Round 2 – Fremantle v St. Kilda: King to the Max and Professor Higgins slice and quarter Dockers in just one Quarter

 

 

 

 

Fremantle v St. Kilda

3:20PM Sunday March 27

Optus Stadium

 

 

We live in troubled times. It is difficult to reach an understanding of what is going on. This is no more true than in making any sense of the 2022 AFL season. The Saints and Dockers clash was one of the more odd games that has been played over the years.

 

In the first half both sides struggled to develop any sense of coherence and fluency. Both teams looked underdone. The Saints had trouble holding marks, their disposal was terrible with kicks either going off the side of boots or missing targets, and handballs going astray or putting recipients under unnecessary pressure. The Saints seemed to be out of sorts, wishing they were back home in Melbourne and having access to cakes in Acland Street after the game. Or maybe they were worried about what would be contained in the federal budget on the following Tuesday night.

 

Early in the first quarter Max King received a glancing knock in the head, from former Saint Blake Acres, that seemed to disorient him. He was hardly sighted for the rest of the first half. The Saints kicking for goal was a particular problem. In the first stanza Jade Gresham managed to hit the post. Tim Membrey and Jack Higgins missed very gettable goals from set shots. Two other gettable goals were lost due to errant play and sloppy kicking. In the second quarter, even though the Saints dominated the inside 50s, 16-5, they only managed to kick two goals – a nice running goal by Dan Butler and a set shot from Professor Higgins – and wasted at least four other chances for goal. It was a miracle that they were only down by 12 points at the main break.

 

Then things changed dramatically in the third quarter when Max King changed the game. In a two minute period he kicked three goals. The Professor also kicked three in the third. News had apparently been conveyed to the team that they didn’t have to worry about finding some decent cake shops after the game; all they had to do was go on a tour of Subiaco. Or maybe they had received news of the leaking of the contents in the budget, reported on Sunday morning. Who knows? King’s goals were all from marks. The first, from a pin point pass by Brad Hill; duly converted from the 50 meter line, dead in front. The second, a neat pass from Ryan Byrnes, and the third, a speculative screw kick from Jade Gresham under pressure on the boundary line in the forward pocket. The Professor’s first was from a snap following a throw in. The second, the best of the lot, a miracle from a soccer off the ground with the outside of his right boot, and the third, from a free.

 

The last quarter was little more than a slog, closer to the antics of the first half than that of the third term. King kicked his fourth from another strong mark to put the game beyond the reach of the Dockers. The Saints ended up winning by 10 points, their first victory in the west since 2012.

 

The Saints’ win was based on winning the clearances 37-26 and contested possessions 142-130; in short, on dogged determination. The Dockers had the three biggest possession gatherers on the ground (they seemed to kick it to each other in the back half), but also eight out of the ten with the least possessions. Josh Battle held the defence together with 13 marks. He had a particularly strong last quarter when play was camped in the Saints’ back half. Daniel McKenzie made a series of crucial interventions which helped stave of possible Docker goals. The Saints owed their victory, in the final analysis, to Max King and Jack Higgins who took on the game by the scruff of the neck in that magical third quarter.

 

The Tigers next week in Maddie’s Match. They will need to improve, especially in their kicking for goal, to win this one. Maybe Paddy Ryder and Dougal Howard will return to the side.

 

Go Saints! Hope springs eternal!

 

 

FREMANTLE    3.0   5.1   6.4    8.7 (55)

ST. KILDA        0.4   2.7   8.10   9.11 (65)

 

GOALS

Fremantle: Lobb, Colyer 2, Brayshaw, Meek, Walters, O’Driscoll.

St. Kilda: Higgins, King 4, Butler 1.

 

BEST

Fremantle: Brayshaw, Ryan, Young, Brodie, Acres.

St. Kilda: King, Higgins, Battle, Hill, McKenzie.

 

Crowd: 25,284.

 

Malarkey Medal: Battle 1 (StK), Higgins 2 (StK), King 3 (StK).

 

 

 

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Our writers are independent contributors. The opinions expressed in their articles are their own. They are not the views, nor do they reflect the views, of Malarkey Publications.

 

 

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