After 84 days on the sidelines, the Saints are fixed on restarting their season with a win over the Western Bulldogs.
Ahead of Sunday's clash with the red, white and blue, here's all you need to know about our opposition.
Round 2
St Kilda v Western Bulldogs
Sunday 14 June
Marvel Stadium, 6:05pm
Watch the game live on Fox Footy, Kayo or with the official AFL Live Pass.
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Last time we met…
St Kilda 17.14. (116) def. Western Bulldogs 14.5 (89)
The Saints took home the four points in Brett Ratten’s first game as caretaker coach, snapping the Bulldogs’ three-game winning streak.
The standouts...
Exciting young gun Hunter Clark was one of the best afield at Marvel Stadium, oozing his trademark composure with a career-high 26 disposals, 533m gained and two goals.
There's a lot to like about Hunter Clark! pic.twitter.com/oQ5VA5LbpH
— St Kilda FC (@stkildafc) July 22, 2019
The eye-catching performance was smack-bang in the middle of the No. 11’s purple patch, with his past four games seeing him average 23 touches, four tackles and three rebound-50s per game.
Jack Lonie booted four goals for the afternoon – three of which were kicked in the first quarter – and rounded out his afternoon with 20 disposals, eight marks and 11 score involvements.
Tim Membrey also bagged four majors at a much steadier rate, while Jack Billings was electric with 27 disposals and two goals.
For the Bulldogs, Bailey Dale and Tory Dickson combined for nine goals, but it was Josh Dunkley who was best-on-ground with 38 touches (20 contested).
Moment of the match...
Rookie-listed Saint Doulton Langlands pounced on his opportunity to kick his first goal at AFL level, kicking truly after his well-documented poster during training mid-week.
History repeating...?
Jack Billings boasts a superb record against the Bulldogs, piecing together 27-disposal outings in his past two encounters.
From the archives...
It was another JB masterclass in Round 20, 2015, with the then-19-year-old ramming home four second-half goals to steer the Saints to one of their greatest come-from-behind triumphs of all-time.
When JB put on a clinic ?? pic.twitter.com/pdj4iHxmOZ
— St Kilda FC (@stkildafc) June 10, 2020
Round 1 recap…
It wasn't the dream start to St Kilda's new era all the way back in Round 1, going down by two points against a resilient North Melbourne.
The Bulldogs couldn’t get the job done either against Collingwood, kicking just five goals in the 52-point loss.
Marcus Bontempelli was uncharacteristically quiet with just 15 touches, while Bailey Smith was one of the best afield with 23 disposals and seven tackles.
The Dogs were outclassed through the middle, finding themselves -10 in the centre clearances.
The ins and outs...
The Saints will bring in Jake Carlisle, Nicholas Hind and Nick Coffield, with Luke Dunstan, Dean Kent and Dylan Roberton all omitted.
The Bulldogs have swung the axe and made five changes, seeing Lin Jong, Patrick Lipinski, Ed Richards, Billy Gowers and debutant Laitham Vandermeer line up for Sunday's match.
The Dogs' dangermen...
Bulldogs skipper Marcus Bontempelli looms as their most ever-present threat, and after a quiet Round 1 will be determined to respond.
Shortened quarters mean the dual-All Australian’s midfield bursts could be even more lethal.
Combine 'The Bont' with the midfield entourage of Josh Dunkley, Jack Macrae and Bailey Smith, and the Saints will need to bring their A-game to outshine the Dogs’ on-ball brigade.
Running half-backs Caleb Daniel and Jason Johannisen will be ones to watch, while aerialists Aaron Naughton and former Saint Josh Bruce could prove damaging up front.
On the injury front…
Like the Saints, the Bulldogs boast a relatively clean bill of health.
Lin Jong is set to play his first senior game in 664 days, while Easton Wood will be assessed in the coming days with quad soreness.
Lachie Hunter (suspension) will miss this week’s clash.
