AFL 2022: St Kilda pair Paddy Ryder and Zak Jones big inclusions for Cairns road trip

The Jack Hayes injury took the gloss off St Kilda’s latest triumph, but two huge inclusions should lift morale for the Saints’ next assignment on the road in Cairns.

Jon Ralph and Ronny Lerner

8 min read

April 24, 2022 - 6:03PM

News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom

Jack Hayes kicks an early goal during the round 6 between the Greater Western Sydney and St Kilda. Picture: Getty Images

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Paddy Ryder and Zak Jones shape as immediate St Kilda inclusions to take on Port Adelaide as star forward Robbie Gray becomes the latest player to take advantage of the AFL’s vague medi-sub regulations.

St Kilda on Sunday confirmed first-year rookie Jack Hayes had torn his ACL in what the club said was a “particularly cruel” injury for a player who had worked so hard to make the AFL.

Ryder will finish a two-week suspension and come back into the team to take on his old side in Port Adelaide in Cairns on Saturday night.

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Paddy Ryder returns from a two-week suspension for the trip to Cairns. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

And with Jones coming out of Covid protocols by Tuesday he is in strong contention to add even more steel around the midfield in his first game of the year.

He would have played against GWS last Friday after a single VFL game on his return from personal issues but contracted Covid.

The AFL introduced the sub rule last year on the basis a player subbed out had to be a strong chance to miss the following week.

But Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley made clear Gray was likely to take on St Kilda despite being subbed off when his medial ligament injury flared up.

“Rob just gave his knee a little tweak, nothing too bad. As I sit here now I doubt he would miss next week. He wasn’t feeling right at halftime,” Hinkley said.

“We asked him to hang in (during) the third quarter knowing if you get an injury early in the second half you don’t want to use your sub up too early and Rob was feeling like he could do enough but we also knew he had some restrictions.”

Zaj Jones will join Ryder for the game against Port Adelaide in far north Queensland.

The AFL has not clarified the rules around subbing off players despite Geelong football boss Simon Lloyd admitting last month the Cats were happy to use the sub rule if a player could not get through that game.

St Kilda’s head of football David Rath confirmed Hayes’ diagnosis on Sunday, with the former SANFL star and concreter likely to secure another one-year rookie deal.

“Injuries like this are always difficult, but this one seems particularly cruel,” Rath said.

“Jack’s journey to the AFL was long and unconventional, but ever since joining our club he really grabbed his opportunity with both hands.

“Knowing Jack will miss the rest of the year is disappointing, but as a club we’ll wrap our arms around him and make sure he’s got all the support he needs throughout his rehab.

“Jack’s a terrific person and a great footballer and we look forward to seeing what he can do in 2023.”

More dissent ire as Saints rally for bittersweet success

Confusion and inconsistency surrounding the strict new umpire dissent interpretations has continued into the Round 6 opener between GWS and St Kilda at Manuka Oval on Friday night.

Early in the game, Giants ruckman Braydon Preuss gesticulated with frustration towards the umpire when he gave away a free kick to Rowan Marshall for holding the man, 15m out from the Saints’ goal.

However, after appearing to stop himself from remonstrating further, Preuss avoided giving away a 50m penalty to his direct opponent.

St Kilda's Ben Long disputes an umpire's decision in the first half. No 50m penalty was paid. Picture: Fox Footy

Later in the game, Marshall’s teammate Ben Long was under the microscope when he went even further than Preuss and appeared to impersonate an albatross by fully stretching his arms out on either side of his body as he complained to the umpire.

Again, he was not penalised.

However, in the second quarter, St Kilda defender Daniel McKenzie wasn’t so lucky when pointed to the ground vigorously on multiple occasions, seemingly trying to tell the umpire that Callan Ward should not have been paid a mark because the ball apparently bounced first.

On this occasion, the umpire wasn’t having any of it, awarding Ward a 50m penalty and bringing him from the wing to within 20m of goal, and all but ensuring the former GWS captain his second major.

“I just pray that the grand final is not going to be determined by a decision like that,” Brian Taylor said on Channel 7.

St Kilda legend Nick Riewoldt went one step further than Taylor, calling the situation farcical.

“After a situation where the AFL were meant to make it crystal clear for everyone, we’re a half in, and it’s an absolute farce,” Riewoldt said on Fox Footy.

“Whether it’s right, or wrong, it’s a farce.

“Two minutes into the contest, we’ve got an ‘arms open’ situation, with all the focus on it this week, he (umpire) has made a mistake?”

St Kilda's Daniel McKenzie disputes a mark paid to Giant Callan Ward in the second term, saying the ball hit the ground. A 50m penalty was paid for umpire dissent. Picture: Fox Footy

Riewoldt suggested the umpires might have been secretly protesting the dissent crackdown.

“Why would Brad Scott say it’s open to interpretation from one to the next? Because that’s the issue,” Riewoldt said.

“You have one situation where a player has his arms out and we were told that there is no dissent allowed and they (free kicks/50m penalties) should have been paid.

“There’s grey everywhere and we’re a half a game of footy in.”

Meanwhile, St Kilda feel-good story Jack Hayes has suffered a devastating blow after injuring the ACL in his left knee in the first quarter.

Coach Brett Ratten confirmed the unfortunate news during an interview with Channel 7 at halftime.

Hayes, 26, was a pre-season supplemental selection for the Saints and burst onto the scene in Round 1, kicking three goals against Collingwood to be St Kilda’s best player on AFL debut.

But he now almost certainly faces 12 months on the sidelines.

The big forward, who won the Jack Oatey Medal as best on ground in the SANFL grand final last year, was subbed out at quarter-time after kicking an early goal, and was replaced by Jarrod Lienert in the visitors’ line-up.

And the Saints’ woes didn’t end there with Marshall (quad) struggling to see out the second half while Long could come under match review scrutiny for a sling tackle on Bobby Hill which saw the Giant hit his head on the ground while falling backwards.

Giants Toby Greene had a quiet night in his comeback with just one major. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Higgins seals deal for Saints but recruit gone for year

A Jekyll-and-Hyde performance from Jack Higgins has inspired the injury-hit Saints to a gutsy 17-point win against Greater Western Sydney at Manuka Oval on Friday night.

After missing two set shots from 15m out in front in the first quarter, Higgins looked like he may have cost his team the win as the Giants made St Kilda pay to enjoy a two-goal lead at halftime.

But Higgins redeemed himself for his errors in spectacular fashion, kicking three goals in seven minutes in the third term, before setting up the matchwinner for Brad Crouch, to finish the game with a game-high four majors.

Jack Higgins celebrates kicking a goal over Lachlan Keeffe at Manuka Oval. Picture: Getty Images

The 10.17 (77) to 8.12 (60) result enhanced St Kilda’s status as the surprise packet side of 2022, and they have now won five games in a row for the first time in 11 years, while making their best start to a season (5-1) since 2010.

Meanwhile, the result all but rules out GWS from finals calculations. The Giants have made their worst start to a year (1-5) since 2013 — their second season in the AFL — and their out-of-contract coach Leon Cameron faces an uphill battle to prolong his nine-year tenure at the club.

But the win came at a cost for the Saints with mature-age recruit Jack Hayes injuring the ACL in his left knee in the first quarter and now facing 12 months on the sidelines, while Rowan Marshall battled a quad injury in the second half.

Higgins marks the ball during another big game for the small forward.

Higgins kicked three goals in seven minutes during the third quarter.

Marshall came back on in the final quarter after more than 20 minutes off the ground, but he played up forward, and did not look comfortable at all as he hobbled around.

With both Hayes and Marshall off the ground, defender Josh Battle was forced to do the rucking against Braydon Preuss, giving up 13cm and 21kg in size, but doing a great job of holding his own.

Higgins was outstanding with 17 touches and nine marks to complement his four majors, while Marshall and Battle fought manfully in the ruck. Brad Crouch, Jack Steele and Jack Sinclair were all important once again in the midfield, continuing their superb starts to the year.

For the Giants, Callan Ward and Josh Kelly stood out in the midfield, Lachie Ash did another good tagging job on Brad Hill, Preuss competed well in the ruck and Nick Haynes and Jake Stein were good down back.

In further bad news for the Saints, Ben Long could come under match review scrutiny for a sling tackle on Bobby Hill which saw the Giant hit his head on the ground while falling backwards.

Jack Hayes fights for the ball before his season-ending knee injury. Picture: Getty Images

HARRY HACKS IT

Matt Flynn took a big mark 30m out from goal with under eight minutes remaining and his side trailing by 12 points. The big Giant already had two goals to his credit, but instead of searching for his third major, he opted to handball it to Harry Himmelberg whose snap shot only just snuck inside the behind post. A golden opportunity to cut the margin to six points went begging for GWS. And with 1min07sec to go, Stephen Coniglio hit the post instead of centring to free men in the corridor, sealing the Giants’ fate.

YIPS RETURN FOR KING

Max King headed into the game with 16.10 to his name and it looked like the goalkicking woes which plagued him in 2021 were a thing of the past. But unfortunately for the young star key forward, he produced a retro performance that will take some beating for the remainder of his career. King kicked one goal and a “personal best” seven behinds, which included six set shots.

Jade Gresham gives his banana kick goal his seal of approval. Picture: Getty Images

Crouch celebrates kicking a checkside set shot from 35m out. Picture: Getty Images

NO SUCH ISSUES FOR GRESHAM, CROUCH

While Higgins and King struggled with straightforward attempts at goal in the first half, their teammates Jade Gresham and Brad Crouch were busy submitting goal of the round contenders. Late in the first quarter, Jade Gresham slotted home an incredible banana from a sharp angle in the pocket while being tackled by the Giants’ Finn Callaghan to somehow squeeze it through. And just as the second term ticked into time on, Crouch executed a sensational checkside set shot from 35m out on the boundary line.

SAINTS HIT BACK AFTER COSTLY FIRST HALF

St Kilda looked switched on from the start and brought the heat early, out-tackling GWS comprehensively 24-11 in the first term. But if Higgins didn’t miss a pair of set shots from point-blank range, their lead would’ve been bigger than just seven points at quarter-time.

GWS started the game in sluggish fashion, but after being let off the hook by Higgins, they in turn ramped up the pressure in the second term and, after trailing by two goals, opened up a 12-point lead as they kicked five of the next six majors, including two each from Flynn and Ward.

However, St Kilda’s midfield got back on top, winning the territory battle convincingly in the third quarter with 11 more inside 50s (21-10), and helping themselves to four goals in a row. GWS would not recover.