St Kilda vs West Coast
Where and when:
Sunday June 9, 4.40pm
Etihad Stadium

In: Beau Maister, Clint Jones, Trent Dennis-Lane, Sam Dunell
Out: Sam Fisher (Foot), Jackson Ferguson (Omitted), Ahmed Saad (Omitted), Arryn Siposs (Omitted)

Overview:
Regardless of the outcome of this game, St Kilda and West Coast will enter the bye hoping for a better second half of the season than the first. While the Saints continue to blood youth into the fold, the Eagles have dropped a few rungs on the ladder from where they were last year.

In the last three weeks, West Coast has won with a kick after the siren, crushed GWS by 100 points and been on the receiving end of a spirited Richmond performance at home. John Worsfold's men sit one game outside the top eight and a loss on Sunday would make a top four finish difficult.

It's been a tough first half of the season for the Saints. Scott Watters is constantly balancing the ambition to win against the need to regenerate, and as a result the Saints have been inconsistent. They have matched it with Sydney and Collingwood and floundered against lesser teams. It's vital that they rediscover the form they demonstrated in rounds five, six and seven this Sunday evening.

The Eagles haven't played at Etihad stadium since round seven last year. It may take some time for them to adjust to the size of the ground, which is six metres wider but almost 20 metres shorter than Patersons Stadium.

St Kilda is more than familiar with footy's indoor stadium, as four of the Saints last five matches have been at Docklands, a venue that is traditionally productive for experienced forwards Nick Riewoldt and Stephen Milne.

St Kilda will be focussed on starting well after last week, while West Coast led the Tigers at the first break on Monday but were trounced in the second quarter six goals to three behinds.

Stat focus:

• West Coast hasn't won at Etihad Stadium for over 13 months.
• St Kilda has used 35 players this season, ranked equal fifth in the AFL
• West Coast's average winning margin is 58.4 points, higher than any team in the AFL this year.
• The Saints have won two out of 10 first quarters and last quarters in 2013.
• The Eagles have won eight from 10 first terms.
• West Coast's Shannon Hurn and St Kilda's Dylan Roberton are ranked equal fourth in the AFL for rebound 50s this season, each averaging 4.4 per game.
• Nick Riewoldt took his 100th mark for the season last weekend. After 10 games in 2012 he had taken 68 grabs.
• Eagles midfielder Scott Selwood has registered more tackles than any other player in the competition this year, averaging 8.1 per game.
• St Kilda has won four of its last five games against West Coast
• Leigh Montagna averages 30.8 disposals in his last five games against the Eagles.

Injury list:

St Kilda:
Sam Gilbert (knee) 6-8 weeks
Daniel Markworth (ACL) Season
Adam Schneider (hamstring) 3 weeks
Lenny Hayes (calf) 2 weeks
Darren Minchington (hamstring) 2-3 weeks
Nathan Wright (back) Test

West Coast:
Sharrod Wellingham (ankle) 4-5 weeks
Cale Morton (hamstring) Test
Beau Waters (quad) Test
Will Schofield (finger) 1-2 weeks
Brad Dick (hamstring) 2-3 weeks
Murray Newman (knee) 1-2 weeks

Last week:
St Kilda 10.5 (65) defeated by North Melbourne 19.19 (133)
West Coast 8.14 (62) defeated by Richmond 16.7 (103)

What they say:

(West Coast coach John Worsfold on Wednesday)
If players are out of form, then their spots are under question. We have got some players in outstanding form in the WAFL that are really pushing hard to come into the side.

(West Coast assistant coach Troy Longmuir on Wednesday)
There were a number of players that didn't contribute to the defensive side of our game (against Richmond), and that was what really gave us an edge last year.

We had 18 players all playing as one and defending as one. We have lost that at the moment.

If you play like we did on Monday and you make the finals, you are going to be on holidays after the first week anyway.

We need to get our season back on track and it starts this weekend.

What we say:

(St Kilda coach Scott Watters Thursday):
It will be interesting to see how we back up ... We were very disappointed in our first quarter last week and the playing group was able to stabilise after quarter-time.

The first quarter has had a lot of review put into it this week. It's a steep learning curve for a lot of our younger players to go through that type of quarter. Ultimately you get the chance to respond and learn from it so we are looking forward to playing this week.

I think it's one of the toughest selection calls you make each week on younger players. Do you back them in and continue to trust them? You do have to do that, otherwise every young player would be out every second week.

At the same time there are certain standards and non-negotiables that players need to deliver so you have to weigh that up as well.

Running hot:
St Kilda: Nick Riewoldt
The Saints skipper has been inspirational in the first 10 games of the year. Much has been made of his terrific high marking and goal-kicking, but it's his leadership and work-rate that has set an excellent example to the raft of St Kilda youngsters. Riewoldt has booted 29 majors this season, five behind the leader of the Coleman Medal and opposition player this weekend, Josh Kennedy.

West Coast: Scott Selwood
The 23-year-old has become a frontline midfielder for West Coast in the past two seasons. While he is averaging 24.1 disposals per game this year, it's his defensive work that has been so impressive in 2013. The youngest of the four Selwood brothers has laid 81 tackles for the season, more than any other player in the AFL. Last Monday he collected 31 touches and registered 11 tackles against Richmond.

Watch out for:
St Kilda: Leigh Montagna
The experienced ball-winner loves playing against West Coast. He amassed a career-high 43 disposals against the Eagles three seasons ago, and averages over 30 touches per game in his last five matches against John Worsefold's men. The 200-gamer has also racked up more possessions than any other Saints player in 2013.

West Coast: Josh Kennedy
The key forward has established himself as a constant threat to opposition defenders this season. He has booted multiple goals in all but one game and is West Coast's primary option in its forward 50. Kennedy's output hasn't been as productive against the Saints over the course of his career, kicking just three goals in five matches.

Last time they met:
Round 18, 2012 at Etihad Stadium
St Kilda 13.13 (91) defeated by West Coast 18.13 (121)
Disposals: Hayes (28), Selwood (31)
Goals: Cox (5), Riewoldt (4)

You can follow Tom Morris on Twitter: @tommorris32