AFL club to use the current draft and trade system to full advantage and come up trumps.

But for a number of reasons, this year has been the season that wasn’t for coach Grant Thomas’ Saints.

After 15 rounds, St Kilda sits ninth on the ladder with an 8 and 7 win-loss record. Wins over Hawthorn, Carlton and Collingwood are almost meaningless, with the only three victories of any real worth coming in the form of a 47-point thumping of Melbourne in round four, a 68-point demolition of Richmond the following week and a 43-point home win over Sydney in round 10.

But losses to likely finals foes Port Adelaide, Geelong, Adelaide, West Coast, Brisbane and the Kangaroos paint a clearer picture. As the Saints find themselves six wins behind runaway leader West Coast, the question has to be asked: can St Kilda live up the hype and become a premiership contender this year?

The answer is probably not. Lack of form and possibly an inflated sense of self-worth is rampant down Bayside, and without captain Nick Riewoldt, should-be captain Aaron Hamill, and experienced midfielder Robert Harvey for awhile, life isn’t going to get any easier for the Saints.

Interestingly, the mother of all hyped-up players – St Kilda spare-parts man Justin Koschitzke – has played a few good games in a row and has stated he yearns to captain the side on a permanent basis after being handed the reigns in Riewoldt’s absence.

The fact that the 2001 Rising Star award winner has not done much since winning said award (apart from increasing the turnover at his local physio’s office threefold) doesn’t seem to matter. The young man has potential; he has black, white and red on his jumper; he is on a big contract. He also has two of the dodgiest hamstrings since, well, Robert Harvey.

No one doubts that Koschitzke has the attributes to be a star at the top level. He is a big unit who can take a strong mark and kick long goals. He made his name at the heart of St Kilda’s defence when it was constantly under siege in 2001, and the guy can ruck a little bit, too.

But Koschitzke represents the modern St Kilda to a tee: young, trendy, popular, able but ultimately disappointing. A handful of good games surrounded by some poor ones and a lot of time on the sidelines does not make you elite.

His last two performances have been great, but look at his opponents (the Western Bulldogs and Carlton – hardly sides flushed with a myriad of key defensive options) and think to yourself whether he can do this week in week out against top-of-the-line opposition. After all, not every team has a Fraser Gehrig taking the opposition’s best defender each week.

Perhaps, like his club, Koschitzke can eventually live up to the hype. Both have had their ups and downs, and now is meant to be the time both blossom to become the best. But neither can look at their few excellent moments and delude themselves that all that glitters is gold, otherwise “Kosi” and co. might end up like so many precocious talents at Moorabbin before them – without a premiership.

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