Spirited Saints take it up to star-studded Power engine room

The contest around the ball was always going to be decisive in Sunday’s outcome and that ended up being precisely the case against Port Adelaide. For the first three quarters, Tom Hickey’s dominance in the ruck provided the Saints with the first use, with David Armitage the prime beneficiary collecting a phenomenal 14 clearances to lead St Kilda to a (+17) clearance win over one of the premier midfields in the competition. With Port Adelaide possessing All Australian’s in Travis Boak, Robbie Gray and Chad Wingard, plus stars in Ollie Wines, Hamish Hartlett and Jared Polec, their depth and class presented an imposing task. Despite a personnel gulf, at least on paper, St Kilda never looked intimidated. Jack Steven (36 possessions), Armitage (27), Leigh Montagna (28), Seb Ross (30) and Jack Newnes (26) took it right up to the Power. Unfortunately, the tables turned in the final stanza as the home side found an extra gear, led by Sam and Robbie Gray.

Classy Billings checks back in

With a handful of milestones – Leigh Montagna 250 games, Nick Riewoldt 200 games as captain and Sean Dempster 150 club games – plus the reality of Round 1, the return of Jack Billings received little fanfare. And with a minimal of fuss, the smooth mover made a successful return to league football, officially putting a frustrating second season behind him at Adelaide Oval. Billings collected 22 possessions, seven clearances and two goal assists as he did the bulk of his work inside the Saints attacking half of the ground, alongside his partner in crime Jack Lonie. After managing only nine games in 2015 due to a stress fracture in his shin, the sight of Billings hovering around 50 provided Alan Richardson’s side with some quality forward entry service. And one thing is for sure, he will only be better for the run after such a long absence.

Hickey puts runs on the board early with defining performance  

Never has he looked so good; never has he been so dominant. That was the case with Tom Hickey against Port Adelaide, with the relatively inexperienced ruckman producing the finest performance of his career on Easter Sunday. Having only once previously registered more than 30 hitouts, the former Gold Coast Sun accumulated 56 of them against Matthew Lobbe, with a large portion of them palmed down the throat of his midfielders who relished having first use of the ball. But it wasn’t only in the air where Hickey did his damage. He followed up his own work, collecting 20 possessions (another career high) and six clearances, producing dependable disposal to be a key contributor against the Power. After spending 2015 playing second fiddle to Billy Longer, the Queenslander has put runs on the board early as he looks to cement his spot as the Saints No. 1 ruckman.

Hickey puts hand up high

Fisher holds marquee recruit before Port Adelaide race home

Given the headlines Charlie Dixon generated in his past life on the Gold Coast and more recently as a marquee recruit at Alberton, there was always going to be a high level of interest in his Port Adelaide debut. And whenever the Power moved the ball towards their forward arc, all eyes were firmly fixed on the powerhouse forward. For the first three quarters stalwart defender Sam Fisher kept the prized acquisition in check, holding him to just the one goal, two marks and next to no influence on the outcome. But in a similar manner to Melbourne’s Jesse Hogan a day earlier, Dixon proved how valuable key forwards can be. He attracted plenty of ball late in the game as the Power took control of the affair, finishing with 3.3, but only the three marks to highlight Fisher’s impressive day in the one-on-one’s. Port Adelaide may have won, but the veteran Saint more than did his job.

Star Steven picks up where he left off in 2015

Reigning Trevor Barker Award winner Jack Steven picked up where he left off in 2015, collecting leather at will in another reminder of just how good he is. The 25-year-old was everywhere on Easter Sunday. He collected 36 disposals – the second most on the ground – 16 contested possessions, eight inside 50s, seven clearances and kicked a goal to be St Kilda’s most damaging player and arguably the best player on the ground. And with Port Adelaide possessing an array of bona fide stars, his performance first up was even more impressive. Along with Armitage and Montagna, who did what he has done best for more than a decade by collecting 28 touches in his 250th, the trio led the way, but were equally well supported by a wave of youth in the form of Seb Ross (30 possessions), Jack Newnes (26 possessions) and Blake Acres (22 possessions), with the midfields performance demonstrating the steps forward this group has taken during over the summer.