After the feast comes the famine.
And after the Lions’ blazing display against the red, white and black last season, Brett Ratten’s men will be intent on starving the Lions of success ahead of their clash for Sir Doug Nicholls Round.
With both sides in good touch, a top-four spot up for grabs and the significance of the Round setting the stage, Sunday afternoon’s match is sure to deliver a cracking contest.
Round 13
Brisbane v St Kilda
Sunday 22 August
Gabba, 3:35pm
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Last time we met…
Round 14, 2019
Saturday 22 June
Marvel Stadium
St Kilda 8.11 (59) def. by Brisbane 17.13 (115)
The return of Dan Hannebery and Jake Carlisle from long-term injury was undercut by a barnstorming Lions outfit, who showed no mercy as they took another step towards breaking its 10-year finals drought.
A nine-goal demolition in the third term convincingly confirmed the result, with All Australian forward Charlie Cameron slotting five of Brisbane’s 17 goals to give his side its first win over the Saints at Marvel Stadium in 19 years.
The standouts...
After making his debut in Townsville the week before, Nicholas Hind wowed the Victorian fanbase the following with a dazzling three-goal display.
The mature-age recruit slotted back-to-back goals in the first quarter; the second of which came complete with his electric speed, rapid-fire dance-steps around opposition and a classy finish on his opposite foot.
Dan Hannebery (27 disposals), Seb Ross (30 disposals, seven clearances) and Jade Gresham (24 disposals, one goal) battled hard through the midfield, while Rowan Marshall was again impressive with 37 hit-outs and 12 disposals.
Unfortunately for the red, white and black, they were thrown to the Lions after quarter-time.
The Lions midfielders feasted on an abundance of footy, with eight players notching up over 20 disposals – five of those also added a goal to their impressive tallies.
But it was the electric Charlie Cameron who stole the show, exploding onto the scene with five goals and an eventual three Brownlow votes.
Cameron owned the forward 50 and broke free of any clamps the Saints tried to apply, while midfielders Jarryd Lyons (24 disposals) and Hugh McCluggage (22) added to their influential outings with two goals apiece.
Skipper Dayne Zorko led his side with 28 disposals (13 contested) and six clearances and was joined inside and outside by Lachie Neale (25 disposals), while the seasoned Stefan Martin covered the ground brilliantly with 22 disposals, 25 hit-outs and seven inside-50s.
Down in defence, Daniel Rich and Harris Andrews helped keep the Saints to eight goals for the match.
From the archives...
Fan-favourite Troy Schwarze entered St Kilda folklore in 2004 with one of the most brilliant roosts to give the Saints a miraculous one-point win over the reigning Premiers.
The year before, the Saints and Lions had played out another famous thriller, with the heart-racing result going right down to the final second… literally.
Round 12 recap…
St Kilda bagged the four points against Essendon at the Gabba last Sunday, running away with a 35-point win following a strong opening half.
Zak Jones marshalled the on-ball force with 26 disposals, four clearances and several clinical extractions through traffic, and was joined by the red-hot Jack Steele (21 disposals) inside.
Recently re-signed Saint Josh Battle was terrific all over the ground with seven intercepts and nine marks, while Nick Coffield was in terrific touch with 10 marks.
Big men Paddy Ryder and Rowan Marshall combined to great effect through the middle, while three goals to Max King saw the No. 12 awarded with a NAB Rising Star nomination.
Brisbane also came away with a win, but in far less convincing fashion against North Melbourne.
The Lions almost allowed the Roos – who were coming off a 57-point loss to Melbourne – to pinch the win in the final quarter, before narrowly escaping with a one-point win thanks to a little bit of luck and an opportune intercept mark from Harris Andrews.
Chris Fagan’s men got moving after a sluggish start, and – revved up their coach’s impassioned half-time address – came up trumps over their young midfield opposition through Jarryd Lyons, Dayne Zorko and Lachie Neale.
The ins and outs...
Rested duo Jake Carlisle and Dean Kent have been brought back in to the senior line-up for Sir Doug Nicholls Round.
Silky half-back Hunter Clark (rested) and small forward Jack Lonie (omitted) have made way for the experienced pair.
Brisbane has also made two changes, bringing in Rising Star Cam Rayner and debutant Tom Fullarton, who has been elevated to the senior list after being drafted as a Category B rookie.
Rhys Mathieson and Matt Eagles have been omitted.
Our Indigenous Guernsey…
St Kilda will wear its 2020 Indigenous Guernsey ahead Sunday’s match as part of Sir Doug Nicholls Round.
Designed by Matty Parker, the guernsey represents his family, his ancestors and his heritage as a Noongar/Yuet man from the Ballardong region, and signifies how they are always protecting him through his journey in life, as an AFL footballer and as a father.
The seventh iteration of St Kilda's Indigenous Guernsey not only saw significant influence from Parker, but several important contributions from partner Shardah and son Matty Jr.
The stat…
Even with the 2020 Season being relocated to the Sunshine State, Brisbane have only played one of its past seven matches at the Gabba.
Conversely, the Saints have played three of its past four games on the Lions’ home deck.
The leading Lions…
Any conversation surrounding Brisbane’s fine form, or the Brownlow Medal, for that matter, has been inexorably linked to Lachie Neale.
The star Lion has barely taken a misstep this season through his league-high volume of possessions (he hasn’t registered below 20 disposals in 2020), clearance ascendancy and cleanliness in traffic.
While there’s been speculation as to whether Jack Steele will be tasked with reining in the Brownlow favourite, it won’t be known until Sunday whether the two No. 9s will go head-to-head.
Neale hasn’t been alone in his on-ball efforts, despite leading the Lions in most midfield metrics, with Jarryd Lyons, Hugh McCluggage and Dayne Zorko complementing his dominant displays.
McCluggage’s outside run has been a highlight all season, while the skipper’s grunt inside has served as the ideal foil.
Young Lion Zac Bailey has also taken a big step forward this season to become a core member of the senior side.
Combined, the Lions’ midfield have generated the most inside-50s in the competition this season, and as a result, are the third-highest scoring team (853 points).
The ever-reliable Harris Andrews continues to lead the Lions’ defence superbly, with his safe hands, intercept plays and defining spoils seeing very few forwards get on top of him, while veterans Daniel Rich and Grant Birchall have been resolute down back.
Up the other end of the ground, the dynamic Charlie Cameron will be intent on rekindling his damaging form after a quiet outing against North Melbourne.
The 26-year-old leads the Lions’ goalkicking with 20 majors and has packed a strong punch alongside fellow small Lincoln McCarthy (11 goals) and key forward Eric Hipwood (17 goals).
50-gamer Oscar McInerney has manned the No. 1 ruck role in Stefan Martin’s absence, averaging 21 hit-outs per game to complement his ability to swing forward and stretch opposition defences.
On the injury front…
A concussion to Ben Paton was the only injury concern to come out of St Kilda’s Round 12 win over the Bombers.
The young defender is all set to go seven days after the incident to continue his proficient season as part of the red, white and black’s developing backline.
Brisbane came out of their encounter against North Melbourne with no injury concerns.
