It is a 22-year hoodoo that St Kilda must break to stay in the hunt for September as they head to the Cattery this Saturday afternoon.
But backs to the wall footy is nothing new for the Saints. In fact, their best performances this season have come when the odds are stacked against them.
Geelong on their home turf is a challenge in of itself, but St Kilda will look to last week’s outing against the Swans, as well as the Cats’ loss to GWS, as the blueprint to beating Chris Scott’s men.
With only two rounds left until the finals begin, the ramifications from Saturday afternoon will go a long way to determining the top-eight in September.
Round 22 | 2021
Geelong v St Kilda
Saturday 14 August
4:35PM, GMHBA Stadium
Broadcast live on Fox Footy and Kayo
Key storylines
Like it’s 1999
Our last win at Kardinia Park went down as one of the greatest turnarounds against the odds.
— St Kilda FC (@stkildafc) August 11, 2021
Club historian Russell Holmesby looks back to when the courage of the heroic Robert Harvey inspired victory.
St Kilda might start partying like it’s 1999 should they knock off Geelong this Saturday afternoon at GMHBA Stadium.
It has been 22 years since the Saints have come away from the Cattery with the four points, with Robert Harvey courageously leading his side to a brilliant 10-point victory.
Despite the two-decade drought at the ground, Brett Ratten and his troops will be buoyed by their performance against Sydney last week, finishing the game as 29-point winners in an impressive display.
They’ll also look to replicate the outing from the Giants last week, who knocked off the Cats at GMHBA Stadium by 19 points.
With Tom Stewart, Gary Rohan and Zach Tuohy all set to miss Saturday through injury, the Saints will be hoping to take advantage of the three major losses to the Cats' side.
Hanners is back
For the first time in almost a year, Dan Hannebery will line-up on an AFL field for the Saints after two promising games in the VFL.
The 2012 Premiership Swan was last seen in the 2020 semi-final against the Tigers but has been consigned to the sidelines this season due to ongoing soft-tissue injuries.
However, his leadership skills off the field have been outstanding for the club, with Hannebery proving himself a popular member amongst the playing group.
Senior Coach Brett Ratten was keen to reward the 30-year-old for his hard work with a mental boost, and the Saints will be keen to get another leader on the field for the challenge of Geelong at GMHBA.
Beware the Tomahawk
Sitting fourth on the Coleman leader board, the threat of Tom Hawkins is very real for the St Kilda defence.
In his 15th season, the Geelong spearhead has slotted 47 goals for the year, having kicked three or more goals eight times this season, with a season-high of six majors against the Dons in Round 16.
The 33-year-old works well in tandem with fellow forwards in Jeremy Cameron and Gary Rohan, however Geelong will be one tall short this Saturday, with Rohan set to miss with injury.
It is a blow to the Cats' forward line, with Rohan having slotted two majors the last time the two sides met, while in 2020 he kicked 4.3 in Geelong's 59-point win over Brett Ratten's men.
The former Swan can be incredibly damaging across the ground, and doesn't necessarily need a lot of the footy to make an impact, so St Kilda fans would be breathing a sigh of relief at the fact Rohan will not take to the field.
While the Saints themselves will be missing the high-flying youngster in Tom Highmore, they will be bolstered by the return of Dougal Howard, and with Callum Wilkie doing an excellent job on Swans’ star Lance Franklin last week, it is likely the two will rotate between Hawkins and Cameron.
Some words from Ratts
Team lineups
Dan Hannebery will play his first AFL game in 309 days after two promising displays in the VFL while key defender Dougal Howard is also set to return to senior ranks after missing last week’s match due to a hamstring strain.
Meanwhile, Tom Highmore (hand) will miss the trip to the Cattery and will be replaced in the side by Darragh Joyce.
Leo Connolly (concussion) joins omitted Saint Jack Bytel (medi-sub) on the sidelines for Round 22, while Hunter Clark will miss as he recovers from concussion.
Bytel has been listed as an emergency alongside Ben Long, Oscar Clavarino and Paul Hunter.
On the radar
The Geelong midfield is a dangerous prospect for opposition sides, and there is no one more dangerous this season than Cameron Guthrie.
The 28-year-old is averaging 30 disposals, six marks and five tackles per game this season, leading the Cats for disposals, uncontested possessions, and stoppage clearances.
His last outing against the Saints saw Guthrie collect 36 disposals, seven tackles, six marks and a goal in an outstanding display, so the necessity to quell the impact of the Cats' danger man is massive.
Brett Ratten could turn to Luke Dunstan for the job on the Cats’ midfielder, with the Saints’ No. 7 having provided some solid tagging performances when manning up on Trent Cotchin and Ben Cunnington in weeks gone by.
Keep an eye on
In a season that has opened the door for young talents to showcase their skills on the AFL stage, Cooper Sharman certainly took his chance when it came.
Picked up in the mid-season draft this year, the 21-year-old impressed for the Zebras, booting six goals in three games to earn an AFL debut as the medical sub against West Coast.
While he didn’t get to take to the field, Sharman found himself subbed on the next week against the Blues, where he kicked two goals and collected eight disposals.
The high-flying forward repeated the dose a week later against Sydney, kicking another two majors, including the first goal of the game from an incredibly tight angle, and also grabbed 11 touches.
The last time we met
It was one that got away for the Saints, who were left to rue their inaccuracy in front of goal as they went down to the 2020 Grand Finalists by 21 points.
Geelong was once again led by Cameron Guthrie, who collected 36 disposals, seven tackles, six marks and a goal, while Zach Tuohy and Mitch Duncan had 31 and 30 touches apiece.
For the Saints, Jack Steele was his tackle-happy self with 11, while also nabbing 23 disposals and a goal, working well with Brad Crouch (28 disposals) and Seb Ross (26 disposals) in the middle.
ST KILDA 0.7 3.11 4.13 5.17 (47)
GEELONG 2.1 4.2 6.6 10.8 (68)
GOALS
St Kilda: Membrey 2, Butler, King, Steele
Geelong: Close 2, Hawkins 2, Rohan 2, Cameron, C.Guthrie, Menegola, Narkle
BEST
St Kilda: Crouch, Ross, Billings, Sinclair, Membrey, Ryder
Geelong: C.Guthrie, Tuohy, Duncan, Smith, Stewart, Close, Henderson
INJURIES
St Kilda: Marshall (foot)
Geelong: Dahlhaus replaced in selected side by Jordan Clark
SUBSTITUTES
St Kilda: Long (replaced Marshall in the third quarter)
Richmond: Holmes (unused)
Moment of the match
Backpedalling with the flight of the footy, Jack Lonie threw himself backwards with no regard for his own safety, ultimately feeling the force of Lachie Henderson and Jack Henry slam into his back.
The smallest man on the ground was decimated as he lay gasping for air in the middle of Marvel Stadium, with teammates and fans alike looking on in awe at the courage shown.
It may have gone unrewarded on the scoreboard, but inside the walls of the club, Brett Ratten would point to this moment as a clear example of the little things needed to win games of footy.
