The fans have spoken, and as voted by you, Dougal Howard is this week’s Dare Iced Coffee Sainter of the Round.
St Kilda may have faltered on several fronts on Saturday night, but the co-vice-captain continued to fight tooth-and-nail as he attempted to drag his side back into the contest.
Howard ended his evening with a career-best 29 disposals at almost 80 per cent efficiency, adding an impressive nine intercepts, nine rebound-50s and game-high 769 metres gained to his name by the final siren.
The 25-year-old gave his all when rallying the backline, working well alongside Callum Wilkie as Melbourne’s attack continued to pierce the Saints’ defensive end.
Senior coach Brett Ratten and his teammates acknowledged Howard’s leadership, direction and competitiveness in yesterday’s team review, labelling it as one of the positives to come from the game.
Two votes go to Jack Steele, whose tireless performance through the midfield put the Saints in a position to pinch the four points late in the game.
The skipper snared 24 disposals (14 contested) and three goals to keep his side in the hunt, with his final major putting the Saints within two goals late in the third quarter.
Steele collected 10 touches and back-to-back goals in the third term before Melbourne regained control in the last.
Jade Gresham rounds out this week’s voting, finishing with 29 possessions, nine clearances, 10 inside-50s and a goal.
The No. 4’s goal on the run in the final quarter put the Saints three points adrift in the final term, but it wasn't enough as Melbourne consolidated an 18-point win under the roof.
