Another week, another Steven masterpiece

Jack Steven’s establishment as a bona-fide A-grade midfielder continued on the weekend, with the game-breaker producing another best on ground performance. All Australian selection surely beckons for the midfield ace, given the calibre of performance he is compiling on a weekly basis. At Etihad Stadium on Saturday night, Steven amassed 39 possessions after bursting out of the blocks with 26 inside the first hour. He also had a game-high 14 contested possessions and eight score involvements, along with seven tackles and six clearances. While you could have thrown a blanket over the rest of St Kilda’s players on Saturday night, such was the evenness of their contribution; Steven was the standout, yet again. And while he stood out with his offensive attack, he’s by no means a one-way runner. He leads St Kilda for pressure points this season and recorded the second highest reading against the Dogs (64.3). A third Trevor Barker Award looms on the horizon. Talk about rare territory.

Finals-like atmosphere under the lid

St Kilda’s pursuit of a return to finals football stepped up another gear on Saturday night. Not only was the result another step in the right direction, but the Saints’ ability to step up in a final-like atmosphere was a major positive. While the Bulldogs endured a high level of drama on the medical front, losing Mitch Wallis in the last quarter in a gruesome fashion after he snapped his leg, as well as Jack Redpath to an ACL and Dale Morris with a hamstring, the night was enthralling enough with the pure football. The pace was electric as the Saints looked to take on their more fancied opponents at every available opportunity. Jack Steven’s effort around the ground was inspiring, but the even spread of input around the ground was as telling. David Armitage’s numbers don’t leap off the page, but that’s until you look at his pressure reading. He recorded a massive 92.1 points – 2nd for the round behind Andrew Swallow (98.4). To put that into context, only 21 players across all nine games recorded more than 60 points.

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Progress undeniable in 2016

The ‘f-word’ might be a scary word to say out loud, but after Saturday night it’s a possibility that is growing by the week. While still a slim chance, it’s becoming fatter. St Kilda remains two games adrift of North Melbourne, with an encounter between the two sides on Saturday night looming as an eight-point game. Regardless of whether or not the Saints feature in September, the progress made in the second half of 2016 is undeniable. St Kilda has now won seven of their last nine games, with all seven victories coming under the roof at Etihad Stadium; a venue which has quickly become somewhat of a fortress again. And with three of the last five games to come at Docklands, the future is exciting. The 15-point win over the Dogs also marked St Kilda’s second top-four scalp for the season, following their three-point win over Geelong in Round 14.

Roo gets the job done inside 50

After spending the bulk of the year playing on a wing, Nick Riewoldt spent more time ahead of the ball on Saturday night where he kicked four crucial goals in a low scoring affair. Three goals in the second quarter against Bulldogs key defenders Dale Morris and Fletcher Roberts helped wrestle back the momentum as the Saints put on five unanswered goals through the middle part of the game to set the win up. The six-time Trevor Barker Award winner also collected 19 possessions and ten marks (three marks inside 50) in an excellent performance. After 18 rounds, Riewoldt still leads the competition for marks (10.1 per game), averaging nearly two more than the next best in Collingwood defender Ben Reid (8.2). His second bag of four for the year sees him now sit on 27.17 from 16 appearances, third behind Tim Membrey (34.15) and Josh Bruce (29.16).

Limited Edition History Book: Celebrating 50 Years 1966-2016 The Archives Edition