St Kilda defeat Carlton, prove it’s time to take AFL ‘contenders’ seriously

St Kilda have stamped their authority on the AFL, with the side no one rated at the beginning of the year now clear at the top of the table.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 23: Mitch Owens of the Saints is congratulated by Dan Butler after kicking a goal during the round six AFL match between Carlton Blues and St Kilda Saints at Marvel Stadium, on April 23, 2023, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

St Kilda’s spectacular resurgence under returning coach Ross Lyon continued on Sunday as they ran over the top of Carlton in the second half to win by 22 points at Marvel Stadium.

The match was a tense arm wrestle up until early in the third quarter, by which time the game had seen 10 lead changes and two instances of tied scores.

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Stung by their mauling in contested possessions by Adelaide last week, Carlton kept themselves in the contest in the first half thanks largely to their massive lead in that category (80-53).

But their lead never exceeded eight points, and the Saints made them pay for their inability to make the most of their domination of the ball, as they broke the shackles, kicking the last four goals of the third quarter to open up a 21-point lead at the final change.

The Blues are filled with talent, but were made to look like B-graders against a brilliantly coached Saints outfit. Pic: Michael Klein

St Kilda turned the tide in contested ball and forced Carlton into costly turnovers, and it proved to be a game-deciding momentum shift as the season 2023 surprise packets ran out 12.10 (82) to 8.12 (60) winners to maintain their grip on top spot on the ladder.

Carlton absolutely dominated the disposals (446-360) and contested possessions (140-120) but the Saints once again stood up superbly in defence, denying the Blues the ability to translate those huge leads onto the scoreboard.

The Saints are clear at the top of the ladder in 2023. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

The Saints produced a very even effort across the board with Rowan Marshall (17 touches, 10 contested possessions, 21 hit-outs and a goal) winning his battle against Marc Pittonet in the ruck and Dan Butler kicking three goals, while Mason Wood, Jack Sinclair and Hunter Clark were all valuable contributors too.

The Blues had the top six ball winners on the ground, with Sam Walsh (38), Adam Cerra (39), Blake Acres (36) and Patrick Cripps (34) combining for 147 touches, but their efforts were in vain.

Social media lit up at the Saints demonstrating a capability to go deep in September, with the Inner Sanctum’s Anthony Alesiani daring to call them “contenders” on Twitter.

The win establishes St Kilda as serious premiership contenders, with Dermott Brereton on Fox Footy saying the club were the surprise packet of the competition.

“No one before the season, had St Kilda in their predicted top five ranked teams,” Brereton said.

‘They do now.”