St Kilda 2026 Season Preview: From Promise to Pressure

St Kilda did not tiptoe through the 2025 off season. They attacked it.

Tom De Koning arrives. Liam Ryan and Sam Flanders add class and speed. Jack Silvagni brings flexibility. Rowan Marshall stays. Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera commits. The Saints did not behave like a rebuilding club. They behaved like one that believes the window is opening.

That belief is now the pressure. Talent and intent are in place. Execution has to follow.

It is about acceleration.

Ross Lyon has built a young core that looks capable of carrying a side deep into September. The question is whether that happens now, or whether this season is the bridge that sets up 2027.

If the Saints defend well enough and their midfield balance holds, finals are realistic. If cohesion takes longer than expected, they hover around the middle again.

The ruck setup changes everything.

De Koning and Marshall gives St Kilda flexibility they have not had. They should improve their centre bounce presence and give their midfield cleaner first use. That alone can lift clearance numbers and reduce the defensive load.

The other area of growth is internal. A healthy Mattaes Phillipou and a full season of Wanganeen-Milera in the midfield rotation adds scoring drive and class that was only glimpsed late last year.

The risk sits in defence.

Callum Wilkie is elite one on one, but he cannot be the stopper and the interceptor every week. If Dougal Howard cannot stay on the park, or if the key defensive balance does not settle, St Kilda can be exposed by stronger forward lines.

There is also a forward mix question. With multiple tall options and three genuine small forwards competing for space, clarity of roles will matter. Too many rotating pieces can blunt chemistry inside 50.

St Kilda’s ceiling tracks directly with Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera.

His shift from rebounding half back to genuine midfield weapon late last season changed the Saints’ profile. He drove clearances, delivered inside 50 with precision and demanded attention. In 2026 he will get tags, hard matchups and physical attention.

If he absorbs that and still produces, St Kilda’s midfield becomes difficult to contain. If he is forced wide or neutralised without support, the Saints lose their primary accelerator.

The next step is not disposals. It is influence under pressure.

St Kilda project as a momentum side.

When their midfield gets first use and their half backs can distribute cleanly, they can control territory and pile on scoring runs. When they lose clearance or get forced into slow ball movement, they can look predictable.

They may represent early value before markets fully price in the ruck improvement, but week to week matchups against strong key forwards will matter.

Their range sits between fifth and thirteenth.

Fifth is achievable if the ruck pairing works immediately, Wanganeen Milera handles heavy attention and the defence holds up. Thirteenth comes into play if cohesion takes time and key injuries return.

For the first time in a while, St Kilda are not chasing relevance. They are chasing expectation.