The Saints would have been disappointed with their attack on the ball and man in the first half, but in the opening minute of the third term Nick Dal Santo suggested a change was imminent. The midfielder chased down Brian Lake and hit Stephen Milne on the lead with the resulting free kick. Milne’s goal was the first of seven for his side in the quarter.
HERO
Nick Riewoldt took the game by the scruff of the neck after half time, standing up in the Saints’ greatest hour of need. In an influential third term the skipper won nine possessions, kicked two goals and directly set up three others. He collided viciously with teammate Justin Koschitzke but played on to ensure the Saints marched into a second straight grand final.
GOAT
Barry Hall opted for the physical approach with Zac Dawson early, but those tricks don’t work on the young Saint anymore. Hall had no disposals in a dismal third term and he finished with one goal, kicked in the final minute of the game. The jeers were loud when the former Saint missed an open goal halfway through the final term and they were even louder when he kicked it directly into Dawson with a junk-time set shot from an acute angle.
BY NUMBERS
16 - minutes it took for the first goal in an ugly opening
18 - disposals shared by hardnosed pair Matthew Boyd and Lenny Hayes in a tight first term
7 - marks taken by Brian Lake - three contested - in an influential first half
1 - Brad Johnson’s possession tally in the third quarter. The Smiling Assassin’s last dance was forgettable
5 - Saints on the bench in the game's dying minutes, with Riewoldt, Hayes, Dal Santo, Brendon Goddard and Michael Gardiner all wrapped in cotton wool
LOST IN COMMENTARY
“I love him (Dawson), but he’s got the head of a bit of a dork. He’s a library-dweller, Garry!” James Brayshaw, Triple M
THE MOMENT THEY’LL REPLAY
Adam Schneider gathered possession by the boundary line halfway through the third term and he immediately burned past Lindsay Gilbee, who lost his feet, and Dale Morris, who was caught flat-footed. He baulked past ruckman Ben Hudson and kicked a goal from the square that broke Bulldog hearts.
THE MOMENT THEY SHOULD REPLAY
With the Saints 37 points clear early in the final term, Koschitzke came charging out on the lead as Riewoldt ran back with the flight. Normally, it would be Koschitzke calling his teammate back to take the mark but Riewoldt smartly got out of the way, avoiding what could have been a catastrophic injury to both players, and left the finishing to his teammate.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
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