ST KILDA’S Saturday afternoon began badly, improved for 25 minutes, and then got worse again.
Leigh Montagna (hamstring tightness) and Jarryn Geary (corked thigh) were late withdrawals, and although their absence did not cost St Kilda the four points, it did rob the team of 380 games of experience.
Not that it mattered early – the Saints booting the first three majors of the game to shoot out to an early lead.
However Jack Lonie’s concussion, sustained in a collision with Jake Lever, put an immediate dampener on things – but it was nothing compared to what was to come next.
With his eyes firmly fixed on the ball, Nick Riewoldt collided with Adelaide defender Brodie Smith and was knocked out, stretchered off and taken to hospital. It was a sickening collision that when replayed on the Adelaide Oval scoreboard, received a unanimous cringe.
It halted the game for six minutes and ruled out St Kilda’s most experienced player and leader for the remainder of the contest.
Josh Bruce finished with five goals and roamed further afield in Riewoldt’s absence, while Jack Steven and David Armitage were again prolific in the midfield.
Armitage has collected 30 or more disposals in five of his last six outings and has become every bit the player the Saints were hoping for when they drafted him with pick nine in the 2006 National Draft.
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Steven’s greatest attribute is the territory he gains with his running and penetrating right boot. With 10 inside 50s amongst 27 disposals, all his teammates need to do is deliver him the Sherrin and he invariably uses it effectively.
From midway through the first quarter to the ten-minute mark of the second term, Adelaide booted six unanswered goals.
In fact, aside from Jack Steven’s major that momentarily halted the Crows’ run, Adelaide kicked eight out of the next nine goals to take a 19-point advantage into the main break.
With the margin hovering around four goals in the early stages of the second half, St Kilda had a sprinkling of golden opportunities to put significant scoreboard pressure on the Crows.
There was no main culprit, but invariably a missed chance would then slingshot down the other end where Eddie Betts and Taylor Walker made the most of their opportunities.
Maybe these behinds that could and should been goals were due to fatigue – St Kilda had two fit men on the bench for three quarters – or possibly losing Riewoldt and Lonie meant ‘cheap’ goals were hard to come by.
Without their skipper and their best crumbing forward, the Saints were forced to scratch and claw for every half chance.
Sam Fisher was swung forward as a result, while Luke Dunstan spent much of the second half playing as a high half-forward.
Similarly, Jack Newnes – who had kicked four career goals before today – had three scoring shots for the afternoon. Clearly, finding avenues to goal without Riewoldt and Lonie proved to be a difficult task. Bruce booted five, but he was the Saints only multiple goalkicker.
In the third term Betts began to assert his authority on the contest. He was almost unstoppable when allowed to run back with the flight of the ball. His three goals in the space of 15 minutes effectively shut out St Kilda and ignited the Adelaide crowd.
The fourth quarter played out to the script of the second and third terms, with the final margin drifting to 46 points.
Nick Riewoldt and Brodie Smith had a sickening collision late in the first term.
ST KILDA: 10.13 (73)
ADELAIDE: 18.11 (119)
GOALS: Bruce 5, Steven, Newnes, Hickey, Savage, Shenton
BEST: Armitage, Steven, Bruce, Billings, Weller, Savage, Newnes
SUB: Cameron Shenton subbed on for Jack Lonie
Crowd: 43,532
