St Kilda’s goalkicking woes continue in heavy loss to Melbourne at Etihad Stadium
ST KILDA fans must be starting to wonder if there is some sort of black magic, or football curse in play after the Saints blew it again in front of the big sticks in the loss to Melbourne.
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SOMEONE out there must have a voodoo doll of St Kilda coach Alan Richardson.
And whenever one of his players lines up for a shot on goal, a needle goes in.
It sounds extreme, but St Kilda’s senior coach must be starting to wonder if there is some sort of black magic, or football curse in play after his forwards blew it again in front of the sticks in the 39-point loss to Melbourne.
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How else can Jade Gresham miss from 25m on the run? Hunter Clark blazed away with a 20m snap. Paddy McCartin missed everything from a little further out and Jack Billings didn’t make the distance with a 35m snap.
When the heat was on in the first half, the Saints sprayed it once again.
To be fair, St Kilda’s midfield had a crack, but the big difference in this one was the club’s poor conversion which has left the club’s chances of making finals for the first time in seven years in tatters, again.
And every time one of the Saints’ players missed, a groan went around Etihad Stadium, leaving Richardson’s men slump-shouldered and bereft of confidence 24 points down at half-time.
No doubt the Saints’ fan base were feeling the same as they made the drive down bayside. They are fed up, the St Kilda supporters.
Melbourne put the foot on the Saints’ throat bagging five third-term goals as three-goal spearhead Jesse Hogan, Max Gawn and Tom McDonald turned in a blinder and hardened defenders Michael Hibberd and Jake Lever returned to form in the back line.
This was a polished performance from Melbourne and while Gawn was unstoppable in the air early, Hogan was razor sharp with his hands as he continues the best season of his five-year AFL career.
Jake Melksham’s left foot bullet pass to Charlie Spargo in the third term was exquisite and hard nuts Clayton Oliver (36 possessions) and Angus Brayshaw (30) were outstanding in the engine room. It was a career-high for Brayshaw after some career-threatening concussion woes last year.
Perhaps, after a few early-season hiccups and a dangerous dog bite a fortnight ago, things are starting to click for Simon Goodwin’s crew.
They beat St Kilda for centre clearances 17-10, contested possessions 157-135 and contested marks 15-9.
The Dees sit on the cusp of the eight ahead of clashes against Gold Coast and Carlton over the next fortnight. McDonald’s return to the forward line certainly helps and his running game adds another dimension to the forward line and eases the burden on Hogan.
But the Saints are the story, now chained to the bottom of the ladder with only one win from their first seven games.
These two clubs hit rock bottom about the same time in 2013 and you had to feel for McCartin, who the Saints took pick No.1 in the 2014 draft, when he copped another head knock in the second term and repeatedly sought medical attention reportedly for his diabetes condition.
The problems appeared to end his game early in the last term with eight possessions, three marks and two behinds.
Contracted or not next year, Richardson must be feeling the heat, but it will be hard to blame him for this one when the experts gather to pour over their goal kicking malaise on the telly.
So what do the Saints do about the forward woes? Goal kicking specialist Ben Dixon has altered the techniques of more than 20 players and was there doing extra work on Thursday from 6am on set shot goal kicking, but it’s the ones on the run and missed snaps which are hurting as much as anything. Golf swings can take two years to refine, and there’s a theory goal kicking is no different. But the Saints can’t afford to wait that long.
Altogether, St Kilda booted 52.76 in its first six games and Sunday’s 9.13 (67) score line plunged them further into crisis, and the impact is being felt across the team.
“You can see the frustration on their faces and in their body language,” Wayne Carey said on Triple M.
That said, the Saints produced arguably the worst defensive play of the year in the second term when McDonald marked unopposed on the goal line amid a bunch of three St Kilda players to set up an easy goal.
There was either a miscommunication of sorts between Nick Coffield, Shane Savage and Jake Carlisle, or a staggering lack of effort.
Next week they travel west to take on an improved Fremantle against former St Kilda coach Ross Lyon.
BEST
Melbourne: J.Hogan, C.Oliver, M.Gawn, A.Brayshaw, M.Hibberd, O.McDonald, T.McDonald, D.Tyson, J.Lewis
St Kilda: J.Steven, S.Ross, J.Webster
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