Games between St Kilda and Sydney are always epic struggles. This Saturday night at Etihad Stadium will not deviate from tradition. The winner will walk away with season intact and be labelled a finals wildcard. The loser will only have “Mad Monday” to look forward to.
LAST TIME THEY MET
Only a little over 2 weeks ago, the Saints travelled north to play the Swans on a terrible surface at ANZ Stadium. A bout of gastro struck the St Kilda team in the lead-up to the game and this forced the late withdrawals of Zac Dawson and Justin Koschitzke.
After Rhyce Shaw posted the first major for the Swans, the Saints responded with the next three goals and went into quarter time with a 10-point lead. This was aided by some woeful kicking for goal by the Swans.
The Swans dominated the second quarter but terrible inaccuracy in front of goal (2.7) meant that the Saints (3.1) matched them and retained their 10 point lead at the main break.
Sydney’s inaccuracy did not improve in their third quarter. Despite again dominating the quarter, the Swans kicked 3.5 to the Saints 3.2 and only reduced the Saints lead to 7 points at three quarter time.
With the Swans being dominant there was a sense of inevitability that the Saints were going to run over. This came true early in the last quarter with an Adam Goodes- inspired Swans kicking the first 3 goals of the quarter and running away comfortable 15 point winners despite kicking an amazing 23 behinds for the match.
Sydney Swans 1.5 3.12 6.17 10.23 (83)
St Kilda 3.3 6.4 9.6 10.8 (68)
GOALS
Sydney Swans: Shaw, McVeigh, Hannebery, O'Keefe, White, Reid, Bolton, Spangher, Goodes, Mumford.
St Kilda: Riewoldt, Armitage 2, Goddard, Gilbert, Ray, Lynch, Milne, Polo
BEST
Sydney Swans: Richards, Shaw, Mumford, Goodes, Hannebery, McVeigh
St Kilda: Dempster, Fisher, Dal Santo, Goddard, Armitage
INJURIES
Sydney Swans: Johnson (foot)
St Kilda: Dempster (head), Blake (leg). Koschitzke (gastro) and Dawson (gastro), replaced in the selected side by Baker and Lynch.
Reports: Dean Polo (St Kilda) reported in the last quarter for tripping Sydney Swans player Adam Goodes
Umpires: Farmer, Chamberlain, Ryan
Official crowd: 25,025 at ANZ Stadium, Sydney.
RECENT FORM
After the slip-up against the Swans, the Saints comfortably disposed of North Melbourne by 65 points in Round 23’s match of the round. This secured the Saints their spot in finals. In Round 24, the Saints needed to beat Carlton to secure a home final against the Swans. Despite being behind until close to the three quarter time, the Saints got the job done and saluted with a 20 point win.
The Swans followed up their victory over St Kilda with an extraordinary performance down at Skilled Stadium. The Cats had won 29 in a row at their home ground and no one gave the Swans a chance at victory. With a gutsy, emotion-filled performance, the Swans got home by 13 points in a result that had the footy world talking. In Round 24, the Swans needed to beat Brisbane to keep their home final chances alive. They responded with a comfortable 52 point win. However a St Kilda win over Carlton denied the Swans a home final.
KEY MATCH UPS
Ben McEvoy vs Shane Mumford – Michael Gardiner was left out of the St Kilda side despite Mumford towelling up McEvoy in their last battle only 2 weeks ago. It has been rumoured that McEvoy was ill in the lead-up to the game last time and this contributed to his poor performance against the in-form Swans ruckman. If McEvoy can break even with or beat Mumford than the Saints will probably win this game. This match-up looms as the potential match-defining battle.
Dean Polo vs Josh Kennedy – The Swans tough-nut had an amazing 12 clearances when the two sides met recently and this was helped by the dominance of Mumford. I expect the Saints to treat Kennedy the same way they treated Chris Judd around the stoppages and emphasise a need to reduce his impact in contested situations. Dean Polo should spend time on Kennedy but there could also be a rotation of players including Leigh Montagna, Farren Ray and Jack Steven who could be asked to deny Kennedy getting the first possession at stoppages.
Ted Richards vs Nick Riewoldt – In their last battle, Richards was deemed to be the Swans best player by dominating Riewoldt in their one-on-one contests. Since then, Richards has also claimed the scalp of James Podsiadly and is arguably in career best form. Riewoldt is coming off a lean game against Carlton and would be mindful of the job that Richards did on him last time. Can Riewoldt overcome his injury problems to have an impact? Or will Richards continue his great form?
Nick Smith vs Stephen Milne – Smith is one of the most underrated small defenders in the league and comfortably beat Milne in their last meeting. Whilst gathering 16 touches of his own, Smith limited Milne to 13 disposals and a goal. A similar performance by Smith would significantly limit the Saints potential scoring options. However, Milne has a great record at Etihad Stadium and will be looking to continue the form that has brought him All-Australian squad recognition.
David Armitage vs Rhyce Shaw – The former Collingwood defender carved up the Saints a few weeks ago in collecting 29 touches, 5 inside 50’s, 9 rebound 50’s, 10 running bounces and a goal. You would expect Ross to try and limit his output because a similar performance could be match-winning. Armitage seems like the ideal player to keep Shaw in check and accountable. Adam Schneider and Brett Peake could also be used in this role.
Kieran Jack vs Nick Dal Santo – You would expect the Swans number one tagger to get first crack at the Saints’ premier midfielder. Dal Santo has been a consistent clearance winner for the Saints and his foot-skills are exceptional when given the time. If Jack cannot limit Dal Santo then the Swans have Ben McGlynn who can also fill the role.
Sam Fisher vs Adam Goodes – The Swans champion gave the Saints the slip in Round 22 with a match-winning performance in the last quarter. He is kind of player who is capable of single-handedly dragging his side to victory in a close game. I’d expect Sam Fisher to get the first crack at shutting down Goodes but the Saints also have quality tagger Sean Dempster waiting in the wings to take the role.
THE BURNING QUESTIONS
Can Ben McEvoy overturn the comprehensive beating that he received at the hands of Shane Mumford only 2 weeks ago? McEvoy has matched or beaten a number of quality ruckman this year. Todd Goldstein and Darren Jolly are two that come to mind. He will remember that Mumford smashed him last time and will know what to expect. He needs to be strong around the ruck contest and be aware of Mumford drifting forward.
Lyon obviously has huge faith in McEvoy in not selecting Gardiner and he will feel that his faith can be repaid. If McEvoy can break even with Mumford than the Saints will feel pretty confident of winning the midfield battle.
Will Nick Riewoldt be able to have an influence on the game despite the injuries hampering his body? Riewoldt is a proven champion and if fully fit would definitely have a massive say on the result of the game. Because of his dodgy knee, the output from the Saints captain will depend greatly on the quality of delivery to him inside 50.
Sydney full-back Ted Richards has been in some great form of late and if he gets on top of Riewoldt early in the match then that could have a significant say in the result.
A 3-4 goal performance from Riewoldt would be a great result and significantly increase St Kilda’s chances of winning the game.
Is the game going to be a low-scoring battle consisting of stoppages and tempo footy? I think this is almost a certainty. The two styles of play of the opposing teams are very similar and when the two sides meet, it’s always a low-scoring battle.
This is why the clearance battle is so important to the result. Both teams will seek to shut-down the contest at will and the all important clearances will translate to more inside 50 entries.
I hope both sets of supporters are ready for an unattractive stop-start game that will culminate in an exciting finale where the strongest side will just prevail.
THE FINAL WORD
This is a do-or-die final featuring two sides that never give up and always fight to the final siren. What more can supporters ask for?
The Saints will be confident of getting a win at a ground that they play their best football at. They haven’t lost a game at Etihad Stadium on a Saturday night since 2003 and will feel as if they have the edge.
On the other hand, Sydney will know they can beat anyone after their recent stunning victory away at Geelong. Having beaten the Saints only a few weeks ago will also give them significant confidence.
I’m expecting a physical battle that will require both sides to draw on their reserves of experience. The Saints have unfinished business from the past two seasons and that coupled with the home ground advantage will mean they will come home with the chocolates.
St Kilda by 9 points.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
The Analyser - Round 24 Carlton vs St Kilda
The Analyser – Round 24 Carlton vs St Kilda
On a mild Saturday night at the MCG, Carlton ran into a St Kilda side looking to secure a home final against the Sydney Swans. A loss for the Saints would mean a trip north to play the Swans at either ANZ Stadium or the SCG.
Despite being behind for most of the first 3 quarters, the Saints got the job done in the end running out comfortable 20 point winners against the tiring Blues. That result secured the Saints the all important home final against the Swans at Etihad this Saturday night.
This week’s edition of The Analyser will examine some performances of some underrated Saints players, the brilliance of St Kilda’s defence and much more.
RAPHAEL CLARKE
The whipping-boy of the Saints fans had one of his finest games and continued his consistent form since being dropped mid-year.
Clarke amassed 21 disposals including 13 kicks in arguably a best on ground performance full of rebound and courageous acts. He also had a game-high 10 possessions in the 3rd quarter as the Saints staged their fight back.
One particular passage of play involved Clarke receiving a “corky” and only seconds later recovering to fly at a contest and take a contested mark.
Having a confident Clarke linking and running out of defence is crucial to the Saints chances in finals. His versatility in being able to play on tall and small forwards is also a major positive.
He also has a fairly good record in finals matches. Could he be the man Ross turns to shut down Adam Goodes? It’s unlikely but I believe a confident Raph is capable of getting the job done.
NICK RIEWOLDT
The captain could not back up his performance of last week and struggled to only 9 possessions. He could only manage one shot on goal for the game which was a snap that hit the post.
Riewoldt’s meagre output can be attributed to a few reasons. He is obviously struggling with injury and despite trying his guts out, can’t completely shake a defender often unless the delivery is quality. For most of the night, the delivery was poor and when the ball was kicked to Nick, he had to compete against Lachie Henderson as well as a zoning Blues defender.
In saying that, Henderson is a fast improving defender and did a great job in several one-on-one contests and was the major reason why Riewoldt had such a poor night.
Even after last week’s performance against the Roos, people again have written off Riewoldt after a bad game against the Blues. All I know is that he will be working as hard as he can for the team and that he does have the potential to be a matchwinner come finals time
DELIVERY INSIDE 50
While watching the replay, there were 3 clear occasions where there was poor delivery inside our forward 50m arc. Each time the ball was delivered long to a contest at disadvantage when a free Saints player was available to be hit-up.
I understand that football is a high pressure game but these are the kind of moments that can make or break a game.
There was a particular instance where Goddard streamed through the middle and kicked it to Riewoldt, who had three Blues defenders hanging off him and they easily cleared the ball away. Freezing the replay while the ball was travelling to Riewoldt showed Justin Koschitzke leading up the corridor 40m out from goal with Jeremy Laidler at least 15m behind him.
With our captain obviously injured and struggling, our midfielders have to lower their eyes and hit other targets presenting inside 50. This obviously creates scoring opportunities but in turn takes a bit of pressure off Riewoldt and may mean the next contest won’t involve several members of the opposition zoning off on him.
BETTS, GARLETT AND WALKER
What a performance by the Saints defence to keep Eddie Betts, Jeff Garlett and Andrew Walker all goalless. In fact between the three players, they only recorded two scoring shots for the game.
This is an extraordinary result because these are Carlton’s three highest goalkickers who have all kicked 40+ goals so far this season. Their average goals a game before the Saints game was 2.4 (Walker), 2.1 (Betts) and 2 (Garlett). This means that the Saints defenders removed 6 goals from the average Carlton final score and this was the major factor in winning the game.
I’ve read a fair bit of criticism of Jason Gram’s performance on Saturday night but he was part of a rotation of unheralded defenders including Geary and Clarke who spent time on Carlton’s three most dangerous forwards and kept them all goalless.
The Saints choked Eddie Betts to the point that in the 10 disposals he gathered only 1 was an uncontested possession. That’s an extraordinary statistic particular when the Blues had 46 inside 50’s and Betts spent 87% of time on ground. It showed how clever the Saints defenders were to deny Betts space and how he was put under pressure at almost every instance.
For all those calling for Gram’s omission, this is the second week in a row that he has helped completely quell some dangerous opposition forwards. He may not be the toughest defender and he may not produce the same run out of the backline like in 2009, but if he is shutting down players like Lindsay Thomas, Betts and Garlett, I’m definitely not complaining and looking for him to continue the role in finals.
MICHAEL GARDINER
The veteran Saints ruckman played his first senior game since last year’s Grand Final replay after having a string of chronic injuries.
I expected him to win his fair share of hitouts but not have much impact around the ground. The reality was the complete opposite.
Gardiner struggled in the ruck contests only recording 4 hitouts whilst he had a decent impact around the ground in gathering 10 possessions. He was substituted off early in the third quarter and spent 34% of the match on the ground.
Was this performance enough to convince Ross that Gardiner can limit Mumford’s influence? I don’t know.
Maybe a strategy of using both McEvoy and Gardiner to tire out Mumford could work. If they can break Mumford, then a runner can come on for Gardiner in the second half and McEvoy can ruck out the game.
ADAM SCHNEIDER
Schneider proved he is definitely St Kilda’s most creative and influential player in the forward half with another great performance.
His numbers weren’t prolific in recording 21 possessions but his 12 kicks resulted in seven inside 50’s and two goals as he created havoc across the Saints half forward line.
His creativity when he has possession of the football is second to none. At one stage during the third quarter, he was in heavy traffic in the centre square and with excellent peripheral vision, squeezed a kick laterally to Sam Gilbert, who kicked a crucial goal.
The more times Adam Schneider has the ball in his hands in the attacking half, the more dangerous the Saints look going inside 50.
BRETT PEAKE
Whilst he didn’t have much scoreboard impact, Peake proved he has come of age this year with an underrated performance.
Peake only had 22 possessions but had an equal team high of 10 contested disposals. This is great signs from a player who has been labelled “soft” and a “front runner”.
Peake also had a team high 23 pressure acts and collected 4 clearances as his transformation from complete outside runner to tough wingman continues.
He deserves full credit for this turnaround as many St Kilda supporters including myself, had written him off being a key senior player in this year’s finals series after a poor start to the season.
LOOKING TOWARD THE SWANS GAME
After beating the Saints despite woeful inaccuracy only a few weeks ago, the Swans have every right to be confident going into this game. I think it will be an advantage for the Saints playing the game at Etihad but the Swans adapt well to playing on smaller venues.
There is no second chance for either side and you can expect a four quarter battle to the death, with a warrior emerging at the end primed for a deep finals campaign.
At the selection table, the Saints have a few issues on whom to play in the cut-throat final. David Armitage missed the Blues game through suspension and after playing every other game this year, would expect to be rushed back into the side.
However, the selection of Michael Gardiner has thrown a spanner in the works as it looks likely that he will be used in tandem with McEvoy to quell the in-form Mumford. Which asks the question; is David Armitage in the best 22 and if so, who comes out for him?
I really struggle to find candidates for omission but the players whose spots will be discussed at the selection committee are Gardiner, Armitage, Geary, Polo, Blake and possibly McEvoy.
The only players that could possibly be included in the side are Armitage, Gamble and Baker. I would feel certain in saying that it’s pretty likely Armitage will be the one to come in.
THE FINAL WORD
Any questions, opinions, comments can be directed underneath this piece, to @kieran_francis or kewfrancis@gmail.com.
All feedback and improvement suggestions are welcome.
The Saints are back in finals, on a stage that they have thrived on over the past couple of years. It is going to be an epic battle with the Swans and if the Saints can get over the line, than another game of football awaits and the season is still alive.
On a mild Saturday night at the MCG, Carlton ran into a St Kilda side looking to secure a home final against the Sydney Swans. A loss for the Saints would mean a trip north to play the Swans at either ANZ Stadium or the SCG.
Despite being behind for most of the first 3 quarters, the Saints got the job done in the end running out comfortable 20 point winners against the tiring Blues. That result secured the Saints the all important home final against the Swans at Etihad this Saturday night.
This week’s edition of The Analyser will examine some performances of some underrated Saints players, the brilliance of St Kilda’s defence and much more.
RAPHAEL CLARKE
The whipping-boy of the Saints fans had one of his finest games and continued his consistent form since being dropped mid-year.
Clarke amassed 21 disposals including 13 kicks in arguably a best on ground performance full of rebound and courageous acts. He also had a game-high 10 possessions in the 3rd quarter as the Saints staged their fight back.
One particular passage of play involved Clarke receiving a “corky” and only seconds later recovering to fly at a contest and take a contested mark.
Having a confident Clarke linking and running out of defence is crucial to the Saints chances in finals. His versatility in being able to play on tall and small forwards is also a major positive.
He also has a fairly good record in finals matches. Could he be the man Ross turns to shut down Adam Goodes? It’s unlikely but I believe a confident Raph is capable of getting the job done.
NICK RIEWOLDT
The captain could not back up his performance of last week and struggled to only 9 possessions. He could only manage one shot on goal for the game which was a snap that hit the post.
Riewoldt’s meagre output can be attributed to a few reasons. He is obviously struggling with injury and despite trying his guts out, can’t completely shake a defender often unless the delivery is quality. For most of the night, the delivery was poor and when the ball was kicked to Nick, he had to compete against Lachie Henderson as well as a zoning Blues defender.
In saying that, Henderson is a fast improving defender and did a great job in several one-on-one contests and was the major reason why Riewoldt had such a poor night.
Even after last week’s performance against the Roos, people again have written off Riewoldt after a bad game against the Blues. All I know is that he will be working as hard as he can for the team and that he does have the potential to be a matchwinner come finals time
DELIVERY INSIDE 50
While watching the replay, there were 3 clear occasions where there was poor delivery inside our forward 50m arc. Each time the ball was delivered long to a contest at disadvantage when a free Saints player was available to be hit-up.
I understand that football is a high pressure game but these are the kind of moments that can make or break a game.
There was a particular instance where Goddard streamed through the middle and kicked it to Riewoldt, who had three Blues defenders hanging off him and they easily cleared the ball away. Freezing the replay while the ball was travelling to Riewoldt showed Justin Koschitzke leading up the corridor 40m out from goal with Jeremy Laidler at least 15m behind him.
With our captain obviously injured and struggling, our midfielders have to lower their eyes and hit other targets presenting inside 50. This obviously creates scoring opportunities but in turn takes a bit of pressure off Riewoldt and may mean the next contest won’t involve several members of the opposition zoning off on him.
BETTS, GARLETT AND WALKER
What a performance by the Saints defence to keep Eddie Betts, Jeff Garlett and Andrew Walker all goalless. In fact between the three players, they only recorded two scoring shots for the game.
This is an extraordinary result because these are Carlton’s three highest goalkickers who have all kicked 40+ goals so far this season. Their average goals a game before the Saints game was 2.4 (Walker), 2.1 (Betts) and 2 (Garlett). This means that the Saints defenders removed 6 goals from the average Carlton final score and this was the major factor in winning the game.
I’ve read a fair bit of criticism of Jason Gram’s performance on Saturday night but he was part of a rotation of unheralded defenders including Geary and Clarke who spent time on Carlton’s three most dangerous forwards and kept them all goalless.
The Saints choked Eddie Betts to the point that in the 10 disposals he gathered only 1 was an uncontested possession. That’s an extraordinary statistic particular when the Blues had 46 inside 50’s and Betts spent 87% of time on ground. It showed how clever the Saints defenders were to deny Betts space and how he was put under pressure at almost every instance.
For all those calling for Gram’s omission, this is the second week in a row that he has helped completely quell some dangerous opposition forwards. He may not be the toughest defender and he may not produce the same run out of the backline like in 2009, but if he is shutting down players like Lindsay Thomas, Betts and Garlett, I’m definitely not complaining and looking for him to continue the role in finals.
MICHAEL GARDINER
The veteran Saints ruckman played his first senior game since last year’s Grand Final replay after having a string of chronic injuries.
I expected him to win his fair share of hitouts but not have much impact around the ground. The reality was the complete opposite.
Gardiner struggled in the ruck contests only recording 4 hitouts whilst he had a decent impact around the ground in gathering 10 possessions. He was substituted off early in the third quarter and spent 34% of the match on the ground.
Was this performance enough to convince Ross that Gardiner can limit Mumford’s influence? I don’t know.
Maybe a strategy of using both McEvoy and Gardiner to tire out Mumford could work. If they can break Mumford, then a runner can come on for Gardiner in the second half and McEvoy can ruck out the game.
ADAM SCHNEIDER
Schneider proved he is definitely St Kilda’s most creative and influential player in the forward half with another great performance.
His numbers weren’t prolific in recording 21 possessions but his 12 kicks resulted in seven inside 50’s and two goals as he created havoc across the Saints half forward line.
His creativity when he has possession of the football is second to none. At one stage during the third quarter, he was in heavy traffic in the centre square and with excellent peripheral vision, squeezed a kick laterally to Sam Gilbert, who kicked a crucial goal.
The more times Adam Schneider has the ball in his hands in the attacking half, the more dangerous the Saints look going inside 50.
BRETT PEAKE
Whilst he didn’t have much scoreboard impact, Peake proved he has come of age this year with an underrated performance.
Peake only had 22 possessions but had an equal team high of 10 contested disposals. This is great signs from a player who has been labelled “soft” and a “front runner”.
Peake also had a team high 23 pressure acts and collected 4 clearances as his transformation from complete outside runner to tough wingman continues.
He deserves full credit for this turnaround as many St Kilda supporters including myself, had written him off being a key senior player in this year’s finals series after a poor start to the season.
LOOKING TOWARD THE SWANS GAME
After beating the Saints despite woeful inaccuracy only a few weeks ago, the Swans have every right to be confident going into this game. I think it will be an advantage for the Saints playing the game at Etihad but the Swans adapt well to playing on smaller venues.
There is no second chance for either side and you can expect a four quarter battle to the death, with a warrior emerging at the end primed for a deep finals campaign.
At the selection table, the Saints have a few issues on whom to play in the cut-throat final. David Armitage missed the Blues game through suspension and after playing every other game this year, would expect to be rushed back into the side.
However, the selection of Michael Gardiner has thrown a spanner in the works as it looks likely that he will be used in tandem with McEvoy to quell the in-form Mumford. Which asks the question; is David Armitage in the best 22 and if so, who comes out for him?
I really struggle to find candidates for omission but the players whose spots will be discussed at the selection committee are Gardiner, Armitage, Geary, Polo, Blake and possibly McEvoy.
The only players that could possibly be included in the side are Armitage, Gamble and Baker. I would feel certain in saying that it’s pretty likely Armitage will be the one to come in.
THE FINAL WORD
Any questions, opinions, comments can be directed underneath this piece, to @kieran_francis or kewfrancis@gmail.com.
All feedback and improvement suggestions are welcome.
The Saints are back in finals, on a stage that they have thrived on over the past couple of years. It is going to be an epic battle with the Swans and if the Saints can get over the line, than another game of football awaits and the season is still alive.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
The Analyser - Round 23 St Kilda vs North Melbourne
The Analyser – Round 23 St Kilda vs North Melbourne
The Saints, who hadn’t lost at Etihad Stadium on a Saturday night since 2003, took on the Kangaroos in a battle that would either cement a St Kilda finals spot or give North a real chance of September action.
After leading at quarter time, the Saints found themselves 20 points down halfway through the second quarter. But five unanswered goals to the Saints before half-time gave them a 14 point lead at the break. From this stage, North didn’t give a whimper with the Saints running out 65 point winners after an exhilarating second half of football.
This week’s edition of The Analyser will dissect the Saints ball transition, Nick Riewoldt, our taggers and much more.
EL CAPITANO
After being criticised all week by opposition fans, media personalities and even his own supporters, Nick Riewoldt answered emphatically with a 5 goal best on ground performance.
Nick hasn’t had his best season, even by his own admission, but he is still capable of match-winning performances as shown by Saturday night.
What helped him excel was the improvement in the delivery inside 50 and also the presence of Justin Koschitzke, who provided a great target up forward.
Riewoldt started slowly with a stutter in his run-up as he missed his first set shot. From then on he looked confident when kicking through the ball and converted his next five set shots.
In an impressive performance, Riewoldt also collected 12 contested possessions, 10 marks (3 contested), 4 inside 50’s and 4 goal assists.
Getting the captain into form so close to finals is an exciting prospect for St Kilda supporters.
SEAN DEMPSTER
Dempster has regularly featured in this column for his defensive shut-down roles and I think this really shows his importance to the Saints structure.
Brent Harvey must have dreaded seeing Dempster run to him just before the bounce and for good reason. The Kangaroos veteran spent more time complaining to the umpires and shoving opponents than winning the footy as Dempster completely shut him out of the game.
Harvey finished with only 16 touches and no clearances as the clamps were put on by the ex-Swans tagger. This meant that Harvey has only averaged 16 disposals over the past 5 games as Clinton Jones and Dempster have kept him in their “pocket”.
Having Dempster performing a shutdown role on the opposition’s most dangerous player will be a massive string in the Saints bow come finals time.
CLINTON JONES
Whilst he didn’t find a lot of the ball, I thought Jones deserves a special mention for his shutdown role on Roos playmaker Daniel Wells.
Even though he only accumulated 13 possessions, Jones managed to restrict Wells to only 18. What made this figure remarkable was that Wells gave Jones the slip in the first quarter and had 9 possessions.
It was some very good coaching by Ross Lyon at quarter time when he went to Jones and showed him how to position his body against Wells.
Clinton then did the ultimate team “thing” and completely sacrificed his game to keep Wells quiet and this was a big reason why the Saints got on a roll.
BALL TRANSITION
There has been a definite change in the Saints ball transition from defence to attack over the past 10 weeks. It has been evident the Saints have been trying to move the ball quickly from defence to attack and have kicked a number of goals this way. Stephen Milne and Adam Schneider have profited from this tactic in particular.
I first noticed the difference in ball transition against Gold Coast. It was then a huge factor in the majority of goals we kicked against Sydney in the first half. Despite the fact I thought the Kangaroos had the better of the first quarter, we led at first break due to our quick ball transition and the taking of opportunities.
The coaches and the players have obviously worked very hard to improve the ball transition. Most finals teams are solid at locking the ball inside their own attacking 50 arc and Ross pinpointed that we had trouble getting the ball forward when teams do this. A clear example was Hawthorn earlier on this year.
Watch out for the Saints using the tactic against the Blues. Notice that it is almost always Milne or Schneider streaming into the forward 50 to run on to the footy.
JASON GRAM
It isn’t often that a player can have only 2 kicks and be one of his team’s best players. Especially when it’s a player noted for his attacking run off half-back. But Jason Gram has added another string to his bow: he is a very effective stopper.
After a brilliant performance a few weeks ago in shutting down Fremantle ace Nat Fyfe, Gram did a superb job in limiting the influence of Lindsay Thomas.
The dangerous Kangaroos goal sneak was kept to only 2 behinds and 10 possessions despite buzzing around at Drew Petrie’s feet the whole night.
While Gram only had 2 kicks, it’s great to see him sacrificing his game to be a defensive stopper as it’s something we haven’t really seen from him.
He has added versatility to his game that means he can shut down a dangerous opposition attacker as well as being an effective rebounding half back flanker.
DAVID ARMITAGE
After giving Armo a bake in a recent edition of The Analyser, I thought it was worthy to note the quality of his performance against the Roos.
He played his in his designated half forward role and kicked a crucial goal in the second quarter during the Saints comeback. It was through pure desire to win the footy that he got his hands on the ball and banged through a goal from a metre out.
Armo had 21 possessions, 6 inside 50’s, 8 tackles and kicked the crucial goal. These are the exact kind of statistics that you want to see him having in playing his role.
It’s a shame that David is suspended for the game against the Blues. The sling-tackle that got him suspended was a well executed tackle. I would expect, however, that he will be an addition into the finals side to play Sydney barring an extraordinary performance from this replacement.
LOOKING TOWARD THE CARLTON GAME
Despite being in a poor patch form, the Saints led the Blues with 90 seconds to go in their last meeting earlier this year. This time, the stakes of the game are completely different.
A win for the Saints will guarantee a home final against the Swans at Etihad Stadium while a loss will mean the Saints have to travel north to play at ANZ Stadium in a rematch of Round 22.
On the other hand, the Blues don’t have anything to play for at all really. They can’t go up or down on the ladder and may be flat coming off last week’s bye. Essendon have the bye this week so their players will be fresh for the elimination final against the Blues in week 1 of finals. Surely, Carlton will want to be as fresh as possible for the cut throat final as well.
Taking the motivations into consideration, the Saints should have the clear edge over the Blues when it comes to the crunch on Saturday night. However, there still will be some Carlton players fighting for their position in the finals side and winning form is always good form.
At selection on Thursday night, there will be one definite omission with David Armitage being suspended for one match. I’d expect that either Ryan Gamble or Steven Baker will be his replacement. With careful thought and the fact the Blues have a few dangerous small forwards, I think Baker will come in to specifically play on Jeff Garlett or maybe even Chris Yarran.
It will be interesting to see whether Ross replaces Armitage with a forward or a defender. The player chosen will be on the cusp of a spot in the best 22 and will need to put in a good performance to retain their spot come next Saturday’s final.
THE FINAL WORD
Any questions, opinions, comments can be directed underneath this piece, to @kieran_francis or kewfrancis@gmail.com.
All feedback and improvement suggestions are welcome.
I’m really confident for a Saints win on Saturday night. I think the fact the Saints have a lot more to play for will get them over the line and book a home final next week. Carlton will definitely be more concerned about being prepared for their elimination final the week after.
Bring on the MCG on Saturday night. Hopefully it won’t be the last time we appear at the home of football this season.
The Saints, who hadn’t lost at Etihad Stadium on a Saturday night since 2003, took on the Kangaroos in a battle that would either cement a St Kilda finals spot or give North a real chance of September action.
After leading at quarter time, the Saints found themselves 20 points down halfway through the second quarter. But five unanswered goals to the Saints before half-time gave them a 14 point lead at the break. From this stage, North didn’t give a whimper with the Saints running out 65 point winners after an exhilarating second half of football.
This week’s edition of The Analyser will dissect the Saints ball transition, Nick Riewoldt, our taggers and much more.
EL CAPITANO
After being criticised all week by opposition fans, media personalities and even his own supporters, Nick Riewoldt answered emphatically with a 5 goal best on ground performance.
Nick hasn’t had his best season, even by his own admission, but he is still capable of match-winning performances as shown by Saturday night.
What helped him excel was the improvement in the delivery inside 50 and also the presence of Justin Koschitzke, who provided a great target up forward.
Riewoldt started slowly with a stutter in his run-up as he missed his first set shot. From then on he looked confident when kicking through the ball and converted his next five set shots.
In an impressive performance, Riewoldt also collected 12 contested possessions, 10 marks (3 contested), 4 inside 50’s and 4 goal assists.
Getting the captain into form so close to finals is an exciting prospect for St Kilda supporters.
SEAN DEMPSTER
Dempster has regularly featured in this column for his defensive shut-down roles and I think this really shows his importance to the Saints structure.
Brent Harvey must have dreaded seeing Dempster run to him just before the bounce and for good reason. The Kangaroos veteran spent more time complaining to the umpires and shoving opponents than winning the footy as Dempster completely shut him out of the game.
Harvey finished with only 16 touches and no clearances as the clamps were put on by the ex-Swans tagger. This meant that Harvey has only averaged 16 disposals over the past 5 games as Clinton Jones and Dempster have kept him in their “pocket”.
Having Dempster performing a shutdown role on the opposition’s most dangerous player will be a massive string in the Saints bow come finals time.
CLINTON JONES
Whilst he didn’t find a lot of the ball, I thought Jones deserves a special mention for his shutdown role on Roos playmaker Daniel Wells.
Even though he only accumulated 13 possessions, Jones managed to restrict Wells to only 18. What made this figure remarkable was that Wells gave Jones the slip in the first quarter and had 9 possessions.
It was some very good coaching by Ross Lyon at quarter time when he went to Jones and showed him how to position his body against Wells.
Clinton then did the ultimate team “thing” and completely sacrificed his game to keep Wells quiet and this was a big reason why the Saints got on a roll.
BALL TRANSITION
There has been a definite change in the Saints ball transition from defence to attack over the past 10 weeks. It has been evident the Saints have been trying to move the ball quickly from defence to attack and have kicked a number of goals this way. Stephen Milne and Adam Schneider have profited from this tactic in particular.
I first noticed the difference in ball transition against Gold Coast. It was then a huge factor in the majority of goals we kicked against Sydney in the first half. Despite the fact I thought the Kangaroos had the better of the first quarter, we led at first break due to our quick ball transition and the taking of opportunities.
The coaches and the players have obviously worked very hard to improve the ball transition. Most finals teams are solid at locking the ball inside their own attacking 50 arc and Ross pinpointed that we had trouble getting the ball forward when teams do this. A clear example was Hawthorn earlier on this year.
Watch out for the Saints using the tactic against the Blues. Notice that it is almost always Milne or Schneider streaming into the forward 50 to run on to the footy.
JASON GRAM
It isn’t often that a player can have only 2 kicks and be one of his team’s best players. Especially when it’s a player noted for his attacking run off half-back. But Jason Gram has added another string to his bow: he is a very effective stopper.
After a brilliant performance a few weeks ago in shutting down Fremantle ace Nat Fyfe, Gram did a superb job in limiting the influence of Lindsay Thomas.
The dangerous Kangaroos goal sneak was kept to only 2 behinds and 10 possessions despite buzzing around at Drew Petrie’s feet the whole night.
While Gram only had 2 kicks, it’s great to see him sacrificing his game to be a defensive stopper as it’s something we haven’t really seen from him.
He has added versatility to his game that means he can shut down a dangerous opposition attacker as well as being an effective rebounding half back flanker.
DAVID ARMITAGE
After giving Armo a bake in a recent edition of The Analyser, I thought it was worthy to note the quality of his performance against the Roos.
He played his in his designated half forward role and kicked a crucial goal in the second quarter during the Saints comeback. It was through pure desire to win the footy that he got his hands on the ball and banged through a goal from a metre out.
Armo had 21 possessions, 6 inside 50’s, 8 tackles and kicked the crucial goal. These are the exact kind of statistics that you want to see him having in playing his role.
It’s a shame that David is suspended for the game against the Blues. The sling-tackle that got him suspended was a well executed tackle. I would expect, however, that he will be an addition into the finals side to play Sydney barring an extraordinary performance from this replacement.
LOOKING TOWARD THE CARLTON GAME
Despite being in a poor patch form, the Saints led the Blues with 90 seconds to go in their last meeting earlier this year. This time, the stakes of the game are completely different.
A win for the Saints will guarantee a home final against the Swans at Etihad Stadium while a loss will mean the Saints have to travel north to play at ANZ Stadium in a rematch of Round 22.
On the other hand, the Blues don’t have anything to play for at all really. They can’t go up or down on the ladder and may be flat coming off last week’s bye. Essendon have the bye this week so their players will be fresh for the elimination final against the Blues in week 1 of finals. Surely, Carlton will want to be as fresh as possible for the cut throat final as well.
Taking the motivations into consideration, the Saints should have the clear edge over the Blues when it comes to the crunch on Saturday night. However, there still will be some Carlton players fighting for their position in the finals side and winning form is always good form.
At selection on Thursday night, there will be one definite omission with David Armitage being suspended for one match. I’d expect that either Ryan Gamble or Steven Baker will be his replacement. With careful thought and the fact the Blues have a few dangerous small forwards, I think Baker will come in to specifically play on Jeff Garlett or maybe even Chris Yarran.
It will be interesting to see whether Ross replaces Armitage with a forward or a defender. The player chosen will be on the cusp of a spot in the best 22 and will need to put in a good performance to retain their spot come next Saturday’s final.
THE FINAL WORD
Any questions, opinions, comments can be directed underneath this piece, to @kieran_francis or kewfrancis@gmail.com.
All feedback and improvement suggestions are welcome.
I’m really confident for a Saints win on Saturday night. I think the fact the Saints have a lot more to play for will get them over the line and book a home final next week. Carlton will definitely be more concerned about being prepared for their elimination final the week after.
Bring on the MCG on Saturday night. Hopefully it won’t be the last time we appear at the home of football this season.
Monday, August 22, 2011
The Analyser – Round 22 Sydney vs St Kilda
The Analyser – Round 22 Sydney vs St Kilda
For the first time in 17 months, the Saints came up against the Swans on a sub-standard ANZ Stadium surface. The result of the match would have a big say in where these two teams would finish on the ladder at the end of the season.
The Saints led at every break except the one that mattered. This was despite incredible inaccuracy from the Swans in recording 23 behinds. This was the only reason the Saints were still in the game right up until late in the last quarter.
This week’s edition of The Analyser will take a look at the reasons why the Saints struggled, the dysfunctional forward set-up, Nick Riewoldt and much more.
GASTRO
The Saints were hit by two late withdrawals before the game in Justin Koschitzke and Zac Dawson. The reason given was that both players had gastro. Interestingly, Adam Schneider wasn’t present at a player sponsors function during the week due to “food poisoning”. Maybe more team members were affected by the virus going around than was announced.
I’m not suggesting that this was the reason for the loss, but several Saints looked tired and well below their standard outputs. This was definitely evident in the last quarter when the Saints recorded only 53 possessions. This is a very small tally for a “high possession” team.
SAM GILBERT
Not much mention of Gilbert’s performance on the weekend but I thought he did a superb job in shutting down dangerous Swans forward Sam Reid.
The Sydney full forward only had 8 possessions and 3 marks. He did kick a set shot goal in the third quarter but the mark he took before it was from a skewed tumble punt from a teammate and Gilbert wasn’t at fault.
Whilst Gilbert didn’t have his most prolific game with finding the football, he did kick a great running goal in the second quarter.
Zac Dawson would have been a certainty to take Reid had he been fit and Gilbert deputised at full back solidly. This was definitely a positive out of the game in my opinion.
INSIDE 50’S
The Saints were smashed in the Inside 50 count with the Swans having 67 to 52. The amount of times the Swans pumped the ball into their forward line was incredible considering Geelong broke the record (I’m pretty sure) for Inside 50’s two weeks ago against the Gold Coast with 80.
This statistic showed the inability of the Saints to stop the ball coming back inside 50 once they had it was cleared out of defence. Whether the Saints spread struggled because of viruses or just an off day, it definitely was a huge factor in why the Swans won.
Being smashed in the clearances also contributed to the Swans extraordinary inside 50 tally.
RUCK AND CLEARANCES
Shane Mumford and Josh Kennedy were the combination that, as Ross Lyon put, obliterated the Saints midfield.
Mumford dominated a tired Ben McEvoy in having 54 hitouts, 16 possessions and 6 marks (4 contested). He also chipped in with a goal in the last quarter.
Kennedy had an extraordinary 12 clearances as he constantly roved Mumford’s hitouts and either forced the ball forward or fired out a handball to Sydney’s outside runners.
In a strange tactical decision, the Saints abandoned the “third man up” ruck strategy that was effective against Collingwood and put McEvoy head-to-head against Mumford.
Out of the 32 hitouts that the Saints won, McEvoy had 25 of them. You wonder if employing a “third man up” at most stoppages would have helped McEvoy with an absence of a back-up because of Koschitzke’s withdrawal.
SEAN DEMPSTER
Dempster had one of his best games for the club which was unfortunately prematurely ended after being knocked out while courageously backing back into a pack.
Dempster spent time on several of the Swans damaging players but spent most time on dangerous half forward Ryan O’Keefe.
He managed to restrict O’Keefe to 16 disposals while gathering 20 disposals, 13 marks and 10 rebound 50’s himself.
The Saints will be hoping that Dempster will be able to recover quickly from his concussion as he is a vital part of the Saints defensive setup.
FORWARD SET-UP
The setup of the Saints forward clearly isn’t working at the moment. This is an issue that has been one of the Saints achilles heel for most of the season.
While the forward setup “clicked” for the game against the Crows, it has also struggled for lengthy periods in the wins against North Melbourne, Fremantle and Gold Coast whilst it was a major factor in losses against Collingwood and Sydney.
I believe the Saints have developed predictability when going forward. The only two forwards that continually provide quality leads are Nick Riewoldt and Stephen Milne. If an effective opposition defence can shut down both Milne and Riewoldt, then St Kilda’s goalscoring options are drastically reduced.
This fact is highlighted by the Saints leading goalkickers this season. Milne (48) and Riewoldt (30) lead the way with Adam Schneider (23) and Nick Dal Santo (12) a fair way behind.
Maybe it’s time to consider playing another target inside 50 who can trouble defences. Tommy Walsh is possibly a player who could fill the void. It may work, it may not but I’m sure none of us can argue about the fact that the current forward setup is dysfunctional and needs a change.
TOM LYNCH
Lynch really struggled after being a late call-up to the team following the two late withdrawals. He was employed in the position of half forward lead up that has been filled in previous weeks by Ryan Gamble. He also spent time in the ruck deputising for Ben McEvoy.
He was well beaten in the majority of marking contests and looked slow when the ball came to ground. It makes you wonder why Gamble, who has been in some pretty solid form, wasn’t recalled to play the half forward role.
As a lot of Saints fans have rightly pointed, Lynch has played his best football in the VFL as a defender. It seems a strange selection decision to play him forward because of this.
Whilst his performance was not up to scratch in my opinion, maybe he is playing out of position. Because of this fact, maybe we shouldn’t be too quick to judge him and condemn his development.
NICK RIEWOLDT
I have been astonished at some of the critics of Nick Riewoldt. We all know that he is not playing his best football and that he is not having the same impact on games. But I’ve heard several Saints supporters say that needs to be dropped and also mocking him for some of his efforts this year?
This talk is absolutely crazy. Riewoldt is captain of the club and is a champion who is down on form. He is also probably carrying some lower body injuries.
Surely you need to cut him some slack after all the years of dedicated service he has given the club?
I, for one, will continue to support Nick and laud him for the efforts that he has consistently put out for our club.
Nick Riewoldt is a champion and I know that he will bounce back from this lean stretch of form. We supporters need to back our skipper in and show the faith in him that he deserves.
LOOKING TOWARD THE NORTH GAME
It was only 8 weeks ago that the Saints snuck over the line with a goalless last quarter against the Roos. In his press conference after the game, Brad Scott stated twice that he confident of rectifying the result next time.
What a game it’s going to be on Saturday night. A win for the Saints will guarantee a finals berth whilst a win for the Roos will keep their finals hopes alive.
At the selection table, the Saints should have two definite additions in Zac Dawson and Justin Koschitzke. You would expect Tom Lynch and Steven Baker to be the two omissions. However, Baker may be retained if Sean Dempster doesn’t recover from his concussion injury.
The big question is whether the selection committee will select Tommy Walsh to make his debut. Ryan Gamble and Alastair Smith are also in the mix for selection.
However, it’s hard to see who could be omitted for these players to come in, especially with the certainty of Dawson and Koschitzke coming back.
THE FINAL WORD
Any questions, opinions, comments can be directed underneath this piece, to @kieran_francis or kewfrancis@gmail.com.
All feedback and improvement suggestions are welcome.
Saturday night can’t come quick enough. Our finals aspirations will be on the line and it will be telling how the boys respond to the poor display north of the border. Hopefully our boys can lick their wounds and answer their critics by making a statement that their season is not over just yet.
For the first time in 17 months, the Saints came up against the Swans on a sub-standard ANZ Stadium surface. The result of the match would have a big say in where these two teams would finish on the ladder at the end of the season.
The Saints led at every break except the one that mattered. This was despite incredible inaccuracy from the Swans in recording 23 behinds. This was the only reason the Saints were still in the game right up until late in the last quarter.
This week’s edition of The Analyser will take a look at the reasons why the Saints struggled, the dysfunctional forward set-up, Nick Riewoldt and much more.
GASTRO
The Saints were hit by two late withdrawals before the game in Justin Koschitzke and Zac Dawson. The reason given was that both players had gastro. Interestingly, Adam Schneider wasn’t present at a player sponsors function during the week due to “food poisoning”. Maybe more team members were affected by the virus going around than was announced.
I’m not suggesting that this was the reason for the loss, but several Saints looked tired and well below their standard outputs. This was definitely evident in the last quarter when the Saints recorded only 53 possessions. This is a very small tally for a “high possession” team.
SAM GILBERT
Not much mention of Gilbert’s performance on the weekend but I thought he did a superb job in shutting down dangerous Swans forward Sam Reid.
The Sydney full forward only had 8 possessions and 3 marks. He did kick a set shot goal in the third quarter but the mark he took before it was from a skewed tumble punt from a teammate and Gilbert wasn’t at fault.
Whilst Gilbert didn’t have his most prolific game with finding the football, he did kick a great running goal in the second quarter.
Zac Dawson would have been a certainty to take Reid had he been fit and Gilbert deputised at full back solidly. This was definitely a positive out of the game in my opinion.
INSIDE 50’S
The Saints were smashed in the Inside 50 count with the Swans having 67 to 52. The amount of times the Swans pumped the ball into their forward line was incredible considering Geelong broke the record (I’m pretty sure) for Inside 50’s two weeks ago against the Gold Coast with 80.
This statistic showed the inability of the Saints to stop the ball coming back inside 50 once they had it was cleared out of defence. Whether the Saints spread struggled because of viruses or just an off day, it definitely was a huge factor in why the Swans won.
Being smashed in the clearances also contributed to the Swans extraordinary inside 50 tally.
RUCK AND CLEARANCES
Shane Mumford and Josh Kennedy were the combination that, as Ross Lyon put, obliterated the Saints midfield.
Mumford dominated a tired Ben McEvoy in having 54 hitouts, 16 possessions and 6 marks (4 contested). He also chipped in with a goal in the last quarter.
Kennedy had an extraordinary 12 clearances as he constantly roved Mumford’s hitouts and either forced the ball forward or fired out a handball to Sydney’s outside runners.
In a strange tactical decision, the Saints abandoned the “third man up” ruck strategy that was effective against Collingwood and put McEvoy head-to-head against Mumford.
Out of the 32 hitouts that the Saints won, McEvoy had 25 of them. You wonder if employing a “third man up” at most stoppages would have helped McEvoy with an absence of a back-up because of Koschitzke’s withdrawal.
SEAN DEMPSTER
Dempster had one of his best games for the club which was unfortunately prematurely ended after being knocked out while courageously backing back into a pack.
Dempster spent time on several of the Swans damaging players but spent most time on dangerous half forward Ryan O’Keefe.
He managed to restrict O’Keefe to 16 disposals while gathering 20 disposals, 13 marks and 10 rebound 50’s himself.
The Saints will be hoping that Dempster will be able to recover quickly from his concussion as he is a vital part of the Saints defensive setup.
FORWARD SET-UP
The setup of the Saints forward clearly isn’t working at the moment. This is an issue that has been one of the Saints achilles heel for most of the season.
While the forward setup “clicked” for the game against the Crows, it has also struggled for lengthy periods in the wins against North Melbourne, Fremantle and Gold Coast whilst it was a major factor in losses against Collingwood and Sydney.
I believe the Saints have developed predictability when going forward. The only two forwards that continually provide quality leads are Nick Riewoldt and Stephen Milne. If an effective opposition defence can shut down both Milne and Riewoldt, then St Kilda’s goalscoring options are drastically reduced.
This fact is highlighted by the Saints leading goalkickers this season. Milne (48) and Riewoldt (30) lead the way with Adam Schneider (23) and Nick Dal Santo (12) a fair way behind.
Maybe it’s time to consider playing another target inside 50 who can trouble defences. Tommy Walsh is possibly a player who could fill the void. It may work, it may not but I’m sure none of us can argue about the fact that the current forward setup is dysfunctional and needs a change.
TOM LYNCH
Lynch really struggled after being a late call-up to the team following the two late withdrawals. He was employed in the position of half forward lead up that has been filled in previous weeks by Ryan Gamble. He also spent time in the ruck deputising for Ben McEvoy.
He was well beaten in the majority of marking contests and looked slow when the ball came to ground. It makes you wonder why Gamble, who has been in some pretty solid form, wasn’t recalled to play the half forward role.
As a lot of Saints fans have rightly pointed, Lynch has played his best football in the VFL as a defender. It seems a strange selection decision to play him forward because of this.
Whilst his performance was not up to scratch in my opinion, maybe he is playing out of position. Because of this fact, maybe we shouldn’t be too quick to judge him and condemn his development.
NICK RIEWOLDT
I have been astonished at some of the critics of Nick Riewoldt. We all know that he is not playing his best football and that he is not having the same impact on games. But I’ve heard several Saints supporters say that needs to be dropped and also mocking him for some of his efforts this year?
This talk is absolutely crazy. Riewoldt is captain of the club and is a champion who is down on form. He is also probably carrying some lower body injuries.
Surely you need to cut him some slack after all the years of dedicated service he has given the club?
I, for one, will continue to support Nick and laud him for the efforts that he has consistently put out for our club.
Nick Riewoldt is a champion and I know that he will bounce back from this lean stretch of form. We supporters need to back our skipper in and show the faith in him that he deserves.
LOOKING TOWARD THE NORTH GAME
It was only 8 weeks ago that the Saints snuck over the line with a goalless last quarter against the Roos. In his press conference after the game, Brad Scott stated twice that he confident of rectifying the result next time.
What a game it’s going to be on Saturday night. A win for the Saints will guarantee a finals berth whilst a win for the Roos will keep their finals hopes alive.
At the selection table, the Saints should have two definite additions in Zac Dawson and Justin Koschitzke. You would expect Tom Lynch and Steven Baker to be the two omissions. However, Baker may be retained if Sean Dempster doesn’t recover from his concussion injury.
The big question is whether the selection committee will select Tommy Walsh to make his debut. Ryan Gamble and Alastair Smith are also in the mix for selection.
However, it’s hard to see who could be omitted for these players to come in, especially with the certainty of Dawson and Koschitzke coming back.
THE FINAL WORD
Any questions, opinions, comments can be directed underneath this piece, to @kieran_francis or kewfrancis@gmail.com.
All feedback and improvement suggestions are welcome.
Saturday night can’t come quick enough. Our finals aspirations will be on the line and it will be telling how the boys respond to the poor display north of the border. Hopefully our boys can lick their wounds and answer their critics by making a statement that their season is not over just yet.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Preview- Round 22 Sydney vs St Kilda
PREVIEW – ROUND 22 SYDNEY VS ST KILDA
On Sunday afternoon, the Saints travel north to play Sydney in a game that will cement a finals spot for the winner. The game will be played at ANZ Stadium, the Swans second home ground.
LAST TIME THEY MET
Incredibly, the Saints and Swans haven’t played each other for 17 months. The last meeting was in Round 1 last year, also at ANZ Stadium.
Aided by some straight kicking (5.0), the Saints jumped out to a 9 point lead at quarter time. The Saints did well to lead as the Swans kicked the first 2 goals of the game.
At halftime, the Saints held a 7 point lead and their rare accuracy continued with 9 goals straight at the long break.
The third quarter was a dour affair with neither team able to gain an advantage until the final few minutes. In this time, the Saints kicked two quick goals to lead by 20 points at three quarter time.
The Swans kicked the first 3 goals of the last quarter to rein in the margin to only 2 points with 12 minutes to go. However the Saints held firm, kicking the next 2 goals and holding on to record a tight 8 point win.
Nick Riewoldt was best on ground with 4 goals and 22 possessions. Other Saints to perform well were Brendon Goddard (23 disposals), Leigh Montagna (26 disposals) and Sam Gilbert (21 disposals).
For the Swans, Goodes was their best with 3 goals and 16 possessions whilst Ryan O’Keefe (33 disposals) and Jarrad McVeigh (29 disposals) also put in solid contributions.
Sydney Swans 3.3 7.5 9.8 13.10 (88)
St Kilda 5.0 9.0 13.4 15.6 (96)
GOALS
Sydney Swans: Goodes 3, Mattner 2, O’Keefe, Malceski, Kirk, Bradshaw, White, Jack, McVeigh, Moore
St Kilda: Riewoldt 4, Koschitzke 2, Gram 2, Dal Santo, Milne, Schneider, Geary, Peake, McQualter, Goddard
BEST
Sydney Swans: Goodes, McVeigh, O’Keefe, Seaby, Shaw, Malceski
St Kilda: Riewoldt, Gram, Montagna, Gilbert, Dal Santo, McQualter
Umpires: Donlon, McBurney, Grun
Official crowd: 31,330
RECENT FORM
The Swans have been struggling for form of late. In their past 4 games they have only recorded one win. In this time they have lost to Fremantle (SCG), Essendon (Etihad) and Richmond (MCG). Their solitary win was a comfortable 39 point win against the Bulldogs at the SCG in Round 18.
St Kilda had maintained a winning streak stretching to six until the 19 point loss against Collingwood last week. The Saints streak of 6 wins included wins against North Melbourne (9 points), Port Adelaide (56), West Coast (21), Adelaide (103), Gold Coast (20) and Fremantle (41).
KEY MATCH-UPS
Sam Fisher vs Adam Goodes – Goodes is the barometer of the Sydney Swans side. When he is playing well, the Swans rarely lose. He has the ability to be damaging in the midfield whilst becoming a focal point when resting up forward. Fisher has shown he is well capable of shutting down tall midfielders with the job he did on Matthew Pavlich in both games against Fremantle this year. He also can be damaging in his own right if left alone when the Saints are attacking.
Ben McEvoy vs Shane Mumford – When the Saints play the Swans, the game is traditionally a midfield struggle with a high regularity of stoppages. This means the importance of the ruck battle is even higher. Mumford is a strong ruckman who competes ferociously at ground level after the ball has come to ground. McEvoy is fast coming of age as an elite AFL ruckman and eclipsing Darren Jolly last week proved this. Whoever gives their midfield first use of the ball will considerably help their team gain the ascendency in the midfield battle.
Sean Dempster vs Ryan O’Keefe – Dempster usually takes the oppositions’ most damaging player who doesn’t regularly start in the centre square. Following this theory, I believe he will be matched up against Ryan O’Keefe. In matches against the Saints over the past few years, O’Keefe has been a damaging player who prolifically wins the footy and kicks goals. However, he has shown over the past couple of seasons that he is susceptible to a hard tag.
Nick Smith vs Stephen Milne - Milne has been the Saints most in-form forward over the past 2 months and it’s widely expected that Smith will get first crack. The St Kilda goal sneak was well beaten by Harry O’Brien last week and will be looking to have an impact on the game. The Swans will regard Smith’s job as hugely important because shutting down Milne will greatly reduce the Saints goal sources.
Jason Gram vs Ben McGlynn – The Swans second highest goalkicker, behind Adam Goodes, is McGlynn with 27 goals. This shows the danger that he can pose inside the forward 50. Gram has shown that he can do the job shutting down dangerous, goal kicking forwards when he restricted Nat Fyfe in Round 21. His ability to damage the opposition coming out of defence means that McGlynn will have to be accountable when the Saints are attacking.
Zac Dawson vs Sam Reid – The young Swans key tall has been extremely impressive over the past couple of months as he matures into a forward role. His ability to jump and take contested marks will be a big worry for the Saints defence. This approach of leaping for marks is not unlike Adelaide forward Kurt Tippett, who has usually had the better of Zac Dawson. Whilst Reid hasn’t had enough a massive impact on the scoreboard, he has been threatening to rip a game open and Dawson must make sure it isn’t this one.
THE BURNING QUESTIONS
Who will win the midfield battle? Sydney vs St Kilda is never a free-flowing affair with defensive footy being the focus and plenty of stoppages occurring. The team that gets their hands on the football first in the stoppages will have a considerable advantage in getting the four points.
Against the excellent Collingwood midfield, the Saints surprisingly won the honours by having more hitouts, clearances, tackles and inside 50’s. Against an underrated Tigers midfield, the Swans had 10 more clearances but 63 less possessions. Kieran Jack and Josh Kennedy accumulated 15 clearances between them accounting for nearly half the Swans total.
Since the Saints are a high possession team, last week’s statistics bode well as the Tigers managed to have a considerable amount more of the football than the Swans. They will also need to shut down Jack and Kennedy around the stoppages as they will continually give their team first use of the football. Likewise, the Swans will have plenty to worry about with Nick Dal Santo and Jack Steven hovering around the stoppages.
Will the Swans bounce back? Over the past 6 years, the Swans have arguably been the most consistent club in the competition. There have been small patches of bad form but, as a club, they have always bounced back.
After a poor run of form stretching back 5 weeks, the Swans will want to get back in form as finals are approaching and there is no better place to do this than in front your own fans.
Last week’s result against Richmond was an aberration. The Swans have been struggling for form and also haven’t played well at the MCG for a number of years.
The Saints should expect what they always get from the Swans; a tough, close and exciting game.
Can the Saints improve their disposal efficiency? The Saints lost against the Pies last week largely due to their terrible ball use. They will be looking to make a considerable improvement on this as Ross Lyon focused on it during his post-game press conference last week.
Players such as Jason Gram, Raph Clarke and Sam Gilbert have been criticised during the week for turning the ball over too much when rebounding. It will be interesting to see how they respond.
It is also a possibility that Lyon will look to the VFL and select Tom Lynch to play across half-back. His foot skills have been his major asset in the VFL but the question would be whether his skills would hold up in the high pressure AFL environment.
THE FINAL WORD
The Saints will be looking to continue their charge toward finishing 6th and being rewarded with a home final. The struggling Swans will be keen to regain form and cement a finals spot with a tough game against Geelong at Skilled Stadium next week.
Don’t expect a free-flowing, exciting game with the Saints running away as big victors. It will be a dour arm-wrestle with the result not being decided until deep in the last quarter.
It should be a good test of the Saints ability to get the job done on the road. I believe the Saints, playing their high possession style, will emerge victors after an epic battle.
St Kilda by 7 points
On Sunday afternoon, the Saints travel north to play Sydney in a game that will cement a finals spot for the winner. The game will be played at ANZ Stadium, the Swans second home ground.
LAST TIME THEY MET
Incredibly, the Saints and Swans haven’t played each other for 17 months. The last meeting was in Round 1 last year, also at ANZ Stadium.
Aided by some straight kicking (5.0), the Saints jumped out to a 9 point lead at quarter time. The Saints did well to lead as the Swans kicked the first 2 goals of the game.
At halftime, the Saints held a 7 point lead and their rare accuracy continued with 9 goals straight at the long break.
The third quarter was a dour affair with neither team able to gain an advantage until the final few minutes. In this time, the Saints kicked two quick goals to lead by 20 points at three quarter time.
The Swans kicked the first 3 goals of the last quarter to rein in the margin to only 2 points with 12 minutes to go. However the Saints held firm, kicking the next 2 goals and holding on to record a tight 8 point win.
Nick Riewoldt was best on ground with 4 goals and 22 possessions. Other Saints to perform well were Brendon Goddard (23 disposals), Leigh Montagna (26 disposals) and Sam Gilbert (21 disposals).
For the Swans, Goodes was their best with 3 goals and 16 possessions whilst Ryan O’Keefe (33 disposals) and Jarrad McVeigh (29 disposals) also put in solid contributions.
Sydney Swans 3.3 7.5 9.8 13.10 (88)
St Kilda 5.0 9.0 13.4 15.6 (96)
GOALS
Sydney Swans: Goodes 3, Mattner 2, O’Keefe, Malceski, Kirk, Bradshaw, White, Jack, McVeigh, Moore
St Kilda: Riewoldt 4, Koschitzke 2, Gram 2, Dal Santo, Milne, Schneider, Geary, Peake, McQualter, Goddard
BEST
Sydney Swans: Goodes, McVeigh, O’Keefe, Seaby, Shaw, Malceski
St Kilda: Riewoldt, Gram, Montagna, Gilbert, Dal Santo, McQualter
Umpires: Donlon, McBurney, Grun
Official crowd: 31,330
RECENT FORM
The Swans have been struggling for form of late. In their past 4 games they have only recorded one win. In this time they have lost to Fremantle (SCG), Essendon (Etihad) and Richmond (MCG). Their solitary win was a comfortable 39 point win against the Bulldogs at the SCG in Round 18.
St Kilda had maintained a winning streak stretching to six until the 19 point loss against Collingwood last week. The Saints streak of 6 wins included wins against North Melbourne (9 points), Port Adelaide (56), West Coast (21), Adelaide (103), Gold Coast (20) and Fremantle (41).
KEY MATCH-UPS
Sam Fisher vs Adam Goodes – Goodes is the barometer of the Sydney Swans side. When he is playing well, the Swans rarely lose. He has the ability to be damaging in the midfield whilst becoming a focal point when resting up forward. Fisher has shown he is well capable of shutting down tall midfielders with the job he did on Matthew Pavlich in both games against Fremantle this year. He also can be damaging in his own right if left alone when the Saints are attacking.
Ben McEvoy vs Shane Mumford – When the Saints play the Swans, the game is traditionally a midfield struggle with a high regularity of stoppages. This means the importance of the ruck battle is even higher. Mumford is a strong ruckman who competes ferociously at ground level after the ball has come to ground. McEvoy is fast coming of age as an elite AFL ruckman and eclipsing Darren Jolly last week proved this. Whoever gives their midfield first use of the ball will considerably help their team gain the ascendency in the midfield battle.
Sean Dempster vs Ryan O’Keefe – Dempster usually takes the oppositions’ most damaging player who doesn’t regularly start in the centre square. Following this theory, I believe he will be matched up against Ryan O’Keefe. In matches against the Saints over the past few years, O’Keefe has been a damaging player who prolifically wins the footy and kicks goals. However, he has shown over the past couple of seasons that he is susceptible to a hard tag.
Nick Smith vs Stephen Milne - Milne has been the Saints most in-form forward over the past 2 months and it’s widely expected that Smith will get first crack. The St Kilda goal sneak was well beaten by Harry O’Brien last week and will be looking to have an impact on the game. The Swans will regard Smith’s job as hugely important because shutting down Milne will greatly reduce the Saints goal sources.
Jason Gram vs Ben McGlynn – The Swans second highest goalkicker, behind Adam Goodes, is McGlynn with 27 goals. This shows the danger that he can pose inside the forward 50. Gram has shown that he can do the job shutting down dangerous, goal kicking forwards when he restricted Nat Fyfe in Round 21. His ability to damage the opposition coming out of defence means that McGlynn will have to be accountable when the Saints are attacking.
Zac Dawson vs Sam Reid – The young Swans key tall has been extremely impressive over the past couple of months as he matures into a forward role. His ability to jump and take contested marks will be a big worry for the Saints defence. This approach of leaping for marks is not unlike Adelaide forward Kurt Tippett, who has usually had the better of Zac Dawson. Whilst Reid hasn’t had enough a massive impact on the scoreboard, he has been threatening to rip a game open and Dawson must make sure it isn’t this one.
THE BURNING QUESTIONS
Who will win the midfield battle? Sydney vs St Kilda is never a free-flowing affair with defensive footy being the focus and plenty of stoppages occurring. The team that gets their hands on the football first in the stoppages will have a considerable advantage in getting the four points.
Against the excellent Collingwood midfield, the Saints surprisingly won the honours by having more hitouts, clearances, tackles and inside 50’s. Against an underrated Tigers midfield, the Swans had 10 more clearances but 63 less possessions. Kieran Jack and Josh Kennedy accumulated 15 clearances between them accounting for nearly half the Swans total.
Since the Saints are a high possession team, last week’s statistics bode well as the Tigers managed to have a considerable amount more of the football than the Swans. They will also need to shut down Jack and Kennedy around the stoppages as they will continually give their team first use of the football. Likewise, the Swans will have plenty to worry about with Nick Dal Santo and Jack Steven hovering around the stoppages.
Will the Swans bounce back? Over the past 6 years, the Swans have arguably been the most consistent club in the competition. There have been small patches of bad form but, as a club, they have always bounced back.
After a poor run of form stretching back 5 weeks, the Swans will want to get back in form as finals are approaching and there is no better place to do this than in front your own fans.
Last week’s result against Richmond was an aberration. The Swans have been struggling for form and also haven’t played well at the MCG for a number of years.
The Saints should expect what they always get from the Swans; a tough, close and exciting game.
Can the Saints improve their disposal efficiency? The Saints lost against the Pies last week largely due to their terrible ball use. They will be looking to make a considerable improvement on this as Ross Lyon focused on it during his post-game press conference last week.
Players such as Jason Gram, Raph Clarke and Sam Gilbert have been criticised during the week for turning the ball over too much when rebounding. It will be interesting to see how they respond.
It is also a possibility that Lyon will look to the VFL and select Tom Lynch to play across half-back. His foot skills have been his major asset in the VFL but the question would be whether his skills would hold up in the high pressure AFL environment.
THE FINAL WORD
The Saints will be looking to continue their charge toward finishing 6th and being rewarded with a home final. The struggling Swans will be keen to regain form and cement a finals spot with a tough game against Geelong at Skilled Stadium next week.
Don’t expect a free-flowing, exciting game with the Saints running away as big victors. It will be a dour arm-wrestle with the result not being decided until deep in the last quarter.
It should be a good test of the Saints ability to get the job done on the road. I believe the Saints, playing their high possession style, will emerge victors after an epic battle.
St Kilda by 7 points
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
The Analyser - Round 21 St Kilda vs Collingwood
The Analyser – Round 21 St Kilda vs Collingwood
For the third week out of four, the Saints were under lights on Friday night as they squared up to a rampant Collingwood outfit. The match would provide a gauge on how close the Saints are to the competition powerhouses.
After being troubled by the Saints for most of the first half, the Pies put on the afterburners in the latter stages of the second quarter and the third quarter. A few St Kilda goals late in the last quarter restricted their loss to a respectable 19 points.
This week’s edition of The Analyser will examine the Saints disposal efficiency, the use of the sub rule, why we can beat the Pies and much more.
DISPOSAL EFFICIENCY
There was a clear gulf in execution of foot skills between the Saints and Pies. The effectiveness of the Pies press means that their opposition can’t afford to turn the ball over when coming out of defence. It restricts the quality of the forward 50 entries and Collingwood are one of the best teams at punishing turnovers with goals.
The Saints had several culprits who regularly missed targets when coming out of defence. Jason Gram and Sam Gilbert were the worst culprits.
Gilbert scrubbed a number of kicks out of defence and his five inside 50 entries were all of poor quality.
Gram is back to his attacking best off the half-back flank. The problem is that he is missing too many targets when the Saints going forward. The chip-kick that went over Milne’s head in the centre of the ground is a clear example.
Here is a list of notable Saints players’ disposal efficiency:
Sam Gilbert (20 disposals) 70% efficiency
Jason Gram (24 disposals) 71%
Sean Dempster (17 disposals) 53%
Jack Steven (22 disposals) 55%
Nick Dal Santo (28 disposals) 61%
Dean Polo (15 disposals) 54%
This is definitely a statistic that the Saints need to improve going into a probable finals series. It may be easy to defeat teams like Gold Coast and Fremantle with low disposal efficiency but teams like Collingwood, Geelong and Hawthorn will cut you up if you continually turn the ball over.
BEN MCEVOY
In my opinion, this was Ben McEvoy’s best game for St Kilda and gets me excited for how good he can actually be.
McEvoy went head-to-head with Pies premiership ruckman Darren Jolly and arguably just emerged with the points.
The Saints big man matched Jolly for hitouts (29), had one more disposal (16) and one more mark (7). These figures aren’t huge but the fact that they were accumulated against such a quality ruckman makes me really excited.
Imagine how good Ben is going to be with another 50 games underneath his belt. He has another big test this week as he squares up against a quality ruckman in Shane Mumford.
DAVID ARMITAGE
The performance of David Armitage was simply not good enough. I know he may be playing out of his best position, but 4 possessions as a half-forward in a side with 54 inside 50’s is not good enough. He should be doing better.
Interestingly, Armitage was substituted off at three quarter time for utility Jason Blake. Despite the fact there was roughly 75% available playing time for David, he only spent 51% of time on ground. This equates to nearly a whole quarter being spent on the bench before being substituted.
This suggests to me that either he picked up an injury early in the game or he was still affected by the concussion injury that was inflicted upon him last week.
This could explain the poor performance. However brings up the contentious issue of St Kilda’s substitute selection.
SUBSTITUTE – JASON BLAKE
The selection of Jason Blake as the substitute baffled me on all accords. He played a terrific game last week against Fremantle and I guess Ross was rewarding him for his form.
In my opinion, Ross either had to drop Blake or leave Dawson out. If he can’t squeeze another tall defender into the current style of play, then one should be left out and a running player should be used as substitute.
What value would Blake have had if he came on in the last quarter in a close game? He is a great servant to the club but he is unlikely to provide run or be a matchwinner.
With the fact that David Armitage was struggling, possibly with an injury, Ross couldn’t afford to bring Blake on when the game was there to be won as it would be sacrificing a running player for a key position player. This would have upset team balance.
A great example of the value of a running player as sub was Geary’s performance from last week. Also Alan Didak picked up 12 disposals in the short time he was on the ground after the Pies activated him as a replacement.
Looking at all the substitutes selected in teams playing in Round 21, Jason Blake was the only true key position player. Maybe Ross had a theory as to why he selected Blake but I think a running player as sub would have much more impact.
LEON DAVIS/BEN JOHNSON
While I thought Ross Lyon got all the midfield match-ups right, the rebound of Davis and Johnson from the backline was match-defining. Both players continually got uncontested possessions and took on the Saints as they drove their team forward.
Davis was electrifying in gathering a career high 36 disposals including 30 kicks and 2 goals. The important stat was that 28 of his possessions were uncontested.
Johnson was equally important finishing just shy of his career best disposal tally (34) with 32 possessions. 29 of these possessions were uncontested.
These players were constantly used by their Magpie counterparts to start the transition from defence to attack. They took the game on and generally delivered efficiently to players further up the field.
It’s really important to limit this type of players’ impact and have their direct opponents exploit their lack of accountability.
Ross will have an opportunity to quell an inform running half back in Chris Yarran when the Saints play them in Round 24.
WHY WE CAN BEAT THE PIES – KEY STATISTICS
There were several statistics evident at the end of the game that proved the Saints aren’t too far away from the Pies.
The Saints won the midfield battle in eclipsing the Pies in clearances (39-35), hitouts (45-33), tackles (76-62). This resulted in the Saints having more inside 50’s (54-48) and scoring shots (20-19).
Having all these key statistics in your favour usually means a win but there were a couple of factors why it didn’t work out this way.
Obviously the disposal efficiency was the main issue but there were also a number of crucial plays that went in the Pies favour. Some crucial plays I recall are:
- Dawson’s illegal shepherd on Krakouer to gift the Pies a goal at the start of the second half
- The missed shots for goal including Goddard’s poster just before three quarter time.
- Raph Clarke and Ben McEvoy contesting a 2-on-1 deep in the Magpies forward 50, Clarke took McEvoy out of the contest and went to ground. Wellingham kept his feet and snapped a crucial goal.
- Decision against Brett Peake at start of last quarter when he bumped Thomas and took the mark inside 50.
- Dane Swan’s lucky bounce snap goal in the last quarter.
- Leigh Brown’s tumble punt inside 50 that luckily landed in Dayne Beams arms 20m out directly in front.
All these moments were either lucky or completely preventable by the Saints.
The common mantra among the media is that Pies had another gear to step up to and that’s why the win was so comfortable.
I firmly believe that our boys have another gear to step up into. Simply being more efficient with the football will give us a chance at beating the Pies, if we meet them again. Luck won’t go astray either.
LOOKING TOWARD THE SYDNEY GAME
Battles between the Saints and Swans over the past couple of years have traditionally been dour, tight affairs. The Swans will be keen to bounce back after a strange month where they lost to Fremantle at home, thrashed the Bulldogs, choked against Essendon and were soundly beaten by Richmond at the MCG.
Whether there will be any changes for the Saints this week shall be a mystery left until selection on Thursday night.
Alastair Smith, Tom Lynch and Nick Heyne were all in the best players in Sandringham’s 2 point loss against Box Hill. Ryan Gamble also chipped in with 2 goals.
I have a feeling that David Armitage is injured and if that’s the case, Gamble or Lynch will be certain replacements. Ross may also choose to select Gamble for team structure purposes as the forward line struggled against the Pies.
If any players were omitted, I could only see it being Jason Blake, Jarryn Geary or possibly Dean Polo.
THE FINAL WORD
Any questions, opinions, comments can be directed underneath this piece, to @kieran_francis or kewfrancis@gmail.com.
All feedback and improvement suggestions are welcome.
It’s really important that the Saints bounce back from the loss to Collingwood and continue their charge toward a finals appearance. The Swans have had some vulnerable form over the past month but the Saints mustn’t take this game lightly and entrench themselves in 6th position and all but guarantee a home final.
For the third week out of four, the Saints were under lights on Friday night as they squared up to a rampant Collingwood outfit. The match would provide a gauge on how close the Saints are to the competition powerhouses.
After being troubled by the Saints for most of the first half, the Pies put on the afterburners in the latter stages of the second quarter and the third quarter. A few St Kilda goals late in the last quarter restricted their loss to a respectable 19 points.
This week’s edition of The Analyser will examine the Saints disposal efficiency, the use of the sub rule, why we can beat the Pies and much more.
DISPOSAL EFFICIENCY
There was a clear gulf in execution of foot skills between the Saints and Pies. The effectiveness of the Pies press means that their opposition can’t afford to turn the ball over when coming out of defence. It restricts the quality of the forward 50 entries and Collingwood are one of the best teams at punishing turnovers with goals.
The Saints had several culprits who regularly missed targets when coming out of defence. Jason Gram and Sam Gilbert were the worst culprits.
Gilbert scrubbed a number of kicks out of defence and his five inside 50 entries were all of poor quality.
Gram is back to his attacking best off the half-back flank. The problem is that he is missing too many targets when the Saints going forward. The chip-kick that went over Milne’s head in the centre of the ground is a clear example.
Here is a list of notable Saints players’ disposal efficiency:
Sam Gilbert (20 disposals) 70% efficiency
Jason Gram (24 disposals) 71%
Sean Dempster (17 disposals) 53%
Jack Steven (22 disposals) 55%
Nick Dal Santo (28 disposals) 61%
Dean Polo (15 disposals) 54%
This is definitely a statistic that the Saints need to improve going into a probable finals series. It may be easy to defeat teams like Gold Coast and Fremantle with low disposal efficiency but teams like Collingwood, Geelong and Hawthorn will cut you up if you continually turn the ball over.
BEN MCEVOY
In my opinion, this was Ben McEvoy’s best game for St Kilda and gets me excited for how good he can actually be.
McEvoy went head-to-head with Pies premiership ruckman Darren Jolly and arguably just emerged with the points.
The Saints big man matched Jolly for hitouts (29), had one more disposal (16) and one more mark (7). These figures aren’t huge but the fact that they were accumulated against such a quality ruckman makes me really excited.
Imagine how good Ben is going to be with another 50 games underneath his belt. He has another big test this week as he squares up against a quality ruckman in Shane Mumford.
DAVID ARMITAGE
The performance of David Armitage was simply not good enough. I know he may be playing out of his best position, but 4 possessions as a half-forward in a side with 54 inside 50’s is not good enough. He should be doing better.
Interestingly, Armitage was substituted off at three quarter time for utility Jason Blake. Despite the fact there was roughly 75% available playing time for David, he only spent 51% of time on ground. This equates to nearly a whole quarter being spent on the bench before being substituted.
This suggests to me that either he picked up an injury early in the game or he was still affected by the concussion injury that was inflicted upon him last week.
This could explain the poor performance. However brings up the contentious issue of St Kilda’s substitute selection.
SUBSTITUTE – JASON BLAKE
The selection of Jason Blake as the substitute baffled me on all accords. He played a terrific game last week against Fremantle and I guess Ross was rewarding him for his form.
In my opinion, Ross either had to drop Blake or leave Dawson out. If he can’t squeeze another tall defender into the current style of play, then one should be left out and a running player should be used as substitute.
What value would Blake have had if he came on in the last quarter in a close game? He is a great servant to the club but he is unlikely to provide run or be a matchwinner.
With the fact that David Armitage was struggling, possibly with an injury, Ross couldn’t afford to bring Blake on when the game was there to be won as it would be sacrificing a running player for a key position player. This would have upset team balance.
A great example of the value of a running player as sub was Geary’s performance from last week. Also Alan Didak picked up 12 disposals in the short time he was on the ground after the Pies activated him as a replacement.
Looking at all the substitutes selected in teams playing in Round 21, Jason Blake was the only true key position player. Maybe Ross had a theory as to why he selected Blake but I think a running player as sub would have much more impact.
LEON DAVIS/BEN JOHNSON
While I thought Ross Lyon got all the midfield match-ups right, the rebound of Davis and Johnson from the backline was match-defining. Both players continually got uncontested possessions and took on the Saints as they drove their team forward.
Davis was electrifying in gathering a career high 36 disposals including 30 kicks and 2 goals. The important stat was that 28 of his possessions were uncontested.
Johnson was equally important finishing just shy of his career best disposal tally (34) with 32 possessions. 29 of these possessions were uncontested.
These players were constantly used by their Magpie counterparts to start the transition from defence to attack. They took the game on and generally delivered efficiently to players further up the field.
It’s really important to limit this type of players’ impact and have their direct opponents exploit their lack of accountability.
Ross will have an opportunity to quell an inform running half back in Chris Yarran when the Saints play them in Round 24.
WHY WE CAN BEAT THE PIES – KEY STATISTICS
There were several statistics evident at the end of the game that proved the Saints aren’t too far away from the Pies.
The Saints won the midfield battle in eclipsing the Pies in clearances (39-35), hitouts (45-33), tackles (76-62). This resulted in the Saints having more inside 50’s (54-48) and scoring shots (20-19).
Having all these key statistics in your favour usually means a win but there were a couple of factors why it didn’t work out this way.
Obviously the disposal efficiency was the main issue but there were also a number of crucial plays that went in the Pies favour. Some crucial plays I recall are:
- Dawson’s illegal shepherd on Krakouer to gift the Pies a goal at the start of the second half
- The missed shots for goal including Goddard’s poster just before three quarter time.
- Raph Clarke and Ben McEvoy contesting a 2-on-1 deep in the Magpies forward 50, Clarke took McEvoy out of the contest and went to ground. Wellingham kept his feet and snapped a crucial goal.
- Decision against Brett Peake at start of last quarter when he bumped Thomas and took the mark inside 50.
- Dane Swan’s lucky bounce snap goal in the last quarter.
- Leigh Brown’s tumble punt inside 50 that luckily landed in Dayne Beams arms 20m out directly in front.
All these moments were either lucky or completely preventable by the Saints.
The common mantra among the media is that Pies had another gear to step up to and that’s why the win was so comfortable.
I firmly believe that our boys have another gear to step up into. Simply being more efficient with the football will give us a chance at beating the Pies, if we meet them again. Luck won’t go astray either.
LOOKING TOWARD THE SYDNEY GAME
Battles between the Saints and Swans over the past couple of years have traditionally been dour, tight affairs. The Swans will be keen to bounce back after a strange month where they lost to Fremantle at home, thrashed the Bulldogs, choked against Essendon and were soundly beaten by Richmond at the MCG.
Whether there will be any changes for the Saints this week shall be a mystery left until selection on Thursday night.
Alastair Smith, Tom Lynch and Nick Heyne were all in the best players in Sandringham’s 2 point loss against Box Hill. Ryan Gamble also chipped in with 2 goals.
I have a feeling that David Armitage is injured and if that’s the case, Gamble or Lynch will be certain replacements. Ross may also choose to select Gamble for team structure purposes as the forward line struggled against the Pies.
If any players were omitted, I could only see it being Jason Blake, Jarryn Geary or possibly Dean Polo.
THE FINAL WORD
Any questions, opinions, comments can be directed underneath this piece, to @kieran_francis or kewfrancis@gmail.com.
All feedback and improvement suggestions are welcome.
It’s really important that the Saints bounce back from the loss to Collingwood and continue their charge toward a finals appearance. The Swans have had some vulnerable form over the past month but the Saints mustn’t take this game lightly and entrench themselves in 6th position and all but guarantee a home final.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Preview - Round 21 St Kilda vs Collingwood
PREVIEW – ROUND 21 ST KILDA VS COLLINGWOOD
In front of 50,000+ fans at Etihad Stadium on Friday night, the Saints take on Collingwood in a blockbuster that will leave us knowing where both teams stand at the end of it.
RECENT FORM
The Magpies have only lost once since that fateful day in October, when they denied St Kilda a premiership twice in the space of 7 days. They come into the game after some commanding performances including a 74 point belting of Essendon and a destruction of Port Adelaide to the tune of 138 points.
After a slow start to the season, the Saints have won 6 in a row, including 9 of their past 11. A criticism of the Saints winning streak is that they haven’t faced a top 4 side. However, tough wins over North Melbourne, West Coast and Fremantle have proved that the club is hitting top gear at the right time of year.
LAST TIME THEY MET
The Grand Final rematch was played in Round 11 at the MCG in front of a disappointing crowd of only 62,991.
After an even first quarter, the Saints led by 4 points with only 45 seconds to go in the second quarter. At this point, Travis Cloke marked and kicked a goal from a tight angle to put Collingwood in front. From the resulting centre bounce, the Pies went inside 50 and kicked a goal with only 4 seconds left on the clock. Andrew Krakouer swooped on an unpaid Dean Polo mark and gave the Pies an 8 point lead and momentum going into half time.
The Pies kicked 12 goals to 2 in the second half and ran out convincing 57 point winners. Collingwood’s prime movers Dane Swan (4 goals), Scott Pendelbury (32 disposals) and Dale Thomas (31 disposals) all had a profound impact on the result. For the Saints, only Nick Dal Santo (32 disposals) and Ben McEvoy (22 disposals, 30 hitouts) could hold their heads up high.
Collingwood 2.4 6.5 11.9 16.12 (108)
St Kilda 2.1 5.3 6.7 7.9 (51)
GOALS
Collingwood: Swan 4, Cloke 3, Dawes 2, Wellingham 2, Krakouer 2, Brown, Davis, McCarthy
St Kilda: Goddard, Peake, Milne, Steven, Jones, Armitage, Gilbert
BEST
Collingwood: Pendlebury, Cloke, Davis, Thomas, Shaw, Swan
St Kilda: Dal Santo, McEvoy, Gwilt, Gilbert, Steven
KEY MATCH-UPS
Clinton Jones vs Dale Thomas – Jones kept Thomas to only 12 possessions in the first half of the Round 11 clash. Ross Lyon relinquished the tag in the second half and Thomas ran riot with 19 disposals. We can rest assure the same thing won’t happen on Friday night. Jones was at his best against Fremantle, completely cutting Stephen Hill out of the game. Thomas is a similar player to Hill in that his acceleration, once in possession of the ball, is quite extraordinary. It will be a good battle to see how much Jones can negate Thomas’ influence.
Sean Dempster/Farren Ray vs Dane Swan – Swan is in scintillating form of late accumulating a total of 82 possessions in his last two games against Essendon and Port Adelaide. Ray has had success in negating Swan during the Grand Finals and will take Swan when he is running through the midfield. Because of the danger that Swan (24 goals) has posed inside 50 this season, Dempster will go to him at forward 50 stoppages and when he rests up forward. Limiting Swan’s disposal efficiency and scoreboard impact will significantly help the Saints win the midfield battle. Dean Polo will also be used at times to stifle Swan at stoppages.
Jason Blake vs Travis Cloke – Blake has earnt first crack at Cloke after a superb performance on Keplar Bradley last week. He wasn’t available for selection in Round 11 when Cloke kicked 3 goals and took 11 marks. His big body is the reason why he will be initially preferred to Zac Dawson. With the possibility that Cam Wood will still be in the side, Dawson can go to either Leigh Brown or Darren Jolly when he is resting forward. Cloke is arguably the best contested mark in the competition and whoever gets the job will be in for a physical battle.
Brett Peake vs Nick Maxwell – The Saints are well aware of the threat that Maxwell poses when left by himself behind the ball. I expect Ross Lyon to try and exploit Maxwell’s tendency to play loose by having Peake buzzing around in his areas to make him accountable. Peake occupying Maxwell across the Saints half forward line should drag him away from Nick Riewoldt and let the St Kilda captain compete 1-on-1 with his opponent. Peake has been St Kilda’s most damaging player across wing and half forward over the past few weeks and would be best equipped to fulfil this role. Adam Schneider and David Armitage could also do the job if required.
Stephen Milne vs Harry O’Brien – Milne only needs one more goal to break Matthew Lloyd’s record of 299 goals at Etihad Stadium. You can be sure that he would love to do it against Collingwood. He will have his work cut out in trying to get the record against O’Brien, who has definitely had the better of the encounters over the past couple of years. The Saints goal sneak has been in great form in the past 6 matches averaging 4 goals a game. For the Saints to win, you would expect Milne to chip in with a few goals.
THE FINAL WORD
There is two things that need to be done for a team to beat Collingwood. First, the opposition need to be able to get through their clinical forward press. Second, if an error is made when attacking the forward press, to not let the turnover result in scoreboard pressure. I think Ross Lyon has been building the team over the past few weeks to achieve this goal.
In the past 6 weeks, the Saints have been ranked 1st in the competition for short kicks, uncontested possessions and uncontested marks. They also have the 2nd highest play-on percentage in the competition during this time. I think this is the way Lyon thinks he can beat the press. By moving the ball quickly and effectively, he hopes to move the press around to allow more forward 50 entries. This means more chances to put the Collingwood defence under pressure, something that they haven’t really had to cope with all season.
Both teams are experts at applying pressure and keeping the ball inside their respective forward 50 arcs. This means that clearances will be hugely important and the duel between Ben McEvoy and Darren Jolly will have a significant impact on the result.
If the Saints can get on top with the clearances and role players such as Jones and Dempster can succeed in their set tasks, well there is no reason why they can’t bring home the four points.
St Kilda by 3 points
In front of 50,000+ fans at Etihad Stadium on Friday night, the Saints take on Collingwood in a blockbuster that will leave us knowing where both teams stand at the end of it.
RECENT FORM
The Magpies have only lost once since that fateful day in October, when they denied St Kilda a premiership twice in the space of 7 days. They come into the game after some commanding performances including a 74 point belting of Essendon and a destruction of Port Adelaide to the tune of 138 points.
After a slow start to the season, the Saints have won 6 in a row, including 9 of their past 11. A criticism of the Saints winning streak is that they haven’t faced a top 4 side. However, tough wins over North Melbourne, West Coast and Fremantle have proved that the club is hitting top gear at the right time of year.
LAST TIME THEY MET
The Grand Final rematch was played in Round 11 at the MCG in front of a disappointing crowd of only 62,991.
After an even first quarter, the Saints led by 4 points with only 45 seconds to go in the second quarter. At this point, Travis Cloke marked and kicked a goal from a tight angle to put Collingwood in front. From the resulting centre bounce, the Pies went inside 50 and kicked a goal with only 4 seconds left on the clock. Andrew Krakouer swooped on an unpaid Dean Polo mark and gave the Pies an 8 point lead and momentum going into half time.
The Pies kicked 12 goals to 2 in the second half and ran out convincing 57 point winners. Collingwood’s prime movers Dane Swan (4 goals), Scott Pendelbury (32 disposals) and Dale Thomas (31 disposals) all had a profound impact on the result. For the Saints, only Nick Dal Santo (32 disposals) and Ben McEvoy (22 disposals, 30 hitouts) could hold their heads up high.
Collingwood 2.4 6.5 11.9 16.12 (108)
St Kilda 2.1 5.3 6.7 7.9 (51)
GOALS
Collingwood: Swan 4, Cloke 3, Dawes 2, Wellingham 2, Krakouer 2, Brown, Davis, McCarthy
St Kilda: Goddard, Peake, Milne, Steven, Jones, Armitage, Gilbert
BEST
Collingwood: Pendlebury, Cloke, Davis, Thomas, Shaw, Swan
St Kilda: Dal Santo, McEvoy, Gwilt, Gilbert, Steven
KEY MATCH-UPS
Clinton Jones vs Dale Thomas – Jones kept Thomas to only 12 possessions in the first half of the Round 11 clash. Ross Lyon relinquished the tag in the second half and Thomas ran riot with 19 disposals. We can rest assure the same thing won’t happen on Friday night. Jones was at his best against Fremantle, completely cutting Stephen Hill out of the game. Thomas is a similar player to Hill in that his acceleration, once in possession of the ball, is quite extraordinary. It will be a good battle to see how much Jones can negate Thomas’ influence.
Sean Dempster/Farren Ray vs Dane Swan – Swan is in scintillating form of late accumulating a total of 82 possessions in his last two games against Essendon and Port Adelaide. Ray has had success in negating Swan during the Grand Finals and will take Swan when he is running through the midfield. Because of the danger that Swan (24 goals) has posed inside 50 this season, Dempster will go to him at forward 50 stoppages and when he rests up forward. Limiting Swan’s disposal efficiency and scoreboard impact will significantly help the Saints win the midfield battle. Dean Polo will also be used at times to stifle Swan at stoppages.
Jason Blake vs Travis Cloke – Blake has earnt first crack at Cloke after a superb performance on Keplar Bradley last week. He wasn’t available for selection in Round 11 when Cloke kicked 3 goals and took 11 marks. His big body is the reason why he will be initially preferred to Zac Dawson. With the possibility that Cam Wood will still be in the side, Dawson can go to either Leigh Brown or Darren Jolly when he is resting forward. Cloke is arguably the best contested mark in the competition and whoever gets the job will be in for a physical battle.
Brett Peake vs Nick Maxwell – The Saints are well aware of the threat that Maxwell poses when left by himself behind the ball. I expect Ross Lyon to try and exploit Maxwell’s tendency to play loose by having Peake buzzing around in his areas to make him accountable. Peake occupying Maxwell across the Saints half forward line should drag him away from Nick Riewoldt and let the St Kilda captain compete 1-on-1 with his opponent. Peake has been St Kilda’s most damaging player across wing and half forward over the past few weeks and would be best equipped to fulfil this role. Adam Schneider and David Armitage could also do the job if required.
Stephen Milne vs Harry O’Brien – Milne only needs one more goal to break Matthew Lloyd’s record of 299 goals at Etihad Stadium. You can be sure that he would love to do it against Collingwood. He will have his work cut out in trying to get the record against O’Brien, who has definitely had the better of the encounters over the past couple of years. The Saints goal sneak has been in great form in the past 6 matches averaging 4 goals a game. For the Saints to win, you would expect Milne to chip in with a few goals.
THE FINAL WORD
There is two things that need to be done for a team to beat Collingwood. First, the opposition need to be able to get through their clinical forward press. Second, if an error is made when attacking the forward press, to not let the turnover result in scoreboard pressure. I think Ross Lyon has been building the team over the past few weeks to achieve this goal.
In the past 6 weeks, the Saints have been ranked 1st in the competition for short kicks, uncontested possessions and uncontested marks. They also have the 2nd highest play-on percentage in the competition during this time. I think this is the way Lyon thinks he can beat the press. By moving the ball quickly and effectively, he hopes to move the press around to allow more forward 50 entries. This means more chances to put the Collingwood defence under pressure, something that they haven’t really had to cope with all season.
Both teams are experts at applying pressure and keeping the ball inside their respective forward 50 arcs. This means that clearances will be hugely important and the duel between Ben McEvoy and Darren Jolly will have a significant impact on the result.
If the Saints can get on top with the clearances and role players such as Jones and Dempster can succeed in their set tasks, well there is no reason why they can’t bring home the four points.
St Kilda by 3 points
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