Siposs goes from fan to the man

St Kilda player Arryn Siposs in Mentone. Picture: Reddy Martin Source: Herald Sun

WHEN Brendon Goddard embarked on his AFL journey with St Kilda a decade ago, one of the knocks on him was the absence of a clearly defined role.

By the end of 2000, that ability to slot into a diversity of positions had become such a strength that Goddard was regarded as one of the AFL's most valuable players.

The old-fashioned "utility player" was back in vogue. Now, under the coaching of Scott Watters, the Saints prize multi-positioning more than ever.

"The ability to play in a variety of positions is vital, and now with the various rule changes and the way the interchange is going, having players with that versatility, that flexibility to go into a number of roles, is only going to become more and more important," Watters told the Herald Sun recently.

Such has been the shift in thinking, that when Goddard left St Kilda over the off-season, the unresolved question among fans became: "Who will take on BJ's role?"

Several names have been thrown around in the pre-season - Sam Gilbert, Jack Newnes, Dylan Roberton - and with some justification, because they, along with players such as Rhys Stanley and Terry Milera, will be expected to play in a broader range of positions than they have in the past. But the man earmarked for Goddard's slot is Arryn Siposs.

He has trained with St Kilda's defensive group over summer and ticks all the boxes. He is a strong mark for his size, is a skilful distributor of the ball and has a penetrating kick that can clear the next line. He can take his turn in the midfield, or be deployed as a forward capable of pinching a couple of goals.

The Saints certainly gave him plenty of time to grow into the new role with Siposs playing more minutes (346) than any of his teammates in the NAB Cup.

Siposs grew up a fanatical Saints fan and recalls watching TV and marvelling at Goddard's contribution during the 2010 drawn Grand Final.

He therefore feels a little uneasy about the Goddard comparisons, but acknowledges the vacancy sign over that job position.

"That's obviously one of the options, and if I can be half the player that Brendon Goddard is, I'll be happy," Siposs says.

"I guess where I'm going to play is not really set in stone. You look at guys like Michael Hurley and Brendon Goddard and they play forward and in defence.

"At the moment I'm more just trying to stitch up a spot in the team, and whether it's in the backline or forward or on the wing, I don't really mind, as long as I'm in the 22 and getting a chance to play some good footy and go from there. He (Watters) has thrown up all those sorts of positions and I'm happy to play in any role, as long as Scott's got the faith in me that I can do it."

I was a massive St Kilda fan, but at the time you just want to get on to any list ... When they called out my name it was the best moment of my life.

Fellow defender James Gwilt said this week that Siposs was "the one who has stepped up over the pre-season with his running and his training" and could be that backline go-to man.

"His skills are vital for us," Gwilt said. "Especially with him being that defensive player that he is, and also on the wing coming through the midfield. We want to get the ball in his hands, because he's such a super-long kick too, so he's got really good skills."

Siposs said he had not played in defence since "probably under-10s or under-13s", but Gwilt and the other senior backmen had taken him under their wing over the pre-season.

"Sean Dempster's an All-Australian defender last year and he's been fantastic for me. Sam Fisher is always there to help out, he's been great," Siposs said.

"Also, this is my third year at the club and it's the first pre-season I've got through injury-free. So I've felt the difference already in the NAB Cup matches."

Arryn Siposs goals from outside 50. Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: Herald Sun

Apart from being at polar opposite stages of their careers, the other glaring contrast between Siposs and Goddard is their journey to the AFL.

While Goddard was a much-publicised No.1 national draft pick in 2002, Siposs was a speculative fourth-round selection eight years later.

He spoke to about half of the clubs at the 2010 draft camp, with Collingwood and Sydney then showing considerable interest in the days that followed. Most indicated they might look at him as a mid-to-late draft pick.

"I was a massive St Kilda fan, but at the time you just want to get on to any list," Siposs recalled. "The Saints just had a quiet chat and I didn't think they were too interested."

On the day of the national draft he went over to the house of his close mate Alex Benbow, a talented Beaconsfield and Dandenong Stingrays teammate, now on the books of VFL club Northern Blues. They watched as the recruiters sat around tables on the Gold Coast, calling out the names of contemporaries.

"It got to the picks between 40 and 60 and I thought, I better start paying attention," Siposs said. "Then it got to 70 and I was starting to get nervous, thinking maybe I won't get picked up.

"Pick 75 was St Kilda's and they asked for extra time, so I was sitting there for a couple of minutes thinking, 'Geez it'd be nice', and I think so were Mum and Dad. When they called out my name it was the best moment of my life. I was ecstatic."

Over the next 24 hours it began to dawn on Siposs - who was working part-time selling doughnuts at Krispy Kreme in Fountain Gate - that he now had the chance to play alongside footballers who previously looked upon him from posters on his bedroom wall. That night he took a phone call from another former Dandenong Stingrays under-18s player, Stephen Milne.

"A few days later and Nicky Dal's coming up and shaking your hand, Rooey (Nick Riewoldt) is coming up and saying 'Hi, I'm Nick' and you're thinking, 'Don't worry, I already know who you are', but all you can do is say, 'Hi, I'm Arryn'. It was just a special week," Siposs said. "And then to go from them being your heroes, who you're watching and cheering, to training and then playing alongside them, it was pretty good."

I think we're good enough to challenge again. We genuinely believe we've got what it takes.

He was handed the No.2 jumper vacated by ruckman Steven King and marvelled at the knowledge it had been worn by Saints stars such as Danny Frawley and Aaron Hamill.

Just over two years later and Siposs has gone from wide-eyed fan to a young man St Kilda regards as potentially pivotal to the team's future.

In recent months he has signed a three-year contract extension that ties him to the club until the end of 2015, and has been elevated to the Saints' emerging leaders group alongside Newnes, Tom Curran, Sam Dunell and Seb Ross.

"We have a session every two weeks and it's working well," Siposs said.

"(The emerging leaders) tend to be there to help the younger guys. They might not want to approach the older players but feel comfortable raising things with us, maybe just in a friendly chat. You only have to look at the first-year guys, coming into a new environment, trying to get their heads around it. We can help them adapt, give them a bit of advice."

He realises that St Kilda's youngsters perhaps need to step up sooner than many of their peers at other AFL clubs.

"There aren't all that many players on our list who are in the 24-28 age group," Siposs said.

"There are the guys who have been playing 10 years and more, but I think it's something like half of the list are 22 or under. So that gives us more of a chance to drive it a bit more, to build the club up from there, because guys like Rooey and Lenny (Hayes) and Joey (Leigh Montagna) have done a fantastic job building the club to what it is now, but now it's our opportunity to at least maintain it, if not take it further.

"We've got that chance to do it early in our careers so that once (the experienced players) are gone, the young guys should be more comfortable with that responsibility."

Arryn Siposs looks for an option. Picture: Martin Reddy Source: Herald Sun

Siposs does not, however, buy into the theory that this might mean the Saints need to bottom out before they will be genuine contenders again.

"We're pretty determined to focus on the expectations within the group, not the outside perception," he said.

"The boys have spoken about it a lot. We just want to get our fundamentals right, our game plan right and have the trust in each other to be able to execute that.

"I think we're good enough to challenge again. We genuinely believe we've got what it takes.

"The older guys are still playing great footy and the younger guys are coming up and feel we're ready for the challenge."

Whether it's Riewoldt, Hayes or - yes - Goddard, the younger Saints need to step up and fill those senior players' roles.

Some sooner than others.

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