St Kilda have one mission on Saturday night - subdue the Brisbane Lions.
After banking a second straight victory at the MCG last week, the Saints will head north to take on Chris Fagan's men, looking to keep their momentum flowing.
The task will not be a simple one though, with Brisbane currently sitting third on the ladder, hungry to secure a top-four spot before the end of the year.
The return of Zak Jones is set to strengthen the St Kilda midfield, and with the season entering the finals rounds of the year, Saturday night will go a long way in deciding the set-up of the top-eight.
Round 17 | 2021
Brisbane v St Kilda
Saturday 10 July
7:25PM, Metricon Stadium
Broadcast live on Channel Seven, Fox Footy and Kayo
Key Storylines
Zak’s back
It was the final kick of a training session that would see Zak Jones miss nearly two months of footy.
Rupturing his quad in May, the 26-year-old will finally make his return this Saturday against the Lions in a major selection boost for the St Kilda midfield.
Jones was in stellar form earlier in the year, collecting 37 disposals, 16 contested possessions, seven clearances, six tackles and a goal against Hawthorn that earned him a perfect 10 coaches’ votes.
He followed this up with a 31-disposal, seven-tackle game against the Suns, leading the Saints to back-to-back wins before injury would interrupt his season.
With skipper Jack Steele, Luke Dunstan and Brad Crouch shouldering responsibilities in the midfield in since his absence, Jones’ return to the St Kilda engine room will only complement the in-form contingent.
Return of the Lion King
St Kilda will have their work cut out for them in the middle of the ground, with reigning Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale set to make his return.
The Lions’ midfielder has been in and out of the side with injury, playing the first six rounds before he returned in Round 12, taking to the field in the next three games before he was a late out last week against the Crows.
Despite injury impacting his season, Neale has still managed to put together impressive numbers.
He is currently averaging 26 touches per game with seven 25+ disposal matches, including a season-high 37 disposal, two-goal performance against Essendon.
If the Saints can quell the impact of the 28-year-old, as well as the other Brisbane midfielders, it will go a long way to swinging the game into their favour.
Man of Steele
Despite not being the loudest player on the field, Jack Steele certainly has let his actions do the talking in his first year as co-captain.
Sunday afternoon was the 16th time that Steele has put together a 20 + disposal and 10 + tackle game in his career, with five of those games coming this season.
The 25-year-old also had 11 tackles in the first half against the Pies, the most by any player in the opening two quarters of a game this season.
He would go on to finish with 36 disposals, 14 tackles and eight clearances, leading the Saints to their second straight win at the ‘G.
Steele is currently averaging 28 disposals and nine tackles per game, with five games this season seeing the co-captain have 30 or more touches.
His form has been outstanding for the Saints this season, and he will be looking to bring that pressure and intensity come Saturday in the Gold Coast.
Some words from Ratts
Team line-ups
St Kilda will go into Saturday night with just the one change, with Zak Jones returning from a quad injury that kept him out of action for seven weeks.
The No. 3 will make his first appearance in Saints’ colours since Round 8, replacing Jack Higgins in the side, who misses due to back soreness.
Dean Kent, Darragh Joyce, Jack Lonie and last week's unused medical sub Josh Battle have been named as emergencies for the game.
On the radar
Despite losing Lachie Neale for a good chunk of the season, Brisbane have still dominated in the middle of the ground, with much of that due to the impact of Jarryd Lyons.
The former Sun has led from the front in the absence of Neale, leading the Lions for total disposals, total clearances, contested possessions and tackles.
Lyons is averaging 29 disposals and seven tackles per game, well up from his career average of 22 disposals and five tackles, while he also sits fifth in the AFL for total tackles and seventh for contested possessions.
He has had three games this season with 35+ disposals, stepping up in the absence of Neale.
So while the return of Neale is certainly set to bolster Brisbane, St Kilda will have to contend with more than just the 2020 Brownlow medallist.
Keep an eye on
Dropped after one game in Round 5, Luke Dunstan has turned his season on its head, becoming one of the Saints’ most important pieces in their midfield.
Returning to the VFL with a clear message to smash the door down with big numbers, the 26-year-old did just that, averaging 36 disposals per game and jagging eight goals from his four outings in Sandringham colours.
Simply sensational from our No. 7 ??
— St Kilda FC (@stkildafc) June 26, 2021
Luke Dunstan was unanimously awarded the Ian Stewart Medal for his best-on-ground performance last night. pic.twitter.com/5ZZCEQuArB
His form was rewarded with selection against North Melbourne in Round 11, and the midfielder hasn’t looked back, becoming a vital cog in the Saints’ engine room.
Dunstan has not dropped below 25 disposals once since his return to the side, with three of those games seeing the No. 7 have nine or more tackles.
Working well alongside Brad Crouch and Jack Steele, the 100-gamer will also be joined by Zak Jones to form an impressive quartet in the midfield.
Last time we met
Coming off the back of a 35-point win over Essendon the week before, St Kilda found themselves back at the Gabba against Brisbane as they hoped to stamp their finals credentials.
The Lions took the ascendency early thanks to Lincoln McCarthy and Jarrod Berry, but Brett Ratten’s men fought back to trail by only four points heading into the main break.
A third-quarter shootout saw 14 total scoring shots, with Brisbane taking a 10-point lead into the final term.
Despite keeping the Lions goalless for the fourth quarter, the Saints couldn’t manage to take the lead as they fell short by two points.
Jack Steele was outstanding with 25 disposals, 10 tackles and a goal, while Zak Jones (23 disposals) and Dan Butler (two goals) offered strong support.
Dayne Zorko and Jarrod Berry were among the best for Brisbane with 21 and 20 disposals apiece, with the latter kicking two goals to boot.
Moment of the match
Midway through the third quarter, a brilliant passage of play saw St Kilda go coast-to-coast to kick a fantastic team goal.
Inside the Lions’ forward 50, a spoil led to Bradley Hill put on the jets and hit Jack Steele with a handball.
The Saints’ star then gave it off to Jack Sinclair in the middle of the ground, who sped inside 50 before giving the pass off to Dan Butler, who put on the finishing touches and converted a much-needed goal for his side, putting them within two points of Brisbane.
BRISBANE 2.5 3.6 6.13 6.14 (50)
ST KILDA 1.0 3.2 6.3 7.6 (48)
GOALS
Brisbane: J. Berry 2, McCarthy, Cameron, Bailey, Fullarton
St Kilda: Butler 2, Membrey, Kent, Marshall, Steele, Billings
BEST
Brisbane: Andrews, Berry, McCluggage, Hipwood, Zorko, Starcevich
St Kilda: Steele, Ryder, Coffield, Jones, Ross, Membrey, Marshall, Sinclair
