Saints name extended squad for NAB Cup
February 22, 2012 18:12:38 UK
St Kilda coach Scott Watters has named a large squad for their NAB Cup doubleheader against Geelong and Sydney, so he can give game time to as many players as possible on Friday.
The Saints boss has included 34 players in his squad, with the only players not making the cut being the injured trio of Nick Dal Santo (broken hand), Raph Clarke (calf) and James Gwilt (knee).
Nick Riewoldt, Brendon Goddard, Sam Fisher, Lenny Hayes and Leigh Montagna are all expected to feature against the Cats and Swans. While it suggests that Scott is taking the NAB Cup extremely seriously, the coach himself says that he just wants to use these matches to check how much of his teachings have been absorbed by his players.
"There are other players that we're really interested in seeing how they go when we're stepping up a level of intensity. From a coaching perspective you want to see some of the things that you've been working on in training start to filter through, you want to see how the players react and how changes to a game plan potentially hold up under heightened pressure," Watters said after Wednesday's training.
"At the same time we know that we'll come out of this game with numerous areas where we still want to improve and get better. So are we looking for a perfect performance or expecting a perfect performance? Probably not, but over a three or four-week period we certainly want to refine what we've been working on now over the last three or four months. It's a good opportunity, some extra pressure to see how we stand up individually and as a team," he added.
Collingwood are 7.00 to win the 2012 AFL Grand Final. Essendon can be backed at odds of 9.00, while Geelong are available at 9.00.
Don't forget all of the fantastic markets we have to offer, including In-Play betting, can be accessed on your mobile phone with the new and improved Mobile at bet365.
View all Australian Rules betting