Where and when: Marvel Stadium, Sunday March 24, 1.10pm AEDT
Last time they met: Metricon Stadium, round 13, 2018: Gold Coast 11.12 (78) lost to St Kilda 11.14 (80)
Saints coach Alan Richardson’s job was on the line coming into this clash, with the club having posted its only win in the opening round. After trailing by 31 points at the last break, St Kilda stormed home and pulled off a remarkable victory, going in front with a minute left after a brilliant snap from Jade Gresham.
What it means for St Kilda: So much. It’s been a disastrous past few weeks for the Saints. The injury list is mounting, and a win would be great for morale. A loss to the lowly Suns would be tough to rebound from.
What it means for Gold Coast: Everyone knows the club has stripped back its list, so expectations are at rock bottom. An early victory would boost the player morale in a season likely to include some demoralising defeats.
How St Kilda wins: Holding sway in the midfield battle and applying intense pressure will help protect an inexperienced backline, with Josh Battle and Darragh Joyce holding the key posts.
How Gold Coast wins: The Suns just need to be in the game at the last break and hope their opposition cracks in what would be a stressful situation.
The stat: St Kilda lost the free kick count in its final JLT Community Series match against the Western Bulldogs, 40-14. It won’t want that disparity in round one.
The match-up: Peter Wright v Darragh Joyce
On paper, Wright should have the advantage and would back himself to kick a bag, but Irishman Joyce has done some nice things in the pre-season for St Kilda. Wright is ranked No.271 in the Schick AFL Player Ratings, while the Saints backman is No.698.
It’s a big week for: Alan Richardson
The coach enters 2019 under serious heat to keep his job and that scrutiny will ramp right up if his side doesn’t win its season opener.
Father Dougal’s Tip: The Saints by 6 points, only because they are at home. I can see either or both of these teams coming together to prove they are notably better that last year, and thus have little faith in my prediction
**Our Admin isn’t always online. If you have access to the SuperCoach scores, the SCT Coaches would be very appreciative if you could pop them into the comments below. Thank you!**
Leave a comment / Scroll to bottom
C’mon Collins, do me proud, a sub 60 would be great to justify not picking you at your price…
Hope he tonnes up now, just to piss you off & get Catta solid points of course 😉
Great to see Collins kicking butt in the first half, only 92 in the 2nd half to tonne up young fella 🙁
Sorry, it seems Collins has scaled down for his 100% time on ground for the 1st half! Make that 94 needed to tonne up – you can do it Collo 😉
I would have been happy for him to get a fifty. Didn’t wish that upon him.
you’re getting what you wished for
Final fwd rookie
TU – Burgees (gives dpp with Moore who is in my backline)
TD – Parker (could potentially be a decent cow with good js)
Burgess for me. No guarantee Parker will score better than Burgess (both will be fairly grim) Job Security probably even, if anything I’d prefer Burgess.
But the DPP, takes the cake. If you’ve got Moore it’s almost a no brainer!
NO LATE CHANGES
FINAL INTERCHANGES
St Kilda: Jack Steven, Luke Dunstan, Jack Sinclair, Daniel McKenzie
Gold Coast: Anthony Miles, Brayden Fiorini, Jordan Murdoch, Jack Lukosius
Last minute
T/U Burgess
T/D Joyce
Thanks
Forgive me Father for I maybe about to sin,
Collins->Hanley……..anyone please save me….
Hah, thank you my saviours, the time passed.
Cheers Lucky I type slow too….
Come on, Steele. You’re supposed to be my secret weapon!
7 points at quarter time RIP
Same, he is a POD in my team. picked him over rockcliff
I’m seriously thinking of steele down to rockcliff and bank the ~100k difference.
Yeah considering going down to Rocky or Sheed if he really stinks it up in the first couple of rounds
And collins down to someone?
he might end up on a negative score
Oh ye of short memories. Shoulder in r6 I reckon.
Of course Petruccelle on the field and Parker on the pine….
I suppose most people have him on the bench too
Just when I thought rd 1 couldn’t get any worse, Steele is spudding it up. With the way everything is going so far I’m waiting for Williams to be a late out!
Collins is gone this week i seen enough
no idea how people keep him after this
kpp rookie…sham on anyone for havin him at the price.
Maybe I should have suggested Collins > anyone else available.
Father where are you when we need you to save us all from that dreaded evil Murphy and his Satan Laws?
We now have all been infested by that plague the Shoodas disease.
Collins to Newman looking real good after this shambolic display, I also have bloody hanley to deal with RIP
Happy with Parker. Not happy with him on the bench. Happy with Joyce. Not happy with him on the bench. Wait for him to get dropped when Brown returns. Lol. Unless Steele pulls his finger out in the second half will rage trade him to the Worpedo!
Picked Collins over Scrimshaw 🙁
Colling to Wilkie/Moore on the cards
Anyone else like me to rage trade a player? 🙂 Steele coming back. Commentators curse always works. Hmmm should I have waited until the end of the game?
Yeah I feel a bit silly in regards to my earlier comment…
Huzzah! Rise, Steele, rise!
St Kilda Saints: 12.4.76
Jack Newnes 82
Jack Steele 81
Josh Bruce 76
Daniel McKenzie 76
Jack Steven 72
Jade Gresham 72
Seb Ross 71
Jack Lonie 70
Luke Dunstan 66
Josh Battle 66
Jack Billings 64
Jack Sinclair 62
Jimmy Webster 60
Darragh Joyce 60
Matthew Parker 59
Ben Long* 57
Tim Membrey 57
Jarryn Geary 56
Callum Wilkie 51
Shane Savage 47
Lewis Pierce 34
Dean Kent 31
Gold Coast Suns: 10.4.64
Alex Sexton 97
Touk Miller 82
Jack Bowes 76
Brayden Fiorini 75
Peter Wright 75
Jack Martin 72
Anthony Miles 62
Charlie Ballard 62
Jarrod Witts 59
Darcy MacPherson 55
Jarrod Harbrow 52
Jack Hombsch 52
Wil Powell 50
Pearce Hanley 40
G. Horlin-Smith 38
David Swallow 37
Jordan Murdoch 36
Lachlan Weller 34
Ben Ainsworth 25
Samuel Collins 25
Jack Lukosius 23
Chris Burgess 21
Steele scores went through the roof that quarter …
I’m at the game, Collins just limped off.
Came back on the. Got smashed right before the final siren. Should be OK for next week. Go Saints!
How bad was that?!
My 4-yr-old son demanded we leave at HT.
This is boring, he said. I agreed. And we nearly left.
Up the back of the stands, iPad, lego, colouring pens and book out. Happy days!
But jaysus we were bad. Great second half from Steele and Parker (tho wasteful at times) looks more than up to it.
Likewise, took my 4yo for his first game of footy, wanted him to see Saints win. Almost backfired on me!
I missed big chunks of quarters due to the kid factor, but from what I saw, not much SC relevance in either team.
A very average display.
Thoughts:
– I know it was only against Gold Coast, but so far Steele looks like a good pick. Well done to those who started him. For those of us who didn’t, though, give him another week before jumping on – he was only playing Gold Coast.
– I’m glad I skipped Collins!
– Again, I know it was only against Gold Coast… but since when was Parker this good a rookie?
Ditto on Collins. Parker has never moved from M8 for me. Even attended CBs, and late in the game when it was on the line (giving Steele as spell)!
Could easily have kicked two more with a bit more composure. As Bruce would say, “Gee, he’s good!”. And super quick.
Well, it would have been nice of him to warn us by showing a bit more in the JLT…
Saints will smash my bombers next week.