by Braham Dabscheck
1.10 PM Sunday 5 April
Etihad Stadium
At long last a new season has commenced. Normalcy has resumed. The Saints are up and running. It is simply great to be able to watch them play again and see if they can improve on last year. Captain Nick Riewoldt played even though he has missed pre season games following the death of his younger sister Madeleine. He honoured her with the #FIGHTLIKEMADDIE printed on his boots. Earlier on Thursday night’s game, Richmond’s Jack Riewoldt had honoured his cousin Madeleine and was comforted by his father after the game. All power to Jack. Footballers, other than for the fact that they are footballers, are just like the rest of us as we encounter the pathway of life.
The Saints started the game well. They were hard at the ball and kicked the first goal when Tim Membrey marked strongly deep in the forward line. And Adam Schneider kicked a long goal following a mark. The Giants got back into the game and dominated the second half of the first quarter and the second quarter. It was in this period, especially the second quarter that the game was lost. Last year, the Saints would fall apart and give away easy goals. There was a brief period in the second quarter where history looked like repeating itself. If the truth be known, if the Giants had have been more accurate in front of goal, they should have been further ahead at half time. The Saints gave away two goals from 50 metre penalties, which turned out to be crucial in a 9 point loss.
Things looked better after half time. Josh Bruce took a screamer over three Giants in the third quarter; an early contender for mark of the year. Unfortunately, he missed with his shot at goal. Jarryn Geary also missed with a shot following a mark late in the third quarter, which would have made things more interesting. The Saints dominated the last quarter, and at one stage got within 7 points half way through the quarter. Things turned nasty after a Giant crashed into Nick Riewoldt’s back, off the ball. There were fears that he had damaged his neck. It is reported that he suffered whiplash. He left the ground and went to hospital for scans. Hopefully, he is OK. Shane Savage kicked two monster goals in the last quarter. Shots at goal late in the quarter resulted in points, and the game was lost.
The Saints looked more competitive than last year. The back line held up fairly well. There was only one diabolical piece of play that provided the Giants with a gift goal. The major problem was with bringing the ball into the forward line. There was no real fluency of movement. The Giants’ midfield looked more assured than the Saints. The Saints little guys has limited impact during the game. The team seemed to be short one big bodied, medium sized player. Jack Lonie, who has a touch of the Aussie Jones’s about him, had a few moments and sub Jack Sinclair looked good when he came on. Membrey and Bruce are worth pursuing with on the forward line. Though the Saints lost they look they will have their moments in the sun during 2015.
St. Kilda 3.0 5.2 7.5 11.12 (78)
Greater Western Sydney 3.5 7.9 9.12 12.15 (87)
Goals
St. Kilda: Membrey 2, Schneider 2, Bruce 2, Savage 2, Dunstan, Riewoldt, Armitage.
Greater Western Sydney: Cameron 4, McCarthy 3, Whitfield, Ward, Treloar, Palmer, Shiel.
Best
St. Kilda: Steven, Schneider, Montagna, Geary, Savage.
Greater Western Sydney: Treloar, Ward, Mumford, Cameron, Whitfield.
Umpires: Harris, Mitchell, Ryan.
Crowd: 18,794.
Our Votes: Treloar 3 (GWS), Ward 2 (GWS), Steven 1 (St.K).
Leave a Comment