At a glance:
- Key forward Caitlin Greiser is thrilled St Kilda's forward line – complete with new inclusions Jacqui Vogt and Renee Saulitis – is beginning to deal more damage in games.
- The Saints registered their highest score last Friday (8.3) against the Western Bulldogs.
- A strong body of work in the pre-season focussed on the generating more inside-50s and deeper entries.
All-Australian full forward Caitlin Greiser says St Kilda’s forward line is full of confidence after registering its highest score last Friday against the Western Bulldogs.
Greiser slotted two of the Saints’ eight goals for the evening, with the 8.3 (51) scoreboard overcoming their previous best score in the final game of Season 2020 against Richmond.
“I feel like our forward line has improved heaps this year and that’s really exciting to see,” Greiser told saints.com.au.
“Jacqui Vogt has been really, really great for us and she’s already improved the forward line and our structure so much.
“Especially for myself and Kate Shierlaw being talls, she’s just that hybrid that can play tall, can play small and she’s able to impact the game with her defensive side as well.
“Renee Saulitis has been a gun as well and has shown us what she can do, and Darcy Guttirdge was on fire on Friday, so it’s up to all of us to keep building.”
From Round 3 last season onwards, the Saints have improved their total score compared to the preceding game.
But keeping the scoreboard ticking over regularly and generating more inside-50s remained an area of focus during the 2021 pre-season.
| Match | Score | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|
| Round 3 v Melbourne (2020) | 3.1 (19) | Greiser 2, Guttridge |
| Round 4 v Fremantle (2020) | 3.5 (23) | Greiser, McDonald, Vesely |
| Round 5 v Carlton (2020) | 4.5 (29) | Greiser 2, Watt, Shierlaw |
| Round 6 v Richmond (2020) | 6.6 (42) | Greiser 3, Shierlaw, Xenos, Guttridge |
| Round 1 v Western Bulldogs (2021) | 8.3 (51) | Greiser 2, Guttridge 2, Vogt, Smith, Patrikios, Shierlaw |
“We wanted to just make sure that we were getting the footy inside-50 more, so we were working on getting it a little bit deeper so we can score as many times as we can,” Greiser said.
“On our Saturday match simulation type of trainings, we did a lot of work on forward entries and then the connection between the lines, so mids to forwards and then backs to mids.
“We all worked together to make sure we stretched the ground a bit so us forwards aren’t so high up the ground and we’re able to get into the forward line and convert.”
If you’ve been hearing calls of ‘Greiser!’ early on in games as well, there’s reason for it.
The key forward has registered the Saints’ opening score (four goals, two behinds) from the past six games, and last Friday, jagged the first of the game within a minute.
“I just go out there and what to do what I can for the team,” Greiser said.
“It’s cool to see that stat, but I don’t really care who scores. As long as we get on the scoreboard that’s all that matters.”
