Jack Billings and Rowan Marshall heroics inspire St Kilda to come-from-behind win over Gold Coast
Rowan Marshall and Jack Billings played pivotal roles as St Kilda overturned a 31-point deficit to claim a tense win over Gold Coast in Townsville.
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St Kilda veteran David Armitage has lauded the maturity of ruckman Rowan Marshall after he combined with Jack Billings to inspire the Saints to a come-from-behind win over Gold Coast.
The Saints trailed by as much as 31 points before producing a second-half rally in Townsville, booting nine goals to six after the main break to record an 11.14 (80) to 11.10 (76) victory.
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Marshall was instrumental for the victors, finishing with 40 hit outs, 18 disposals and five marks in a tireless effort against Suns co-captain Jarrod Witts.
The 23-year-old was dominant around the ground and shaded the hit outs 40-38 against Witts, hauling St Kilda to its sixth win of the campaign.
“He got a really good lesson the other week (Round 9) with Brodie Grundy … probably the standout ruckman in the comp,” Armitage said.
“His patterns he ran and the way he’s able to help his mids around the ground and get into really dangerous spots, he sort of learned off him a little bit.
“He got to some really good spots and tried to run Witts off his legs. He’s an absolute freak athlete and he can run all day the big fella.”
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While Marshall continued his breakout campaign, Billings was the matchwinner for the injury-hit Saints with 33 possessions, eight marks and 11 tackles.
He also booted two goals as St Kilda came from seven points down at three-quarter-time to clinch a four-point win.
“He was really good today and obviously he’s a really good finisher,” Armitage said.
Armitage provided an insight into his mindset after being recalled for his first game of the year, conceding he’d been “a little bit frustrated” at lack of opportunity.
The 30-year-old returned in a defensive role on Saturday, with 16 disposals and six marks.
“That’s probably the biggest one, the self doubt,” he said on 3AW.
“When week-in, week-out, you get told you’re doing the right things but your time will come. You have just got to trust them and believe them.
“Obviously you’re a little bit frustrated, but you can’t let that control how you play. I just went back. I just love winning, at whatever level it is.
“I went back to Sandy and just tried to help us win.”
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Glenn McFarlane
St Kilda — and its under-pressure coach Alan Richardson — once again narrowly dodged a bullet at the hands of the Gold Coast Suns.
For the second time in as many years — and almost 12 months to the day — the Saints stared down the barrel of an embarrassing loss to Suns that could have had serious consequences for Richardson, only to wrest victory from the jaws of defeat when it mattered.
That’s not to say it will save the coach in the long run.
As theHerald Sun’s chief football writer Mark Robinson detailed on Saturday, he needs a finals wins to guarantee the trigger to coach out the last year of his contract in 2020.
That looks highly unlikely at the moment, but at least the four-point win over the Suns takes the immediate heat out of a situation that bordered on boiling point at stages of the game.
After no coaching changes last year, the mid-stages of the 2019 season has already brought on two AFL coaching casualties.
In the past few weeks North Melbourne and Carlton have made calls on their incumbents and installed caretakers, which brought about immediate dividends.
For more than a fair slice of the Saints’ clash with Gold Coast, there was every reason to fear that Richo might have been the next domino to fall.
Two weeks ago we had the ‘shocker’ in Shanghai … and the first two-and-a-half quarters against the Suns looked like being the ‘trouncing’ in Townsville.
It made for excruciating viewing for Saints fans against a team that had previously lost eight games in succession (which is now nine).
St Kilda failed to kick a goal in the opening term for the first time since Round 16 last year; skills errors and turnovers by players who should know better cut deep, especially heading inside 50m; and the difference stretched out to 31 points when ‘Two-Metre-Peter’ Wright kicked a goal at the 10-minute-mark of the third term.
Cue the social media outrage, which was almost as hot and sweaty as the Townsville temperature gauge.
There was a sniff of blood was in the air.
Thankfully, for Richardson’s sake, and for the fans, the Saints managed to turn it around, kicking nine goals to six in a second half fightback.
Jack Billings was the architect, working tirelessly, and almost willing his team over the line with 33 disposals, 11 tackles and 171 SuperCoach points.
He kicked two crucial goals in the last term, including the one that mattered — just as Jade Gresham saved his team (and maybe his coach) with a late major in the corresponding game last June.
There were some nervous moments in the dying stages — a couple of skill errors, a missed shot at goal and a spilt mark in defence threatened to sink the Saints.
So it was little wonder that Richardson looked a relieved coach when the siren sounded, leaving the Saints four points ahead.
He knows how high the stakes are right now, with his team now sitting 6-6.
In fairness to him, St Kilda has been savaged by injuries this season, even if Richo would be loath to use that as an excuse.
As Robbo said: “His coaching, until the Saints were schooled by Port Adelaide in China, has been close to first class if you consider who’s missing and who has played.”
They made seven changes following the disastrous trip to China.
Take a look at this list of players who didn’t play against the Suns, and who have missed large parts of the seasons — Jack Steven, Jarryn Geary, Jake Carlisle, Paddy McCartin, Dylan Roberton, Dan Hannebery, Jack Lonie, Jimmy Webster, to name but a few.
A few won’t play again this season; a few might be back in the next few weeks.
But the cold, hard reality is that this is Richardson’s sixth season as senior coach, and they haven’t played finals in that time.
In fact, the Saints haven’t played finals since Ross Lyon’s last season in 2011.
The Saints’ six wins for the 2019 season have come against teams outside the top eight — Gold Coast (twice), Essendon, Hawthorn, Melbourne and Carlton.
Strangely enough — given what could have happened if the result went the other way in Townsville — Richardson’s patched-up squad are still within touch of the eight, even if their form suggests they are a long way off it.
The pressure will keep coming.
There’s Brisbane next week; Richmond the week after, followed by a resurgent North Melbourne and then Geelong.
But Richo has been around footy long enough to know that while there is life, there is at least hope.
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