It was no coincidence that St Kilda produced its best performance of the season just days after its inspirational veteran Lenny Hayes announced he would retire at season's end. The esteem in which the 34-year-old is held at his club, and in the football world for that matter, is matched by very few. As usual, the 292-gamer was one of the engineers of the carnage, being the leading possession winner on the field early to help set the tone. Hayes, who plays every game like it's his last anyway, received applause whenever he got the ball, and also when he laid typically strong tackles. It was a special day to be at the footy.
2. Saints stun flat Freo
No one expected St Kilda to cause the boilover of the season – not even the most one-eyed Saints fans. Flag-fancy Freo had won eight straight by an average of 45 points, while the cellar-dweller Saints had lost their previous 11 by an average of 63 points, but the rank underdogs dominated from the outset, kicking the first four goals and leading by an unassailable 75 points in the third term. (You might need to read that sentence again.) It was like the teams had swapped jumpers – the Saints simply out-Dockered the Dockers. They were efficient and miserly, not allowing Freo a goal until 31 minutes in. An inexplicably flat Freo blew a golden opportunity to enhance its claims for a top-two finish. Their expected percentage-booster became a percentage-crusher.
No one expected St Kilda to cause the boilover of the season – not even the most one-eyed Saints fans. Flag-fancy Freo had won eight straight by an average of 45 points, while the cellar-dweller Saints had lost their previous 11 by an average of 63 points, but the rank underdogs dominated from the outset, kicking the first four goals and leading by an unassailable 75 points in the third term. (You might need to read that sentence again.) It was like the teams had swapped jumpers – the Saints simply out-Dockered the Dockers. They were efficient and miserly, not allowing Freo a goal until 31 minutes in. An inexplicably flat Freo blew a golden opportunity to enhance its claims for a top-two finish. Their expected percentage-booster became a percentage-crusher.
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3. It could have been even uglier for Freo
After dominating the first half, the Saints completely obliterated the Dockers in the third quarter, extending their 40-point halftime lead to 75 points late in the third term. But it could easily have been a 100-point margin at the final change, given the Saints blazed 6.8 to just 2.2. And many of those St Kilda scoring shots were very gettable. After Freo skipper Matthew Pavlich slotted a goal early in the term to bring the margin back to 40 points, the Saints fired the next nine shots but managed just 3.6. That was the only positive on a dirty day for the Dockers.
4. Stanley dominates Dockers defensive stars
It's little wonder there are such enormous expectations on Rhys Stanley given how he performed against Fremantle, forming a dangerous forward combination with skipper Nick Riewoldt. In his best game for the Saints, the ultra-athletic big man kicked a career-best three goals, each of which came before halftime, and all of them from considerable distances. He proved too mobile for returning veteran Luke McPharlin early, before beating both Michael Johnson and Zac Dawson, and McParlin again. Before this clash, Freo had conceded an average of just 55 points in their past eight games, but the Saints had eclipsed that mark before halftime. Former Hawthorn midfielder Shane Savage also produced his best game for St Kilda.
5. Saint goes where angels fear to tread
St Kilda's miserly performance was even more remarkable given they were without their most reliable defender, Sean Dempster. Just three minutes in, Dempster showed spine-tingling courage to run with the flight of the ball into the path of an oncoming Pavlich. After a sickening head clash, Dempster suffered a "rag doll" concussion, in that he was unconscious before he hit the ground. Play was held up for several minutes as the 2012 All Australian defender was taken off on a motorised cart. Within 10 minutes he was walking around in the Saints' rooms. St Kilda immediately activated its substitute, Cameron Shenton, who was a late inclusion for Josh Saunders. Pavlich was shaken momentarily but played on without any ill-effects.
3. It could have been even uglier for Freo
After dominating the first half, the Saints completely obliterated the Dockers in the third quarter, extending their 40-point halftime lead to 75 points late in the third term. But it could easily have been a 100-point margin at the final change, given the Saints blazed 6.8 to just 2.2. And many of those St Kilda scoring shots were very gettable. After Freo skipper Matthew Pavlich slotted a goal early in the term to bring the margin back to 40 points, the Saints fired the next nine shots but managed just 3.6. That was the only positive on a dirty day for the Dockers.
4. Stanley dominates Dockers defensive stars
It's little wonder there are such enormous expectations on Rhys Stanley given how he performed against Fremantle, forming a dangerous forward combination with skipper Nick Riewoldt. In his best game for the Saints, the ultra-athletic big man kicked a career-best three goals, each of which came before halftime, and all of them from considerable distances. He proved too mobile for returning veteran Luke McPharlin early, before beating both Michael Johnson and Zac Dawson, and McParlin again. Before this clash, Freo had conceded an average of just 55 points in their past eight games, but the Saints had eclipsed that mark before halftime. Former Hawthorn midfielder Shane Savage also produced his best game for St Kilda.
5. Saint goes where angels fear to tread
St Kilda's miserly performance was even more remarkable given they were without their most reliable defender, Sean Dempster. Just three minutes in, Dempster showed spine-tingling courage to run with the flight of the ball into the path of an oncoming Pavlich. After a sickening head clash, Dempster suffered a "rag doll" concussion, in that he was unconscious before he hit the ground. Play was held up for several minutes as the 2012 All Australian defender was taken off on a motorised cart. Within 10 minutes he was walking around in the Saints' rooms. St Kilda immediately activated its substitute, Cameron Shenton, who was a late inclusion for Josh Saunders. Pavlich was shaken momentarily but played on without any ill-effects.
Pav's headache from colliding with Sean Dempster only got worse through the night. Picture: AFL Media
