The drafting of Sam Dunell, Cameron Shenton, Jordan Staley and Darren Minchington means that the St Kilda Football Club will have 18 players either in their first or second years during the 2012 season.
St Kilda Football Club’s Player List Manager Ameet Bains said today’s picks were a by-product of the Club’s considered approach to recruitment during the off-season.
“Our picks in today’s Rookie Draft complement the selections we took at the National Draft and during Trade Week,” said Bains.
“With each pick, whether at the National or Rookie Drafts, we made a considered assessment of the best available against the needs of the Player List.”
“We’ve brought in an exciting blend of mature aged and youthful players during the off-season, which should really excite Saints supporters. The likes of Beau Wilkes, Ahmed Saad, Terry Milera and even Rookie Cameron Shenton provide the Coaching Staff with experienced but youthful options in season 2012.”
“With the emphasis the Club has put on player development and welfare with the establishment of the Saints Player Academy, we know many of our off-season additions will benefit greatly from the extra resources,” concluded Bains.
Senior Coach Scott Watters was full of praise for the Club’s Recruitment Team who delivered 12 new faces to the Saints 2012 Player List.
“I’m very happy with our recruitment during this off-season. Our Recruitment Team has done a fantastic job over the past twelve months to identify this talent. Not only have we recruited some talented players but brought some balance to our List in terms of age and depth,” said Watters.
Dunell, Shenton, Staley and Minchington will join all other off-season recruits and the Club’s coaching staff for a three-day ‘New Player Camp’ at Phillip Island this weekend (16-18 December) as part of the Club’s Elite Performance Series.
