The Saints won’t be relying on a prayer in the City of Churches to get them through Monday's under-lights affair against Adelaide.
Desperate to get back on the winners list and just as hungry to avoid an 11th consecutive loss to the Crows, the red, white and black won’t be underestimating their winless opposition on their home deck.
Round 7
Adelaide v St Kilda
Monday 20 July
Adelaide Oval, 7:40pm EST
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Last time we met…
Adelaide 14.8 (92) def. St Kilda 10.10 (70)
The Saints were edged out by the Crows in Luke Dunstan’s 100th game, going down by 22 points to all but rule out their chances of an unlikely finals berth.
Despite drawing within less than a kick late in the third term, the home side rolled up the sleeves to boot six of last nine goals and keep their September hopes alive.
The standouts...
Jack Billings (26 disposals, four clearances) and Rowan Marshall (32 hit-outs, 20 disposals) continued their superb seasons to be among St Kilda’s best.
The pair were joined by Jack Steele (26 disposals, seven tackles), stand-in skipper Seb Ross (25 disposals, one goal) and milestone man Luke Dunstan (24 disposals, nine clearances) through the midfield, while Tim Membrey (three goals) packed the biggest punch as the Saints’ sole multiple goalkicker.
Callum Wilkie was incredibly robust up the other end to rack up 14 disposals and nine marks.
Unfortunately, the Saints couldn’t curb the influence of the Crows’ goalkickers, who propelled their side in front after five points separated the two teams at the main break.
Skipper Taylor Walker (four goals) got off the leash to keep Adelaide in touch with the top-eight, while Eddie Betts’ three and Matt Crouch’s pair to go alongside his 35 disposals went a long way in determining the win.
Daniel Talia was prolific against Membrey after the latter kicked two of his three goals in the opening half, while Bryce Gibbs and Rory Laird also made notable contributions.
Moment of the match...
Ben Long made sure of a classy finish in front of the big sticks to put the Saints back in the contest in the opening quarter.
History repeating...?
The Saints will be hoping to snap a longstanding streak against the Crows this week, with the red, white and black unable to snare the four points against their opposition since 2011.
From the archives...
Nick Riewoldt’s debut from 2001 may not have been the most ceremonious of matches for the future St Kilda legend, but Jason Cripps’ inspirational return and goal brought a smile in what would be Malcolm Blight’s final game as senior coach.
Round 6 recap…
After a blistering seven-goal opening term, St Kilda let a certain win slip through their fingers as Fremantle staged an incredible comeback to pinch an ardent victory at Metricon Stadium.
The Saints only had a handful of consistent contributors after quarter-time, with Jack Steele (22 disposals, four clearances), Jack Billings (18 disposals, one goal) and Callum Wilkie (18 disposals, seven rebounds) some of the better players on the day.
Tim Membrey topped the scoring list with three majors – including one to spark St Kilda’s late charge in the final term – while Zak Jones was also strong with two goals, four clearances and 15 disposals.
Brett Ratten didn’t mince his words in his stark review post-match, with the Saints unwavering in their mission to in remedy Saturday’s missteps.
Adelaide also found themselves without the four points by week’s end, succumbing to a revitalised West Coast outfit at Optus Stadium by 33 points.
The ins and outs...
19-year-old Ryan Byrnes will get his shot at senior level after earning a call-up off the back of his stellar form in the Saints’ past two scratch matches.
All-Australian ruckman Paddy Ryder joins St Kilda’s newcomers for Round 7, with Jonathon Marsh (omitted) and Ben Long (suspension) making way for the pair.
Former skipper Taylor Walker and ex-Magpie Paul Seedsman will return to the line-up as the Crows hunt for their maiden win of 2020.
Captain Rory Sloane (hand) and Billy Frampton (omitted) will miss this week's match, with the former expected to be sidelined for at least the next month with a fractured hand.
Tom Doedee has been named skipper in Sloane's absence, assuming the responsibility after just 26 senior games.
The Crows’ champions…
While the Crows are yet to record a win in 2020, it would be remiss of the Saints to underestimate their victory-starved opposition.
Taylor Walker is set for a return on Monday night, with the key forward pivotal in the previous clash between the two sides with four goals.
Walker sits on top of the club’s goalkicking for the year with five majors, and since 2014, has come away with at least a three-goal bag each time he's come up against the Saints.
Consistent scoring will be one of Adelaide’s key targets heading into Monday night, with the club averaging under six goals per game following the season resumption.
Matt and Brad Crouch have worked their way into the top-three for their side’s total disposals and clearances, but without Rory Sloane, the Crows will be relying heavily on the pair to rack up the numbers and even up the clearances.
Rory Laird and Daniel Talia will be looking forward to combatting the tall timber of Max King, Paddy Ryder and Tim Membrey, while ruckman Reilly O’Brien has battled well to lead the Crows for tackles (30) and hit-outs (136).
Adelaide’s defenders have topped the League's rebound count for the year, but conversely have conceded the most inside-50s, with an average discrepancy of 23 opposition entries per game following the season restart.
The stat...
A victory on Saturday will complete an important milestone in either Brett Ratten or Matthew Nicks’ coaching capers.
Four points to the Saints will signal Ratten’s first win as coach of St Kilda away from Marvel Stadium, while a victory for Nicks’ Crows will mark his first triumph as senior coach, as well as the club’s 11th straight win over the Saints.
On the injury front…
The Saints came out of Round 6 with a clean bill of health, but the Crows were dealt a big blow after Rory Sloane fractured his hand in a marking contest against the Eagles.
A conservative approach was taken with Dan Hannebery this week after the triple All-Australian pushed to fast-track his return in light of the club’s extended break.
