AFL 2022: All the news, scores and reaction out of Brisbane v St Kilda

Decimated St Kilda ended with just two on the bench as coach Brett Ratten was left to lament an injury disaster that cruelled the spirited Saints’ chances of toppling the Lions.

Greg Davis

5 min read

June 11, 2022 - 11:35PM

News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom

Jack Higgins laments a miss during the Saints’ clash with Brisbane. Picture: AFL Photos/Getty Images

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A wayward, wasteful and wobbly Brisbane found a way to claim a 21-point win over St Kilda in a scrappy and brutal clash at the Gabba on Saturday night.

Brisbane had a glut of possession in the second half but failed to put the Saints away early as they unconvincingly scraped to their 10th win of 2022 with both sides counting the cost of the physical and error-riddled clash.

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The Lions lost captain Dayne Zorko (hamstring) and defender Darcy Gardiner (back) in the second half while St Kilda were reduced to a two-man bench with Mitch Owens and Daniel McKenzie both ruled out of the match with concussion symptoms and Zak Jones (hamstring) also having an early night.

Dayne Zorko and Zak Jones were both ruled out of the game at three-quarter time. Picture: AFL Photos/Getty Images

Brisbane only kicked away from the Saints late in the fourth term when they kicked 3.8. The Lions also enjoyed a 60-41 advantage in inside 50 entries.

Best-on-ground Hugh McCluggage (33 disposals, seven clearances and 11 contested possessions) and the returning Joe Daniher gave the home side some breathing room before Linc McCarthy iced the match-up that had five lead changes.

St Kilda coach Brett Ratten was left to lament an injury “disaster” with Daniel McKenzie and Mitch Owens leaving the match with concussion and Zak Jones suffering a hamstring injury that depleted the Saints’ bench.

“It wasn’t like we walk away going ‘that was a complete disaster’,” Ratten said.

“From an injury front, you say it was a disaster, lose three players.

Mitch Owens was ruled out with concussion. Picture: AFL Photos/Getty Images

“Owens, the head clash, then McKenzie’s one, I don’t know how that will stack up, I’ll let others work that one out.

“And then Jones with a hamstring, so tipping he won’t play on a six-day with a hamstring. He’ll miss a bit of time.

“I thought we showed some real glimpses, but we need to be better than that.

“We had moments in the game, moments where we played really well — we just didn’t have enough of them.”

Mitch Robinson reacts to the umpire. Picture: AFL Photos/Getty Images

Brisbane took a slender three-point cushion into the last change after two quick goals to start the third term to Brandon Starcevich and Daniher handed them the lead.

St Kilda could have been further in front at halftime than 12 points given Brisbane was guilty of being sluggish, inaccurate and ill disciplined.

The Saints kicked four of their five goals from free kicks with their last major of the second quarter coming one kick after a 50-metre penalty against Daniher.

Jack Higgins laments a miss during the Saints’ clash with Brisbane. Picture: AFL Photos/Getty Images

Brisbane had three goals and six behinds at the major break with a number of golden opportunities going to waste as the umpires asserted their authority on the scrappy contest with 24 free kicks across the two quarters.

St Kilda dominated contested possession by 21-8 in the opening stages with Max King kicking the only two goals of the match before Brisbane found a spark with two goals in a minute to help them take a three-point buffer at the first change when Neale had a game-high 12 touches.

The visitors booted three goals to one in the second term when Brisbane was guilty of missing targets to hand the Sherrin back to the Saints on a silver platter.

Lachie Neale finished with 37 touches and 16 contested possessions for the Lions.

Joe Daniher was the beneficiary of Brad Crouch’s sling tackle. Picture: AFL Photos/Getty Images

Brisbane coach Chris Fagan said after the short turnaround from the loss to Fremantle last Sunday, he’ll take the win, then reset for the second half of the season.

“We play Melbourne next game. I’m just worried about trying to beat Melbourne,” Fagan said. That’s all we are trying to do is trying to win as many games as we can and qualify,’’ Fagan said.

“We haven’t done that, 10 wins doesn’t get it done so we’ve got some big challenges coming up.

“We’ll probably know a little bit more after those but there’s definitely improvement is us, we are not playing the best football that we can play at the moment but it’s a tough competition.

“On the back of coming back on the red eye last week, back to Brisbane at 5am on Monday morning, the way the boys went about their work this week and the improvements we made… they took that on board.

“Really proud of the group tonight, I thought it was a real gutsy win.”

Ill-discipline hurts

Both teams were guilty of poor discipline with free kicks that led to goals. It was just stupid football. Brad Crouch’s sling of Charlie Cameron after Joe Daniher’s opening goal immediately led to a Brisbane major while the Lions kept making silly errors of judgment to give St Kilda gettable shots at goal. In tight contests, brain fades are killers. Eight of the first 10 goals in the match came from free kicks.

Watch the video

Brisbane had two goals taken off them by video review. Hugh McCluggage’s snap in the third term was dragged back after replays showed that Zak Jones touch the ball off the boot. The ARC had further footage that was not made available to the broadcast. The Lions were denied again in the last term when Cam Rayner’s towering left-foot snap was ruled to have been touched on the goal line by St Kilda’s Dougal Howard.

A wayward King

Max King could have ripped that game apart. The Saints’ key forward finished with two goals and three behinds. Two of the missed shots should have been converted by a player of his calibre – one set shot on a friendly angle in the fourth quarter and a snap from the right side of the field for a right-footer in the second term. Brisbane were just as guilty of blowing chances but King is paid the big bucks to convert those chances.

Big forward Max King tried hard to keep the Saints in it. Picture: AFL Photos/Getty Images

A big medi-sub

Ruckmen aren’t often named as the medical sub for a reason – any injury to a player under 195cm and you are still down a man. So, Brisbane naming Darcy Fort as their 23rd man raised eyebrows. Fort was omitted to make way for the returning Joe Daniher leaving Brisbane exposed against the one-two ruck punch of Paddy Ryder and Rowan Marshall.

When Lions captain Dayne Zorko injured his left hamstring in the third term, Fort was thrust into the action, giving Brisbane a very tall but far less mobile line-up.