An unflinching display from Nat Exon at Ikon Park has seen her take out the Round 5 Dare Sainter of the Round. 

The courageous Saint was a force to be reckoned with against her old side, chalking up 10 disposals, three marks and a team-high eight tackles in the 21-point loss. 

Exon’s physicality, closing pressure and unrewarded efforts were highlights of the evening, and complemented the strong inside work of Olivia Vesely and Rosie Dillon. 

A bone-crunching run-down tackle on Carlton’s Madison Prespakis in the opening minutes set the tone, with the 27-year-old refusing to let up all the way to the final siren. 

The gritty on-baller spent time up forward and along the wings, but it was on the inside where she had the biggest impact. 

Saints fall short despite refusing to concede

Her physical masterclass also saw her knock off fellow hard-nut Rosie Dillon as St Kilda’s leading tackler for 2020 (31). 

St Kilda will return to RSEA Park next Saturday at 5:10pm to face fellow expansion club, Richmond.