SUMMARY
Things aren't going well for the Saints. Their 68-point loss to North Melbourne on Sunday was their eighth for the season, which leaves them with the unenviable ratio of 2-8 with one game to come before their bye. They are 16th on the ladder while the Eagles have fallen to 10th after their surprising 41-point loss to Richmond on Monday night. They're now caught in a cluster of teams stranded one game outside the eight, alongside Adelaide and Port Adelaide after their fourth loss at home this season.
WHERE AND WHEN: Etihad Stadium, Sunday June 9, 4.40pm (AEST)
TV AND RADIO: Click here for broadcast guide
LAST FIVE TIMES
Rd 8, 2012, West Coast 18.13 (121) d St Kilda 13.13 (91) at Patersons Stadium
Rd 17, 2011, St Kilda 13.4 (82) d West Coast 9.7 (61) at Etihad Stadium
Rd 9, 2010, St Kilda 13.13 (91) d West Coast 8.8 (56) at Patersons Stadium
Rd 15, 2009, St Kilda 13.12 (90) d West Coast 11.4 (70) at Patersons Stadium
Rd 3, 2009, St Kilda 25.11 (161) d West Coast 9.10 (64) at Etihad Stadium
THE SIX POINTS
1. Nick Riewoldt has a good record against West Coast, having booted 29 goals against them in 15 games. This week, he will notch up 150 games as captain, which will leave him as the second man in the club's history after Danny Frawley (177 games as captain between 1987-95) to reach this mark.
2. Riewoldt remains the No.1 ranked forward at St Kilda, as per the Official AFL Player Ratings. He is ranked 84th overall and as the 13th-best forward in the competition. He has risen from 87th this week and has been 13th in the forward position for three weeks now.
3. St Kilda and West Coast last met in round eight, 2012 at Patersons Stadium, where the Eagles were comfortable 30-point winners. Dean Cox picked up three Brownlow votes for his five-goal, 22 hit-out performance.
4. Despite that result, the Saints have had the better of the Eagles recently, winning four of the past five contests. This will be the 40th clash between the sides with West Coast holding the advantage, with 21 wins to 17 and one draw.
5. At Etihad Stadium, the sides have met nine times previously with five wins to St Kilda, three to West Coast and one draw.
6. The Saints have struggled to score in 2013. They have averaged 11.8 goals per game whereas in 2012, they averaged 16. No team averages more free kicks for per game this season than West Coast, with the Eagles drawing an average of over 21 per game.
