Round 21 – St Kilda v Sydney: And the battle for fourth just became really interesting.
7/8/2021.
St Kilda v Sydney Swans,
Marvel Stadium.
I am trying to not be disappointed by this result. After all, many people thought my Swans would be lucky to finish any higher than 13th. Many thought bottom four. I thought, at best, we’d finish around 10th. Yet we’re playing finals, and during a season where we’ve had to play on the road for two-plus months due to COVID. And we’ve performed really well. We crushed the Lions at the Gabba, we demolished the Tigers at the MCG, we toppled the Bulldogs at Marvel, and we beat Geelong for crying out loud. Imagine saying that at the start of the year.
And yet, a part of me is disappointed. In a year with all of those achievements I just listed and then some, we’ve lost to the Gold Coast, Hawthorn, and now St Kilda. And I mean no disrespect to any of those teams when I say this, but those were three games we not only needed to win but we should have won. And instead, we were blown out on all three occasions by teams who were hungrier than we were.
For the third time in the last month, we’ve allowed a team to gain a massive head-start against us. We managed to reel in Freo and the Giants, but the Saints were too powerful tonight. They had their finals hopes on the line. The Saints knew that if they lost, they’d be (pretty much) eliminated from finals calculations. And we played like we gave the Saints no respect. If you don’t give your opponents respect in professional sport, especially one as unpredictable as footy, you’re going to get your pants pulled down. Just ask Carlton after their loss to the Suns.
At the same time in Adelaide, the Power just, and I mean JUST, squeak past the Crows. Had they lost tonight as well, that would’ve made the race for fourth even more interesting than it currently is. As it stands, before the Lions play in Perth tomorrow, Port are up to 3rd, half a game behind Melbourne, who is in front of Port in the percentage department by about 10 percentage points. We are 5th, and could slip down to 6th if the Lions win tomorrow, which I think they will. Port, assuming they get past Carlton next week, have a super tricky round 23 match-up against the Dogs in Melbourne (possibly). The Swans play the Kangaroos and the Suns to finish the season, both teams who have drastically improved over the last 6-7 weeks over their earlier season form. Brisbane plays an unpredictable Collingwood and a West Coast team that might be fighting to play finals footy come round 23.
Tonight’s result proved that nothing is a given in this competition. All three teams could end up winning their remaining matches, or they could all end up losing their remaining matches. Whatever happens, before the final siren sounds to signal the end of the home and away season, the race for the top four is set to be just as fascinating as the race for 7th and 8th.
About Caspar McLeod
Third Culture Kid at Heart. Grew up in Asia, discovered footy at age 9. AFL has since been my burning passion. Ask me who were the winners all the grand finals between 1938 and last year's decider, and I'll be happy to tell you. I'm a footy nut with a passion for writing and acting. All though I love writing and acting, during the footy season, AFL is my true passion. Waiting ever so patiently for the day when Essendon Next win the flag.
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