Sam old problems for St Kilda in 49-point loss to Adelaide
‘SAINTS footy’ — just a catchy phrase or an unconditional commitment? We’ll know more by Round 7 but on what St Kilda has dished up so far in 2018, it is looking much more like the former.
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“SAINTS footy” ... just a catchy phrase or an unconditional commitment?
We’ll know more definitively after what looms as a month from hell, but on face value of what St Kilda has dished up so far in 2018, it is looking much more like the former.
RECAP: ‘THAT’S RUBBISH BY JAKE CARLISLE’
MATCH CENTRE: FULL STATS AND SUPERCOACH
For after a week of soul-searching, tough talk about the contested non-negotiables and some changes at the selection table following a Good Friday flogging at the hands of North Melbourne, the Saints still came up short when it mattered most against Adelaide at Etihad Stadium.
Clearly, the St Kilda cheer squad were believers - with their pre-game banner (with perfect spelling) reading: “Making a comeback after Good Friday ... it’s been done before.”
But even allowing for that cheeky reference, the Saints never looked like upsetting their more well-drilled and talented opponents, eventually going down by 49 points on a dirty night.
The road ahead doesn’t look any easier for Alan Richardson and his team, either. Their next four weeks includes a trip to Geelong next Sunday to take on the Cats, followed by Greater Western Sydney, Hawthorn (in Launceston) and Melbourne, a stretch which could define their season by the end of Round 7.
The frustration is clearly telling on Saints’ fans, too, with only 19,324 turning up for a game that won’t feature in too many highlights reels.
On face value, and during stages of the first half, the Crows looked “gettable”, without the Crouch brothers, and with two of their most important players Rory Sloane and Taylor Walker doing their bit, but appearing to play under a little duress.
When St Kilda got to within eight points at the nine-minute mark of the third term, it looked as if it might be game on. That was, however, an illusion.
The Crows kicked nine of the next 12 goals, and coasted to the most comfortable of victories.
As the game slipped away during that period, defender Jake Carlisle, who tried hard, was left lamenting a teammate’s effort while the ball was still in play, leaving Channel 7’s Cameron Ling calling it “pretty rubbish ... you don’t carry on like that when the ball is still in the contest.”
The issues were the same old bug-bears for Richardson.
The effort was there at stages; the execution wasn’t. Time and again, the Saints butchered the ball, particularly when going forward.
They won the inside 50m count by three, and won the contested possession ledger by the same figure, but couldn’t take advantage of either.
Eleven of the Crows’ 15 goals came from turnovers. Worse still, the Saints lost the tackle count by 28, with their overall tally of 51 hardly what the coach would have wanted.
The forward line failed to function once more, with only seven goals (just two more than last week) coming from their 54 inside-50s.
The late withdrawal of Tim Membrey didn’t help, but the key position attack of Josh Bruce (one goal) and Paddy McCartin (no goals) failed to flatter again.
The renewed partnership of former Blues Bryce Gibbs and Sam Jacobs looks a real bonus for the Crows, as both had huge impacts on this game.
Paul Seedsman had an exceptional game, Rory Laird was solid again with an equal game-high 32 touches, while Eddie Betts finally got on the goals stats sheet for 2018, kicking three, as did Walker.
The Saints had no multiple goalkickers, and while their forward line structure leaves a lot to be desired, so too do the avenues into that barren part of the ground.
BEST
Adelaide: Gibbs, Laird, Jacobs, Seedsman, Douglas, Talia, Atkins, Betts, Brown.
St Kilda: Savage, Ross, Sinclair, Newnes, Steven, Dunstan.
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Originally published as Sam old problems for St Kilda in 49-point loss to Adelaide
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