Round 6 – GWS Giants v St. Kilda: Miracle at Manuka – Saints’ Jacks slay the Giant(s)

GWS Giants v St. Kilda

7.50 PM 22 April 2022

Manuka Oval

 

There are wins and then there are wins, and this was one of the great wins for the Saints. The Saints lost ruckman JACK Hayes with an injury to his ACL late in the first quarter. Then early in the third, with the Saints trailing by two goals and looking out of sorts, ruckman Rowan Marshall had trouble walking and spent most of the rest of the game on a bicycle trying to free up his injured leg. Things looked bleak. But then, the Saints dug in and controlled proceedings for the rest of the game, kicking five goals and only conceding one from, a dodgy free kick. Josh Battle was swung into the ruck, and while he may have won only one hit out, his contest and mobility helped to lift the Saints midfield.

 

And then there was JACK Higgins. The Professor operates as one of the true eccentrics of the noble Australian game. He had kicked the Saints second goal in the first quarter following a fine passage of coast to coast team work, running into the goal square. Either side of this he missed two set shots from 20 meters out on the slightest of angles, apparently testing the hypothesis if he kicked the ball hard enough it would end up back home in Melbourne. He was hardly sighted in the second quarter. Then in the third, he kicked three in four minutes and, capitalising on the increase in intensity of team mates, turned the game on its head. The first was the best of the three. Located in the center square, the ball was kicked to him by Brad Hill, and from well inside the center square he goes bang, the ball bounces in the goal square and then through the big sticks. The second was from a crumb and the third from on the 50 following a mark.

 

In the previous three games the Saints conceded the first two goals of the game, and went on to win. Against the Giants they kicked the first two and, at half time, looked like they would lose. The Saints started the game like a house on fire and kicked two early goals. As the quarter wore on they seemed to lose their fluency. The Giants started to win clearances and contested possessions and kicked two goals late in the quarter to leave them only a goal down at the first break. The Giants then took over in the second quarter. They closed down play forcing a series of stoppages which put the Saints off their game. The Giants kicked four goals, one following a 50 meter penalty, for dissent. Brad Crouch kicked a neat banana goal from the boundary line following a kicking out of the ball on the full. It kept the Saints in the game, only two goals down at the main break.

 

The third quarter starts, Rowan Marshall goes off. The first half of the quarter is an arm wrestle with both teams trading a few points. The Saints are now harder at the contest and apply increasing pressure on the Giants. The Professor then went to work and delivered some words of wisdom to the Giants, especially following his second of the quarter. Max King added a fourth, his only goal for the game. He kicked 1.7, all except for one from set shots. Can someone find him some kicking boots. The last quarter was similar to the third with a lot of stoppage play with the Saints nullifying the Giants at every turn. Both sides managed one goal each. The Giants from a free and the Saints, following a Giants’ turnover, which was kicked forward to the Professor who marked it in a one on one contest, handpassed it to Brad Crouch who ran into the goal square with a lucky 13 seconds remaining on the clock.

 

This miracle at Manuka will be remembered as one of the Saints’ great wins. Down two big men the Saints held the Giants to one goal in the second half. Another remarkable achievement by all concerned. Jack Hayes is out for the season. In his five games for the Saints he kicked six goals and made more than a valuable contribution. Hopefully, his recovery will go well. Paddy Ryder will return against Port in Cairns next week. Hopefully, Rowan Marshall will recover and also be available. There is still a long way to go, but it is a long time since the Saints have won five of the first six games of the season (try 2010 when they played in a Grand Final). Hope springs eternal.

 

Go Saints

 

GWS Giants   3.4   7.7   7.9   8.12 (60)

St. Kilda     4.5   5.8   9.12   10.17 (77)

 

Goals

GWS Giants: Ward 2, Flynn 2, Hill, Pruess, Himmelberg.

St. Kilda: Higgins 4, Crouch 2, Marshall, Hayes, Gresham, King.

 

Best

GWS Giants: Kelly, Ward, Green, Pruess, Kennedy.

St. Kilda: Higgins, Battle, Steele, Sinclair, Crouch.

 

Crowd: Very happy.

 

Malarkey Votes: Steele 1 (StK), Battle 2 (StK), Higgins 3 (StK).

 

 

You can read more from Braham Dabscheck Here

 

 

 

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