Where and when:

Saturday April 20, 5.50pm (Melbourne time)

Westpac Stadium, Wellington

In: J.Koschitzke , S.Dempster , T.Lee , B.Murdoch , J.Saunders

Out: S.Milne (Suspension) , F.Ray (Omitted) , B.Maister (Hand) , T.Milera (Omitted) , T.Simpkin (Omitted)

New: J.Saunders () , B.Murdoch ()

Overview:

Historically, this match is the first of its kind – an overseas venture for premiership points as the AFL looks to spread its wings beyond Australia.

For the players, once the ball is bounced the symbolism of Anzac Day and the significance of the occasion will be put aside in the pursuit of four points.

Both teams were stung last week, St Kilda to Essendon and Sydney to Geelong. The Saints were outplayed by a highly efficient Bomber outfit, whereas a dominant third quarter from the Cats cost the Swans the game after a relatively even and high-scoring first half.

Sydney had 47 tackles at the SCG last Friday, compared to their 73 a fortnight earlier against Gold Coast. It was a statistic that John Longmire publically lamented post-game as ‘un-Sydney-like.’

Conversely, St Kilda struggled to get their hands on the ball, trailing the Bombers in contested possessions and disposals all evening.

Stephen Milne, who booted five goals when these two teams last met, is suspended, while Beau Maister is out with a wrist injury. Defender Lewis Roberts-Thomson will miss for the Swans with a knee injury as will Rhyce Shaw with an abdominal strain.

The match looms as a pivotal clash for St Kilda as they seek their second win for the year, while John Longmire’s men will be committed to righting last Friday’s wrongs. 

Both teams had 19 goals booted against them in round four, and will not favour a similarly high-scoring shootout this Thursday in what is forecast to be windy and chilly conditions at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium.

Stat focus:

• This game will be number 14,204 in VFL/AFL History, and the first overseas.
• Westpac Stadium will be the 32^nd VFL/AFL venue St Kilda has played at, more than any other foundation club, and equal with Richmond.
• Westpac Stadium is the 43^rd VFL/AFL ground.
• Of the last six draws in AFL matches, St Kilda has been involved in three of them.
• Swans midfielder Josh Kennedy is averaging 17.7 contested possessions per game this season, the most in the AFL.
• Saints skipper Nick Riewoldt has taken 37 marks in 2013, ranked fourth in the AFL.
• Nick Malceski has had more rebound 50s than any other player in the AFL this season, averaging 8.7 per game.
• Of all the players that have played four matches this year, Ted Richards has spent the most time on the ground (99.6%), while Heath Grundy is second (99.3%)
• St Kilda has the highest disposal efficiency in the league this year at 74%.
• Stephen Milne will miss his first game since round 22, 2010. He had played 53 games in a row before this week.

Injury list:

St Kilda:

Sean Dempster (hand) - test

Daniel Markworth (ACL) – Season

James Gwilt (knee) 1-2

Jackson Ferguson (knee) – 1-2 weeks

Adam Schneider (hamstring) 2-3 weeks

Jack Newnes (fractured jaw) 1-2 weeks

Sydney:

Alex Johnson (ACL) – season

Sam Naismith (thumb) – 2 weeks

Lewis Roberts-Thomson (knee) – TBA

Gary Rohan (leg) – Indefinite

Rhyce Shaw (abdominal strain) – 1-2 weeks

Last week:

St Kilda 13.13 (91) defeated by Essendon 19.14 (128)

Sydney 16.7 (103) defeated by Geelong 19.10 (124)

What they say (Jude Bolton on Wednesday morning):

“It’s an interesting oval and certainly a high quality stadium.

It’s just really exciting that the boys are part of playing the first game for premiership points outside of Australia.

Our guys are just really excited to hit back hard after a pretty disappointing game last week.

Hopefully it will be a hard, physical game. We know St Kilda’s game plan and they know ours pretty solidly, so we hope it’s just a really hard fought contest and a bit of a spectacle as well.”

What we say (Leigh Montagna on Wednesday):

It is going to be windy and it’s not going to be warm … but it’s a nice little ground, it holds about 35,000 people.

Everyone is very excited. There has been a big contingency of members that have flown over as well and the boys are gearing up [for] tomorrow’s game.

[The ground] is small. It’s smaller than the SCG, but as I said the ground is in beautiful condition and it’s a beautiful surface and the stadium is in really good knick.”

Running hot:

St Kilda: Jack Steven

The 23-year-old has collected more disposals than any other Saint in 2013, confirming his transformation into one of St Kilda’s finest ball-winners. The zippy midfielder is averaging 25.3 possessions per game, and also pumped the ball inside 50 on five occasions at Etihad Stadium last Saturday.

Sydney: Josh Kennedy

The 2012 Sydney best and fairest has been in rousing form in the first month of the season, averaging 27 disposals per game and leading the AFL in contested possessions. In round 17 last year, Kennedy amassed 28 handballs in amongst 35 touches, illustrating his worth as an inside midfielder and ability to get first hands on the ball.

Watch out for:

St Kilda: Lenny Hayes

The veteran on-baller has had a consistent first month to the season, averaging almost five tackles per game and 24 disposals. It’s no secret that the 267-gamer loves the physical contest, and will relish the smaller Westpac Stadium and its confined spaces. He went head-to-head with Ryan O’Keefe the last time these two teams met, and it shapes as an intriguing duel if the matchup eventuates again.

Sydney: Jarrad McVeigh

Sydney’s co-captain is a model of reliability on the footy field. He is averaging 27.6 disposals in the last five Sydney vs Saints clashes, and is a barometer for Swans success in recent times. In round 17 last year, the 28-year-old had a dominant first term which set the tone for the remainder of the game.

Last time they met:

Round 17, 2012 at the SCG

Attendance: 26,834

Sydney 15.15 (105) defeated St Kilda 10.16 (76)

Disposals: Kennedy (35), Montagna (23)

Goals: Milne (5), Goodes, Bolton, Jack (2)

You can follow Tom Morris on Twitter: @tommorris32