Will the Saints be a bottom four team in 2025?

SOMEONE has to finish in the bottom four in 2025 and Kane Cornes believes St Kilda will be one of those teams.

While he believes Richmond and West Coast are locks, the Port Adelaide great is tipping North Melbourne to win eight games and rise out of the bottom four.

Last year, Adelaide was the fourth of the bottom teams and Cornes also sees them being on the rise.

It leaves the Saints as the team that might be in for a tough 2025.

“Richmond and West Coast will be locked in the bottom four. I don’t think North are going to finish bottom four,” Cornes told SEN Breakfast.

“Go through it. Go through the 18 and work out who the other two are. Adelaide did last year. They aren’t finishing bottom four this year. If they do, they’ll have a new coach within a month.

“I don’t think North Melbourne are going to, they’ll win eight games. Go through the teams and someone has to finish bottom four.

“My tip is that it will be the Saints.”

St Kilda will be without key defender Dougal Howard for the start of the season after dislocating his shoulder and midfielder Paddy Dow also faces a delayed start after knee surgery.

Mattaes Phillipou will also miss the start of the season with a stress fracture in his leg, while Rowan Marshall is in doubt, recovering from pelvis and back issues.

“The Saints are an interesting one when you look at the way their backline will be set up. If there’s no Dougal Howard, there’s no Josh Battle – I don’t know what they do with their key position players outside of Callum Wilkie, who’s a stud,” Cornes said.

“They’ve got the run off half-back, which is dangerous, and when they’re at their best with their run and carry, but their key position backs are an issue now.

“I think the Saints are in for a really rough year.”

St Kilda won 11 games and finished 12th on the ladder in 2024 under coach Ross Lyon.