Bad kicking is bad football
While North Melbourne coasted to victory in the last quarter, opening a seven goal lead ten minutes into the final stanza, St Kilda weren’t without their chances, especially earlier in the piece. The Saints registered a sizeable inside 50s differential, accumulating 12 more than the Kangaroos, but wayward kicking in front of goal stung. Despite finishing with 8.14, the bottom line appeared uglier earlier. At one stage the Saints were 3.10. Bad kicking is bad football, and Saturday night was far from a spectacle. Both Nick Riewoldt and Josh Bruce kicked 2.2, missing opportunities in front of goal, while Jack Billings didn’t score from two shots from an almost identical position on a left forward flank. By the final siren, 23-points could have been fewer had it not been for a poor night in front of the sticks.
Stellar year continues for underrated Geary
He may generate minimal fanfare on the outside, but inside the four walls Jarryn Geary is one of the more highly regarded players at St Kilda. Once again on Saturday night he was assigned the opposition’s most dangerous small forward and nullified him. This week’s victim was in-form goal sneak Lindsay Thomas, who after kicking five goals the week earlier, posed a significant threat at the feet of Drew Petrie, Jarrad Waite and Ben Brown. At Etihad Stadium, Geary shut Thomas down, holding him to just eight disposals and a goal, adding the North Melbourne star to his list of scalps this season. The unheralded small defender has now beaten Eddie Betts (Round 11), Daniel Menzel (Round 14) and Jeff Garlett (Round 17) in telling roles in the last two months. After 19 rounds, it would be little surprise to see Geary sitting inside the top-five of the Trevor Barker Award.
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The week that was
You couldn’t turn on a television or radio, scroll through social media or even flick through a newspaper last week without seeing something that referenced Brent Harvey’s phenomenal feat. And rightly so, given the significance of the milestone. Following a week of tributes, the theme continued and rose a level at Etihad Stadium. In his 427th appearance, Harvey collected 24 possessions, nine score involvements, three inside 50s and kicked a goal from a Lindsay Thomas gift. The win ensured Harvey’s unblemished milestone record continued, with the Kangaroos saluting in every milestone game from No. 50 to No. 400 and in the game where he broke Glenn Archer’s club games record (311). A hell of a record, from one of the Kangaroos greats.
Ross stands up, while Acres produces career-best performance
North Melbourne’s midfield got the job done under the roof at Etihad Stadium, prompting Alan Richardson to remark in his post-mortem: “We were beaten pretty comprehensively at stoppage, not necessarily from a numbers perspective, but just the quality.” The Saints were trounced around the ball by Ben Cunnington, Andrew Swallow and co, with only Leigh Montagna and Seb Ross getting their hands on it at the coal face. Reigning club champion Jack Steven was restricted by Kangaroos tagger Trent Dumont, while fellow star onballer David Armitage was also well held. On a difficult night, Ross stood tall, continuing his strong season by gathering 25 disposals and seven tackles. Blake Acres played his best game at the highest level according to Richardson, after the West Australian had 22 touches, four inside 50s and four tackles, looking more damaging with ball in hand than in recent weeks. Along with the effort of Jade Gresham, Acres was one of the main positives to emerge from the weekend.
Finals light dims, but still plenty to salvage in month ahead
Finals might only be a mathematical possibility after Saturday night’s loss 23-point loss, but there is no hiding from the progress St Kilda has made this season. While disappoint still lingers at Linen House Centre days after the weekend, the reality is St Kilda has improved considerably in 2016; in Alan Richardson’s third season at the helm. With nine wins already on the board and a month to play, there is still plenty to play for in the closing part of the season. Young, inexperienced players like Gresham, Acres and Daniel McKenzie showed plenty of promise in the defeat and can still gain plenty from the last four weeks. And a positive finish to the season can fuel the Saints’ pre-season, generating momentum into a long, hot summer in Seaford.
