Despite a whirlwind week for the country, St Kilda will be heading into Saturday afternoon with only one task in mind: beat the Eagles in the west.
It is something the Saints have not done in over a decade, and that challenge will not get any easier given the losses of Tom Highmore, Dan McKenzie and Rowan Marshall.
But adversity is nothing new for Brett Ratten’s men, and they have shown time and time again that their best performances are often with their backs to the wall.
Round 19 | 2021
West Coast v St Kilda
4:35PM, Saturday 24 July
Optus Stadium
Broadcast live on Fox Footy and Kayo
Key storylines
COVID curveballs
It has been a turbulent week across Australia, and the Saints were not spared from the chaos.
Multiple lockdowns across the country led to the club rushing from Marvel Stadium to the airport last week to get to Western Australia in time to commence its seven-day. quarantine.
Rowan Marshall was then forced into isolation after he attended a tier one exposure site in Melbourne, meaning the Saints will be without their star ruckman against West Coast.
A decade of drought
Round 9, 2010: the last time St Kilda beat the Eagles in the west.
It has been a long decade for the Saints when travelling across the Nullarbor, having only won three times from 12 outings.
Their last victory came in 2017 against Fremantle, where they took home a tight nine-point win, but they haven’t beaten West Coast in Perth since 2010.
But with the Eagles having lost to the Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne in their last two matches at home, it could be the perfect time for St Kilda to break the drought.
West Coast's forward line has struggled to fire so far this season, but the return of Josh Kennedy could change that, with the key forward leading the club in the Coleman race.
Young emergencies
A debut could be on the cards for either Matthew Allison or Cooper Sharman come Saturday afternoon, albeit as a medical sub.
Both youngsters were named as emergencies for the clash with the Eagles for the first time and could be a chance to be named as the medical sub at Optus Stadium.
Allison was taken with St Kilda’s first pick in the 2020 national draft, while Sharman was snapped up in the 2021 mid-season draft from South Australia.
The 19-year-old Allison has been playing mostly in the backline for Sandringham in his first season on an AFL list, while Sharman has impressed in the forward-line for the Zebras.
The Saints have already seen one medical sub make his debut this season, with Leo Connolly donning the vest against Richmond at the MCG, coming on in the third quarter after Nick Coffield suffered a hamstring injury.
Some words from Ratts
Team line-ups
The Saints were forced to make three changes to their starting 22 from last week, with Tom Highmore (injured), Dan McKenzie (concussison) and Rowan Marshall (isolating) all ruled out of the side.
Nick Coffield returns to the senior line-up after he injured his hamstring against the Tigers, with Paul Hunter and Oscar Clavarino joining him for Round 19.
Last week’s medical sub in Jack Bytel has been named as an emergency alongside Jack Lonie and first-time selections Matthew Allison and Cooper Sharman.
On the radar
With Rowan Marshall out of the side, Nic Naitanui will be all the more dangerous for the Eagles.
The West Coast ruckman currently sits at first in the AFL for hit-outs to advantage and rating points, and second for hit-outs in total.
He is also sitting first amongst ruckmen for contested possessions, inside-50s, centre clearances, stoppage clearances and total clearances.
To combat the high-flying Eagle, the Saints will be relying on Paddy Ryder and the returning Paul Hunter to quell the impact of Naitanui.
The 33-year-old Ryder last faced off against Naitanui in 2020, where the veteran ruckman grabbed 13 disposals, 22 hit-outs and a goal, while the Eagles' star nabbed 18 disposals and 33 hit-outs of his own.
Keep an eye on
It has been two years since Bradley Hill has played AFL footy in Western Australia, and the speedy half-back will be hoping for a happy homecoming.
His last three weeks have seen the 28-year-old collect 30, 25 and 29 disposals against Collingwood, Brisbane and Port Adelaide, providing a crucial link between defence and attack for the Saints.
With the Saints looking to come away with a famous victory out west, Hill’s performance will be pivotal in deciding the result.
Last time we met
It was a win for the ages against the Eagles back in Round 4.
Staring down the barrel at three-quarter time, St Kilda rallied for an incredible comeback to kick the last eight goals of the game to come away as 20-point victors.
Brad Crouch stood tall with 26 disposals and 12 tackles, while Jack Steele was his consistent self with 33 disposals, six tackles and a goal.
But it was Max King who stole the show with five goals in a performance that harkened back to the days of Riewoldt and Gehrig.
Dan Butler booted three goals, while Jack Billings and Tim Membrey slotted two goals apiece themselves.
The Saints importantly won the clearances (46-30), contested possessions (152-129) and tackles (69-53), and they will be looking to do the same come this Saturday.
ST KILDA 4.2 5.5 10.11 15.12 (102)
WEST COAST 6.2 10.3 13.3 13.4 (82)
GOALS
St Kilda: King 5, Butler 3, Membrey 2, Billings 2, McKenzie, Steele, Higgins
West Coast: Petruccelle 4, Darling 2, Allen 2, Kennedy 2, Ryan, Cripps, Winder
BEST
St Kilda: King, Steele, Hill, Crouch, Butler
West Coast: Darling, Petruccelle, Sheed, Naitanui, McGovern
