AFL Round 3 St Kilda v Richmond: Josh Barnes at what’s bleedingly obvious about the Saints
If it wasn’t already, it’s crystal clear now – for the competition and for those in charge at St Kilda, writes Josh Barnes. Here’s what Saturday’s victory over Richmond proved.
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If it wasn’t bleedingly obvious before Saturday, it’s crystal clear to the competition now that you can’t beat St Kilda if you let Jack Sinclair and Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera run loose.
And if it wasn’t also already absolutely obvious, Stephen Silvagni must channel Vito Corleone and drop an offer to Wanganeen-Milera that he simply can’t refuse.
Richmond threatened to stick around early during what turned into an 82-point loss but there was clearly no threat of anybody going near Sinclair as he and Wanganeen-Milera cut the Tigers to ribbons when the game was on.
Likely the best half-back one-two punch in the league, the two dashing Saints hit like George Foreman to sweep the ball through the Richmond defence over and over.
Adem Yze decided not to man either of them seriously, with a rotation of Tigers spending minutes on each throughout the opening three quarters.
Between them, the duo had 19 touches in the third term as the Saints shook off and blew out the Tigers.
Sinclair had 31 disposals at the final break – clearly he didn’t get a Lynx pack from his grandmother for Christmas as no Tiger wanted to go near the two-time All-Australian as he jogged around Marvel Stadium all by himself.
Wanganeen-Milera had 21 by that stage and between them barely a target was missed.
At the start of the last, Yze sent his main stopper, Kamdyn McIntosh, to Sinclair and the veteran got free the other way to kick the first goal of the quarter.
Jack Macrae’s ball magnetism won plaudits last week against Geelong but it was Sinclair and Wanganeen-Milera who delivered with a combined 54 disposals and two goals.
On Saturday, they had 69 together, with Sinclair dragging 40.
The two runners are, along with Rowan Marshall, in the best three players Ross Lyon has at his disposal and every opposition coach surely knows they are the two that need to be curbed, especially under the roof.
Their dare unlocked what has become a fun forward line in Max King’s absence as Mitch Owens and Jack Higgins again fired to kick another big score.
These Saints were far scrappier against the Tigers than a week earlier against the Cats but under the roof with the leg speed they have, it will be hard to put the brakes on them all year.
Sinclair bleeds red, black and white, and the two-time best-and-fairest winner is signed up at Moorabbin until the end of 2027.
Wanganeen-Milera is out of contract at the end of this season and at 22 years old represents everything the Saints are trying to build under Lyon as an elite young talent with speed and class.
It’s public knowledge the Saints have opened their checkbook this year to lure a big fish or two.
Perhaps the biggest fish they could sign is already on the half-back line and he has South Australian clubs – and surely everybody else – lining up.
Time for list boss Silvagni to get that fishing reel out and nail a long-term contract.
Tiger called out for act that ‘needs to be outlawed’
A test case of the AFL’s clamp down on pushing players into contests is looming after Tiger Rhyan Mansell appeared to shove Saint Liam O’Connell into harm’s way.
O’Connell came back with the flight towards Richmond forward Tom Lynch in the first quarter of Saturday’s twilight clash, with a slight push from Mansell aiding him into the contest.
Lynch collected the Irishman high, and received a free kick for holding the man before that high contact.
O’Connell stood up with an egg clearly developing under his left eye and appeared groggy, with Mansell alerting St Kilda doctors to his state before teammates guided him towards the interchange.
He was taken into the rooms at quarter-time for a head assessment and didn’t return to the field, subbed off for Angus Hastie due to concussion.
The incident was the latest in a series of injuries throughout pre-season and the start of the season proper, in which players have been pushed by opponents into marking contests and copped serious injuries.
Richmond No.1 draft pick Sam Lalor became the poster boy for such actions when he was pushed into a contest by West Coast’s Reuben Ginbey, an action that left him concussed and with a broken jaw.
GWS Giants ruck Kieren Briggs was also concussed after being pushed into a contest in round 1.
AFL footy boss Laura Kane wrote to clubs earlier this month telling them that those dangerous actions could now be cited by the match review process as rough conduct, and potentially result in suspensions.
Melbourne great Gary Lyon told Fox Footy that the action “needs to be outlawed”.
“Mansell is the one who pushes him (O’Connell) into oncoming traffic,” he said.
“He can’t anticipate what is happening, Rhyan Mansell, but when you have traffic coming you put your opponent into great risk. This is what happens and we need direction from the AFL as to that not happening.”
Goalkicking legend Jason Dunstall agreed that the Mansell action was dangerous.
“There is a subtle difference between pushing off an opponent and pushing an opponent into trouble and that was pushing an opponent into trouble,” Dunstall said.
O’Connell will now miss St Kilda’s meeting with Port Adelaide in round 4.
Scoreboard
ST KILDA 3.3 6.6 12.11 20.15 (135)
RICHMOND 1.3 5.4 6.7 7.11 (53)
GOALS
Saints: Owens 4, Higgins 3, Wood 3, Sharman 2, Hall 2, Collard 2, Marshall, Hill, Keeler, Wilson
Tigers: Campbell 3, Lynch, Bauer, Brown, McIntosh
BEST
Saints: Sinclair, Macrae, Wanganeen-Milera, Marshall, Windhager
Tigers: Short, Campbell, Hopper, McIntosh
INJURIES
Saints: O’Connell (concussion), Webster (ankle)
Tigers: nil.
41,147 at Marvel Stadium
TYLER LEWIS’S VOTES
3 Jack Sinclair (STK)
2 Jack Macrae (STK)
1 Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (STK)
Originally published as AFL Round 3 St Kilda v Richmond: Josh Barnes at what’s bleedingly obvious about the Saints
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