Simpson: St Kilda's cash spree must start paying dividends

It hasn’t been the value for money start to the season that St Kilda would have hoped for after a significant spending spree in the off-season, and according to Adam Simpson, it's time for the cash to start paying dividends.

The Saints remain winless in 2026 after falling 13 points short against the Demons, slipping to a borderline disastrous 0-2.

St Kilda President Andrew Bassett spoke ahead of Opening Round surrounding the increased media attention on the club following their aggressive trade strategy.

“The truth is, I think we're getting under the skin because we're getting somewhere as a football club," Bassett said.

I think everyone liked us, no one criticised us when we were down the bottom of the ladder, we weren't saying anything, and we were just, taking our hits quietly.

“Now that we've started to really fight to be football club, we're starting to get under people's skin, and it shows we're making some progress when they criticise us.”

Simpson, a Premiership winner with West Coast, believes it’s time for the Saints to start to follow through on their talk with some results on the field.

“It wasn't the year to start 0-2,” Simpson said on SEN’s Whateley.

“It's not a three-year build. I mean, (Nasiah) Wanganeen-Milera has got a two-year contract.

“So, it's time to step up and show us, if that's what the statements are, and it's ‘we're here, we're in your face, we're playing on a Sunday against Collingwood.’

“‘We want to be top billing, we want to be respected, we're taking a few risks.’

“Well, I think it's time to get going.”

The Saints face a Giants side who have had a mixed start to the year with an impressive win over Hawthorn in Opening Round before a humbling loss to an in-form Dogs side in Round 1.

Adam Kingsley will be looking for his side to respond this weekend against the Saints.

It means that the Saints will need to up the intensity this week and prove that their recruiting strategy can propel them into September.

“The odds are against them this week, but this is a game, not from a coaching point of view or a Wanganeen-Milera point of view, they just need to start backing up some of the statements they've made,” Simpson said.

“I’m trying to figure out what is St Kilda's identity.

“There haven’t been many levers pulled (by Ross Lyon) where it's, ‘I need to fix this game’, or ‘we've got some education we've done in the pre-season that suggests we can do, we can win differently.’”

Simpson also noted the fact that the $2 million man, Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, will likely face the tag for the third week in a row having been well held by Collingwood's Harry Perryman and Melbourne's Koltyn Tholstrup respectively.

“This will be the third time he probably gets tagged, Wanganeen-Milera,” Simpson said.

“So how does that work if it happens again?”

All of these questions will be answered at 4:15pm AEDT when the Saints face the Giants at Engie Stadium.