CHAOS. Simply chaos.
Big goals, a pinging footy, a roaring crowd, and a smattering of tension, St Kilda and Collingwood closed Opening Round in an enthralling fashion.
Ultimately, it was Collingwood who came away with the four points, posting an 11.12 (78) to 9.12 (66) victory in Victoria’s only clash of the weekend.
With a bucketful of expectation, St Kilda fans turned out to the MCG in numbers to help the side to its biggest home and away crowd in history, with 82,528 people through the turnstiles.
A combination of fast footy and brute force left tensions bubbling throughout the game, with Saint Hugo Garcia and Pie Brayden Maynard regular instigators of spotfires. Former St Kilda forward Tim Membrey also had some words with his ex-teammates as the sides parted at the main break.
While the intent to play an attacking brand of footy to balance its historically defensive style was evident from St Kilda, it was let down by poor decision making and execution in the front half.
Early in the piece, there was a clear clash of styles at play. St Kilda was a little stagnant – well-structured and working hard to be measured in its ball use – while Collingwood slung the footy from its back half like a bull at a gate.
Flicking the ball by hand at pace, the Pies were able to create a number of dangerous opportunities close to goal thanks to the space afforded by such speed. The Saints, although equalling the inside 50 count at 11 for the term, was forced to work in congestion and its entries didn't necessarily offer their forward best opportunity to leap at the footy.
That all changed after the first break, however, as the home side turned its forward pressure all the way up, and its capacity to win the ball from the middle meant impressive territory control and a neatly set up intercepting layer 80m from goal. New addition Jack Silvagni (nine intercepts) and freshly minted co-captains Callum Wilkie (nine intercepts, two contested marks), and Jack Sinclair (35 disposals, seven intercepts) led the way for the line.
Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (19 disposals, one goal) shifted to half-back to offer the Saints some dash from defence.
Nas has his moment
Arguably the most discussed contract of 2025, St Kilda star Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera opened the first game of the celebrated extension with Pie Harry Perryman in tow. Not a tight tag per se, but an annoyance nonetheless. While it did hamper some of Wanganeen-Milera's signature dash and movement through the contest, he was always going to have his crowd-lifting moment. In the second quarter as the Saints were focused on jabbing the Pies back, Wanganeen-Milera gathered a ground ball in congestion inside 50, and with a calm snap around the body, put through a statement goal into the St Kilda cheer squad. As the heaving crowd roared, the No.7 let his teammates know what it meant.
The hope of new additions
St Kilda has remained a key talking point since October, with its busy trade period that bore Carlton pair Tom De Koning and Jack Silvagni, West Coast premiership player Liam Ryan, and Gold Coast ball winner Sam Flanders. The quartet all made their debut in the red, white, and black on Sunday night and made their mark in their own way. De Koning took the bulk of the ruck duties, going toe-to-toe with Pies best and fairest winner Darcy Cameron, while also flying for some impressive contested marks. Silvagni filled the key defensive gap created by Dougal Howard’s absence with aplomb. Ryan's speed on the wings gave the Saints' ball movement a different look. And Flanders helped to balance a now-dynamic midfield contingent.
ST KILDA 2.4 5.7 7.10 9.12 (66)
COLLINGWOOD 4.3 5.5 10.10 11.12 (78)
GOALS
St Kilda: Owens 2, Sharman 2, Hall, Higgins, Hill, Ryan, Wanganeen-Milera
Collingwood: De Goey 3, Schultz 2, McCreery 2, Cameron, Elliott, McStay, Steele
BEST
St Kilda: Sinclair, Flanders, Wanganeen-Milera, Owens, Silvagni
Collingwood: J.Daicos, N.Daicos, Pendlebury, Cameron, De Goey, Schultz
INJURIES
St Kilda: Marshall (concussion)
Collingwood: Nil
Crowd: 82,528 at the MCG
