AFL Round 10: St Kilda edges out Gold Coast courtesy of some Dan Butler magic
Who predicted this at the start of the season? St Kilda is sitting pretty in second spot on the ladder with the club set to play finals for the first time since 2011. But don’t be too focused on the top eight. A double chance inside the top four is within their grasp.
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A Daniel Butler-inspired St Kilda is charging towards its first finals appearance since 2011 after securing a fourth-straight win against Gold Coast Suns last night.
The Saints will finish the round in the top-two on the ladder for just the second time in a decade after four goals from Butler spearheaded them to a four-point win over the Suns.
Butler’s haul saw him climb to equal-second spot on the Coleman Medal leaderboard with 21 goals, behind only West Coast key forward Josh Kennedy.
St Kilda suffered no injuries out of the match and will have another chance to prove its credentials against Geelong on Monday night.
“It is great for our group to be sitting second, but the competition is so tight,” St Kilda coach Brett Ratten said.
“Is it not much gap between anybody and the way we played tonight we gave the opposition a real look at winning the game and we don’t want to be doing that too much.
“It wasn’t perfect tonight. Aspects of our game were behind the sort of standard we were after and I thought the boys just stuck to it and it was a bit of a grind.”
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The Saints led by as much as 18 points early in the second quarter and by 15 points during the third term, but it took a Butler goal with 2min 50sec left in the last quarter to seal the win.
Captain Jarryn Geary was a late withdrawal for the Saints after failing a pre-match fitness test, but is expected to be fit to face the Cats.
“He will be right for next week,” Ratten said.
“He was just a little bit tight and we gave him right to the end to see if he could get up. He had the bus ride and he was sort of like, ‘Let’s not risk it’.
“It will be a long season with players having to play shortened games and four days, five days but we want to keep our list healthy and if someone is on the risk side we will probably err with taking them out.”
Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew said he couldn’t fault the “heart and effort” of his players who fought back twice when challenged.
“We were in it up to our eyeballs and had our opportunities,” Dew said.
“We showed real maturity but also some grit. There was periods there where they were well on top and we just hung in. But then pushed back.”
KING TWINS
Much had been made pre-match of the King brothers becoming just the sixth of twins to play against each other at the highest level.
It was a full-forward battle 21 months in the making after St Kilda’s Max and Gold Coast’s Ben were the respective number four and six picks in the 2018 draft.
But they both failed to live up to the hype early in the contest.
Neither had a disposal in the first quarter, with St Kilda’s Max at least making a tackle.
However, they both came alive in an entertaining second quarter.
Ben kicked two majors for the Suns during their run of four straight goals that propelled them to a three-point half-time lead,
Max was also on target for the Saints with a second-quarter goal.
Ben finished the match with three goals to claim brotherly bragging rights, but Max had the last laugh via the Saints’ win.
SEE-SAWING AFFAIR
The momentum swung back and forth as both sides went on goal-scoring runs that threatened to blow the game open.
The Suns kicked four in a row in the second quarter before the Saints responded with four of their own to take the lead in third quarter.
Gold Coast then hit back with another run of goals, but it was St Kilda who provided the final surge that decide the game.
BEFORE THE BOUNCE
The teams had contrasting pre-match fortunes.
While the Saints were lamenting the late withdrawal of captain Jarryn Geary through injury, the Suns were rejoicing after young gun Matt Rowell extended his stay on the Gold Coast by a further two years in a deal that will keep him at the club until the end of 2023.
“I’ve loved the football club since I’ve arrived and I couldn’t be happier to extend for another two years,” the teenager said.
Unfortunately for the Suns, Rowell is out for the season with a shoulder injury.
But the number one draft pick’s decision to commit himself to the Suns is a feather in the cap for a club who for too long have lost their best young talent to interstate teams.
Suns general manager of football operations Jon Haines hailed the “enormous impact” Rowell had already had on the club.
“We have no doubt that impact will continue to grow as his career progresses at the Suns and his commitment is further evidence of the playing groups commitment to each other and the future,” Haines said.
SCOREBOARD
GOLD COAST 2.1 6.5 8.7 11.8 (74)
ST KILDA 3.2 6.2 9.4 12.6 (78)
GOALS
Gold Coast: King 3, Miller 2, Powell 2, Rankine 2, Anderson, Lemmens
St Kilda: Butler 4, Battle 2, Steele 2, Gresham, Kent, King, Marshall
BEST
Gold Coast: Greenwood, Collins, Miller, Ainsworth, Swallow, Powell
St Kilda: Billings, Butler, Clark, Gresham, Steele, Carlisle
INJURIES
Gold Coast: Nil
St Kilda: Geary; replaced in selected side by Phillips
ROWELL RECOMMITS TO SUNS
Suns star Matt Rowell has extended his stay on the Gold Coast until the end of 2023.
Last year’s number one draft pick started the season in outstanding fashion before his maiden AFL campaign came to an abrupt end when he injured his shoulder against Geelong in round five.
Despite his season-ending injury, Rowell did more than enough - including a Rising Star nominee performance in Round 2 against West Coast - to have the Suns move to extend his current two-year contract by a further two years.
The Suns announced the news just before their clash against St Kilda at Metricon Stadium on Thursday night.
“I’m very excited to commit myself to the Gold Coast Suns,” 19-year-old Rowell told the club’s website.
“I’ve loved the football club since I’ve arrived and I couldn’t be happier to extend for another two years.
“Getting to play my first game was really something special, I’ve been dreaming of it my whole life.
“I loved running out with the boys and to be a part of a few wins for the club was exciting. I can’t wait to have that feeling again.”
Rowell admitted it had been tough watching his teammates from the sidelines.
“It’s obviously frustrating, but that’s footy, you get injuries,” he said.
“I’ve had a positive mindset since it happened and I’m looking forward to coming back bigger and better.
“I’m doing all I can to improve myself and my game and I can’t wait to get back out there in front of our members at Metricon Stadium again.”
Suns general manager of football operations Jon Haines said Rowell had already had “an enormous impact” on the club.
“We have no doubt that impact will continue to grow as his career progresses at the Suns and his commitment is further evidence of the playing groups commitment to each other and the future,” Haines said.
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