St Kilda has pushed Carlton to the brink in a Round 6 VFL thriller on Saturday.
A see-sawing contest from the opening siren ended in heartbreak for the Saints, whose spirited fightback was cut just short, falling 93-98 at IKON Park.
Max King slotted the opening goal of the game within just three minutes as the Saints were able to notably win the ball from the source, winning the clearance battle although failing to convert chances from forward 50 entries which reflected just the two goals converted.
After a slow start in the opening stanza, the Saints began to find their rhythm.
Paddy Dow found his mojo and kicked the Saints’ first of the second term, with King bagging his second goal for the afternoon with a strong mark to bring St Kilda back within just three goals.
Hugh Boxshall looked lively during the fightback, registering six tackles for the game and brought the heat to the Blues outfit in what was shaping up to be a fierce contest. Bailey McKenzie dug deep and kicked a superb late goal to register his second to bring the Saints back within just two points at the main break – holding the Blues goalless in the term.
Charlie Banfield was superb in his return from injury, registering 15 disposals for the game and slotting St Kilda’s first goal after the main change. After McKenzie then kicked his third, the Blues responded promptly, kicking two goals to take a 12-point lead heading into the final change.
After an inaccurate start to the final term, a nice finish from Billy Richardson registered the Saints’ first for the last quarter. Jayden Davey stole the spotlight from Richardson’s moment instantly, kicking an unbelievable goal that cut the deficit to just one straight kick and brought the Saints right back in the hunt.
Carlton quickly responded to Davey’s brilliance within just two minutes, in which Oskar Ainsworth found his first goal in the dying minutes of the last term.
St Kilda’s fightback was cut short as the siren sounded with the Saints attempting to surge forward one final time.
The Saints were without spearhead Max King (hamstring awareness) in the second half.
NEXT GAME: St Kilda take on Sandringham on Sunday 10 May at Trevor Barker Oval.
MATCH FACTS
CARLTON 7.1 7.5 11.10 14.14 (98)
ST KILDA 2.3 6.9 9.10 13.15 (93)
GOALS
Blues: Ison 3, Hewett 2, Acres 2, Young, Prout, O’Keeffe, Moir, Hogg, Fogarty, Derksen
Saints: McKenzie 3, Richardson 2, King 2, Nagel, Dow, Davey, Banfield, Behnk, Ainsworth
TOP PLAYER STATS
Hugh Boxshall – 29 disposals, 12 marks, 6 tackles
Lance Collard – 25 disposals, 10 marks, 6 intercepts
Alex Dodson – 15 disposals, 29 hitouts, 6 marks, 5 clearances
Tobie Travaglia – 23 disposals, 7 marks, 5 intercepts
Paddy Dow – 22 disposals, 1 goal
Bailey McKenize 9 disposals, 3 goals
