Round 19
Geelong v St Kilda
7.30pm, Thursday 16th July, 2026
GMHBA Stadium
Pre-game Thoughts
Changes for the Saints – Out goes Hastie who wasn’t too bad last week and he is replaced by the luckless Hunter Clark.
The Cats have made an unusual load of changes this week. Out goes Kolodjashnij, Bruhn (inj), Knevitt, Cameron (inj), Martin, Blicavs, Bowes. In comes O’Connor, Miers, Close, Polkinghorne, Edwards, Clark, Worpel.
Immediately as a Saints fan you would think that without an injured Cameron and Bruhn that the Cats would be vulnerable but the fact they have rested Blicavs, Kolodjashnij and Martin tells me they’re not panicking and therefore don’t rate us.
The reality is that we haven’t won at the Cattery since 1999 so perhaps Chris Scott has a point.
Scott’s been a good coach but he’s been gifted an extraordinary list of players to work with year after year. List Manager Stephen Wells deserves a statue at Kardinia Park for never allowing the Cats to drop off. They shit me up the wall. Saints by 42 points.
Looking forward to going to the game and meeting with my brother Glen and nephew Jake from WA who’s on a break. His dad and I indoctrinated him as a Saint from birth. We tried the same with his younger brother Tom but alas he is dyed in the wool Dockers.
Ironically in Jake’s thirty years on the planet he hasn’t seen a flag but his brother may well get there this year. Sorry Jake. Life can be cruel. Fortius quo fidelius.
(Geelong, 3 hours early.) A few observations from Kardinia Park. Wearing opposition colours you expect a few menacing glares. Not to the level of Adelaide Oval but it’s a bit like walking into a Launceston pub wearing a Cascade T shirt.
Sitting in the cheap seats can be a tad chilly. There’s every likelihood I will look like Jack Nicholson in the final scene of The Shining once this game is over.
Finally an old friend of mine, Heath, had a terrific idea when the impressive four new light towers were built. Geelong has always over indexed when it comes to ginger-haired champions, so he suggested naming the towers Ling, Bruns, Stoneham and Neale. You could perhaps put McGrath in there also. Clever idea I thought.
Despite the ground’s abnormal width it is pristine and its so pleasing that they named the new stand after Joel Selwood, my favourite player of the last twenty years until he handed the baton to The Bont.
1st Qtr
A minute in and a long bomb into the Cats 50 ends up with Mannagh out the back who goals. A stoppage deep in the Cats 50 goes wrong for the Saints and Atkins goals. Cats are on. Polkinghorne kicks his first AFL goal after more contested ball dominance from the Cats. Warpole soccers a goal out of mid-air and the red flags are up. Finally a couple of repeat stoppages for STK I50. Owens gets strangled. No free. Excellent goal from Garcia the result of a solid chain from a stoppage on the wing. Marshall kicks a ripper from a ball up 20 out. Cats by 14 points at the break.
The Cats were too strong in the contest in the first half of the qtr then the Saints lifted and started connecting. Mullins is doing a sterling job on Nas whilst Lyon refuses to tag Smith who is getting into the swing of things.
2nd Qtr
Polkinghorne impressively beats Wilkie one on one. Blicavs out, replaced by a clone. Where do they get these guys from? Nas tackles brilliantly but his ego takes over and gets the kick reversed for pushing the Cats player’s head into the deck. Miers kicks an instinctive goal from a turnover. Byrnes caught 30 out and Miers goals. A run of the mill contest 20 out in STK D50 and Wilkie is penalised for what is nothing more than a netball infringement. My head is about to spontaneously combust. A long transition from the STK D50 and Higgins goals. Cats by 27 points at the break.
Cats are a big, powerful side close up and are fully committed tonight. Hope our Chairman, CEO, Football Manager, List Manager and Coach Ross Lyon can devise something to turn this game because my fear is The Cats are the best front running team in the competition.
3rd Qtr
Neale takes a one hander and goals. Marshall in everything takes a contested mark v two Cats and goals. Goal to Lake after a clumsy chain. Clever tap from Lake to Ryan who milks a head high and goals. STK lifting but the skill errors continue to pile up. Sharman misses a sitter running into goal at exactly the wrong psychological moment and Dangerfield goals from the transition back the other way. Momentum balloon effectively popped (insert profanity). Goal to Dempsey from an errant clearance. Hall goals from a Marshall assist. Wiltshire goals from a tired Marshall handball. Cats by 29 points at the break.
STK got within 7 points before Sharman inexplicably tried to dribble a goal from 20 out. I have never seen so many STK forwards slip over on a perfect night and surface! Surely any player whether professional or not would realise the first time they slipped, that a change of boots may be in order? Put bloody long stops on if you have even the slightest of doubt for goodness sakes!!
4th Qtr
Superb running goal to Smith. Henry kicks one from 50. I don’t want to be here. Dempsey takes a ridiculous mark 20 out and goals. Silvagni pushed fwd, intercepts and goals. Polkinghorne kicks one around the corner. Wretched accountability is making me bring up the dim sims, chips and donuts. I’m off. Cats by 29 points.
The Cats were fundamentally too good. Our contested ball improved in the second half and although Marshall was beaten in the hit outs he played one of the best lone-hand games you could ever see. Again the STK forward line is a problem and would be a lot worse if not for the pressure of the VFL draftee Campbell Lake who is starting to get more reward for his efforts. The Saints are zero and nine against the nine sides above us. We are supposedly three to four years ahead of where Richmond is at the moment. Yze is now under the pump but still Lyon escapes any criticism. I was listening to the ABC on the way home to Ballarat and they mentioned that Lyon was ‘teeing off’ at his assistants in the box at the end of the game and stormed off 60m ahead of them walking back to the changerooms. This is his pattern when his predictions don’t materialise. He did it at Fremantle and they were quick to move him on. We now have another year putting up with his belligerence and arrogance. He’s banking on King’s return next week but the issues run deeper than that. Do not be fooled Saints fans. Never go back to an ex-girlfriend/boyfriend.
Malarkey Votes
3 – R Marshall
2 – B Smith
1 – O Mullin
GEELONG 4.2 7.8 11.11 15.12 (102)
ST KILDA 2.0 3.5 7.6 11.9 (75)
GOALS
Geelong: Miers 3, O.Henry 2, Dempsey 2, Polkinghorne 2, Mannagh, Atkins, Worpel, Neale, Dangerfield, Smith
St Kilda: Marshall 2, Hall 2, Ryan 2, Garcia, Higgins, Lake, Silvagni, Wanganeen-Milera
BEST
Geelong: Smith, Miers, Humphries, Clark, Polkinghorne
St Kilda: Marshall, Garcia, Wilson, Silvagni, Phillipou
INJURIES
Geelong: Mannagh (hamstring), Holmes (leg)
St Kilda: Nil
Crowd: 23,737
Read other round 19 match reports HERE
Read more from Ian Wilson HERE
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Former army aircraft mechanic, sales manager, VFA footballer and coach. Now mental health worker and blogger. Lifelong St Kilda FC tragic and father to 2 x girls.
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