HEAD TO HEAD: Hawthorn 74 wins, St Kilda 71 wins, two draws
LAST TIME: Hawthorn 14.3 (87) drew with St Kilda 13.9 (87), round 17, 2010 at Etihad Stadium
TV, RADIO AND BETTING: Click here for broadcast guide and odds
A full replay will be available on afl.com.au 12 hours after the completion of the match
FORM: Hawthorn: WWWLW St Kilda: DLWLL
SUMMARY
Hawthorn looked shaky at times and could have actually lost last Friday night's clash with Port Adelaide.
The Hawks made some uncharacteristic skill errors and their defence let the Power through too often in the first half but they still managed a win.
Sam Mitchell continued to lead the way for the Hawks, while Liam Shiels' good form carried through the trip to AAMI Stadium.
The Hawks will welcome back Cyril Rioli from a hamstring injury and will be looking for more from skipper Luke Hodge who has been out of sorts since an Achilles injury hampered his pre-season.
The Saints have been out of sorts as a team but their narrow loss to Carlton was their most encouraging game so far. Adam Schneider and Justin Koschitzke showed some form, while David Armitage has well and truly stepped into the breach left by the injured Lenny Hayes.
QUESTION MARKS
Are the Saints gone?
Maybe not gone but there is a fair bit of ground to make up between them and the top sides. Don't rule out St Kilda finding a spot in the bottom half of the eight at season's end. Their next win is not far away and could even come this week.
Is Luke Hodge still suffering from his pre-season injury?
Only Luke Hodge knows the real answer to that. But he has been below par. Champions don't stay down for long and Hodge is bound to dominate a game soon. The Saints will definitely not be underestimating him.
PREDICTION
Hawthorn by 18 points
TOYOTA AFL DREAM TEAM WATCH
Adam Schneider is starting to rise after a slow start to the year. He is priced at $355,300 and as his fitness base builds will spend more time in the midfield. He scored 103 last week in what could be a sign of things to come.
If you haven't got Liam Shiels in your team then get him in now. He has surged to $323,000, more than $100,000 up from his opening round price. But he is still a justifiable selection as those triple figure scores become a regular occurrence.
Follow the game live in the AFL Match Centre on afl.com.au and join the conversation on Twitter using #aflhawkssaints
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
