Round 5 – St Kilda v GWS: The Anzac Week Woes

Sunday, 24 April 2016
1:10 pm (12:10 pm Far East)
Docklands Stadium, Melbourne

 

The main reason why I started following St Kilda was because the club would play in home games in my spirit home at Wellington.

Sadly the contract between St Kilda Football Club and Wellington City Council was not renewed last year even if once number of hosting games in a year was to increase once. Then the game was diverted back to Docklands.

Records in Wellington were not good at all. No win and even we gave a ‘free kick’ to Mick Malthouse to the first win for Carlton.

Even with no win records, I wish the game could have played in my favourite Wellington.

Before the game, it seemed impossible to watch the game from the first bounce because of my work schedule, but I was able to finish cleaning just a few minutes to the first bounce. My efforts won over the work.

But once the ball was bounced, my efforts to follow the game were not passed towards my boys.

Opposed to two weeks ago when we played against Collingwood, we allowed Giants to create space and to have them around balls.

Like my efforts mishandling to St Kilda players, kicks did not deliver to right players. Passing the ball was not what I had expected.

Giants’ great tackle skills narrowed our opportunities to score goals. Like our legend Lenny Hayes, they tackled my boys a lot.

At the half time break, Fox Footy showed their dressing room and Lenny was there. He might have ordered his new boys to tackle us. I was sad to see him in the orange colour.

At the third quarter, our skipper Riewoldt took marks and scored two goals. Then I thought Nick would bring us more efforts and change the wave.

But the game was played oppositely. Giants used their advantages in height. The margin was widening.

Our man Richo seemed unusual. He wore glasses at first. His coaches box reactions showed shocks and disappointments with some anger. I had never seen such reactions from my respecting coach.

My hope to win at the last part of the third quarter eased like how Richo behaved up in the box. Even the last quarter was horrible. The game was played worse than any Anzac Day match played in Wellington for the previous three years.

The Anzac Match woes did not end. It was sad, but St Kilda supporters need to be patient and our boys need to fight well like diggers.

Meanwhile Carlton who beat us on Anzac Day last year upset Fremantle later that day.

Lest we forget.

I wish I could attend a dawn service on Anzac Day and see an Anzac Day parade, but I cannot because I am in Japan.

My Anzac spirits never ease as being a part of Kiwi. I want my boys to have such spirits so that we will win over Demons next week.

St Kilda 3.1 6.3 9.6 12.7 (79)
Greater Western Sydney 5.3 9.6 11.10 19.12 (126)

Goals
St Kilda: Riewoldt 4, Bruce 2, Savage 2, Dunstan, McCartin, Sinclair, Newnes
Greater Western Sydney: Cameron 5, Greene 4, Johnson 4, Patton, Smith, Steele, Ward, Whitfield, Williams

Best
St Kilda: Riewoldt, Armitage, Steven, Ross, Savage
Greater Western Sydney: Greene, Coniglio, Williams, Wilson, Cameron, Griffen, Shaw

Our Votes
Riewoldt (STK 3), Cameron (GWS 2), Armitage (STK 1)

Injuries
St Kilda: Riewoldt (foot), Montagna (hamstring)
Greater Western Sydney: Nil

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Harris, Fleer, McInerney

Official crowd: 21,052

About Yoshihiro Imagawa

Love, passion and pride are seen on the footy that is the biggest part of my life. 1. St Kilda Club member: I am a passionate and crazy Sainter. Just hope we will win the second flag soon, especially after Dogs and Tigers having ended long premiership draughts. 2. The Osaka Dingoes Player and Public Relations Officer: Player number 44 that I chose to honour Stephen Milne with my wish being like a small forward like him. Lenny Hayes' hardworking attitudes are adopted on my trainings and practices. Nick Riewoldt's great plays are in my player audiobook too. 3. Writing: Here on the Almanac and also on the World Footy News. My skills utilise on great footy websites.

Comments

  1. Hi Yoshi u r right. We have lost the last four Anzac Day games in Australia and New Zealand . It was hard watching from Kyoto and equally disappointing from docklands. Let’s hope saints can turn it around when we play an awesome confident side of the demons coming off two wins. Be well

  2. Hi Yvette,

    Thanks for your comment. I was unable to feel the atmosphere at the stadium, but sensed differences in how our boys played between two past games (against Hawthorn and GWS). No difficulty in creating time to watch the game yesterday. My disappointments and shocking occupied my lunch break.

    The past cannot be changed so we should focus on the next game and I hope the winning record against Demons widens.

    Take care and enjoy the public holiday today!

    Yoshi

  3. We kiwis are pretty unhappy too at not getting any more AFL in NZ. And since Wellington is the only city with a decent-sized oval seating the sort of numbers the AFL would like, I can’t see it happening here any more any time soon.
    Mind you, we did have the AFL Academy team playing here in Auckland on Sunday, thoroughly embarrassing a NZ selection. Which didn’t really make good watching for anyone.

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