On a bleak day for St Kilda, the exceptional performance by small defender Jarryn Geary on All Australian livewire forward Eddie Betts was one shining light, according to Saints Coach Alan Richardson.

As one of the in-form forwards in the game, the Betts match-up had drawn plenty of attention leading into Sunday’s game, particularly after the two-time Crows leading goal kicker had wreaked havoc against Greater Western Sydney a week earlier.

But whilst Adelaide dominated proceedings from the opening siren, with their midfield winning much more of the ball (+177) and accumulated far more entries inside 50 (+39), Geary nullified the dangerous Betts, trailing him around Adelaide Oval like a caravan.

Richardson lauded Geary’s effort on Betts in his post-mortem, praising the lockdown defender’s appetite for the contest on a night where the Crows put the ball on a silver platter for their attacking ensemble.

“The player that we used as an example we could all learn from was Jarryn Geary today,” Richardson told reporters in his post-match press conference on Sunday night following St Kilda’s 88-point loss to Adelaide.

“He walked off the ground in a team that was beaten, but he wasn’t beaten. He continued to fly the flag and compete and do the right thing by his teammates and by his footy club. So we spoke about that, everyone can take a leaf out of his book.

“They would have had way too many easy entries (and) he’s on one of the in-form players in the competition in Eddie Betts. I thought he did a fantastic job, once again given the quality of the ball that went in there. He didn’t stop fighting.”

After holding Betts to just one goal and minimal influence on the outcome, Geary walked off Adelaide Oval on Sunday night as one of only a few Saints to not have their colours lowered, adding the former Blue to his growing list of scalps for 2016.

The scoreboard was not the only facet of the game that decimated the Saints, with Hugh Goddard and Paddy McCartin both carried from the ground on a stretcher in the space of 30 minutes.

Goddard, in his first appearance of 2016 ruptured his Achilles tendon which will sideline him for the next 12 months, while McCartin suffered concussion from two head knocks in the same contest.

Captain Nick Riewoldt was another casualty in the loss with the champion forward jarring his knee following a clash with Tom Hickey in the opening seconds of the game. Richardson said the Saints were forced to play Riewoldt forward for the entire game, where he struggled to cover the ground with any intensity.

“He jarred his knee pretty badly in one of the really early stoppages. We just had to put him forward and he was struggling, that would have been pretty obvious for anyone watching,” Richardson said.

“He just couldn’t explode; he couldn’t sprint really. So he was just out there so we could get rotations through others really.

“I’ve learnt not to rule him out for next week. He could almost have his leg hanging off and he’ll find a way to come back next week. So we’ll just wait and see.”

“He’s pretty swollen now, so he’ll have scans to see what he’s done and he’ll do whatever he can to get himself up.”