‘Putrid’: grand final rules under fire after St Kilda run feast in Premier Cricket final

Premier Cricket officials will recommend a compulsory close of innings in future grand finals after St Kilda batted for more than two days in the decider against Carlton at the Junction Oval.

St Kilda shows off the premiership flag and cup. Pic: Cricket Victoria

Rules for the Victorian Premier Cricket grand final are likely to be changed after St Kilda batted for the best part of three days in the season-decider against Carlton at the Junction Oval.

With no compulsory closure, a flat wicket and a formidable line-up, the Saints piled up 628, the highest total in a District/Premier final for more than a century.

As the higher qualified team, they needed only a draw to win the premiership.

Sent in by Carlton skipper Evan Gulbis, the Saints batted and batted and batted on a docile deck.

They began their innings on Friday morning and were bowled out in the middle session on Sunday afternoon.

Former first-class player Adam Crosthwaite made a century from No.8, to follow a ton from opener Marcus Harris.

Carlton’s bowlers sent down 239.5 overs, used three new-balls and weren’t far away from calling for a fourth.

Victorian star Marcus Harris on his way to a century for the Saints. Picture: Andrew Batsch

The Blues were 5-95 when the match finished at 5.30pm on Sunday.

The fact that St Kilda could bat on came in for criticism from people watching the match on the Premier Cricket livestream and following the scores on social media.

One called the final an “excellent advertisement for watching grass grow’’. “What a shit show. VCA (Cricket Victoria) should be ashamed,’’ another said.

Former Footscray administration manager George Munro weighed in on Monday morning.

He said it wasn’t St Kilda’s fault, “but seriously CV (Cricket Victoria), you are letting cricket down’.

Munro said the Saints were “worthy winners who played by the rules’’.

“But the rules are putrid. Need to breed (a) winning mentality.’’

The Blues had to toil for two-and-a-half days for 10 wickets. Picture: Andrew Batsch

Premier Cricket operations manager Darren Anderson said he would be recommending that a compulsory closure be brought in for future finals.

It was part of the grand final match conditions in 1988-89 and 1989-90, when the teams could bat for a maximum of 140 overs, then removed from the rules.

Clubs also voted to take out the fourth days of finals in 2018-19. But at the same time they made no call on the maximum number of overs teams could bat.

“On the back of what we’ve seen over the last three days, we’ll be looking to put something up for discussion and then it will be up to the operations advisory group and the clubs to vote on whether or not they believe a change needs to happen or whether we keep it at the status quo,’’ Anderson told CODE Sports on Sunday afternoon.

And there's the century for Saint Adam Crosthwaite. What a cricketer. pic.twitter.com/KiNy1m59vH

— Paul Amy (@PaulAmy375) March 30, 2025

“Ideally it’s a showpiece event and you want to see a contest between the two best sides.

“The way the rules are, St Kilda have done really well. It’s a phenomenal effort to bat through the way they did. But for the neutrals, they’d like to see both teams have a crack and an even chance of trying to create a result as much as possible.

“There’s been a lot of opinion about the state of the game and what teams should have done and didn’t do, but that’s premier Cricket. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion.’’

The wicket at the Junction was pancake-flat.

It was the first final at CV headquarters since 2018-19, when Carlton and Geelong both scored more than 400.

Asked about the deck, Anderson said: “Ideally, we would have liked to have a bit more of a contest between bat and ball.’’

St Kilda’s Will Lovell batted for 131 balls and made 22 after going in as nightwatchman near the end of day one. Picture: Andrew Batsch

Compulsory closure applied in the lead-up finals, with teams allowed to bat a maximum of 106 overs.

Former Test player and St Kilda captain Rob Quiney, who called the match for Cricket Victoria’s livestream, paid tribute to both teams, saying St Kilda batted resolutely and Carlton’s effort in the field was unwavering.

He said he could not remember the last draw in a Premier Cricket grand final.

“Compulsory closure has only come around in two grand finals, so let’s take a look at the last 30, 40 years as data and look where it sits,’’ he said.

“If there’s a growing trend of games going the way people don’t want them to go, then we’ve got a discussion. But I don’t see that trend.’’

It was St Kilda’s first premiership in 19 years, and the flag went with the club championship it won for its performances across all four grades.

Test player Harris won the John Scholes Medal as player of the match after his innings of 161.

Glenn Lalor, who played in St Kilda’s four consecutive flags from 2002 to 2006, coached the Saints to the premiership.

Originally published as ‘Putrid’: grand final rules under fire after St Kilda run feast in Premier Cricket final