Newnes just wants to be useful

IF ST KILDA’S looking for a player to fill the all-round type of role Brendon Goddard made his own, then youngster Jack Newnes could be the man for the job.

Like Goddard, Newnes is seen as a utility that can play both ends of the ground and run through the midfield.

He was close to best afield in St Kilda’s 25-point NAB Cup win against Melbourne at Casey Fields last Saturday.

The young Saint gathered 17 disposals, took five marks and had five inside 50s against the Demons, enhancing his chances of lining up in the Saints’ season opener against Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium

With so many experienced Saints – the club has the second oldest list (behind the Sydney Swans) in the competition – entrenched in the side, Newnes hopes he can offer something different in 2013.

“I’ve been playing up forward, wing, inside and back so that’s probably a big one for me because we’ve got a lot of solid older players that have cemented their role,” Newnes told AFL.com.au after last Saturday’s game.

“That’s been a big thing for me. To be able to play in different areas, so that I can get a game.”

Newnes managed seven games after making his debut in round two against the Suns last season after being selected by the Saints with pick 37 in the 2011 NAB AFL Draft.

He is a polished ball user and showed against the Demons his hard overlap running into space can be an asset for the Saints this season.

But a focus on fine-tuning his inside game has Newnes hoping he can take the next step.

“The coaches are always telling me I need to work on the inside and contested ball side of things, so I’ve worked on that and think I’ve got a good balance (between inside and outside),” Newnes said.

The 20-year-old is rated highly within the club, but coach Scott Watters has warned of placing too much pressure on his young players.

“Jack just needs to play footy. But we think he’s a very good young leader at our club,” Watters said.

“He’s still developing and still hasn’t played a lot of games, so I think we’ve just got to be patient.”

Alongside Arryn Siposs, Brodie Murdoch and Seb Ross, Newnes represents the new wave of Saints coming through.

Watters has shown a propensity to educate his young players in different positions, helping them adjust to the challenges they might face in their careers.

That education process is critical early in their careers, according to Watters.

“With the players who’ve played less than 20 games we have very high expectations and expect them to come out and deliver straight away,” Watters said.

“(But) They’re going to have some inconsistencies.”Ben Guthrie is a reporter for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter- @AFL_BenGuthrie