St Kilda v Western Bulldogs
Saturday 27 June, 2015
7:20pm, Etihad Stadium
It’s only been seven weeks since these two sides played and since that game the Saints have a 2-3 win-loss record, with wins against Melbourne in round 11 and Brisbane in round nine.
David Armitage continues his run as one of the most dominant midfielders in the competition in 2015, while Jack Steven has stepped up to take on more responsibility in the middle.
The Saints have shown their young talent is just as promising as any other side, with Jack Lonie, Billy Longer and Jack Billing stepping up.’
Senior coach Alan Richardson had this to say after the Saints’ last match, a two-point win against Melbourne.
“When the game was up for grabs, scores were level, we were really, really strong. We just kept attacking. We defended really well.
“When you have those sorts of entries and don’t score… there’s a fair chance the ball’s coming back out.
“But hardly ever did that ball get through. That’s as good as we’ve team defended for a long time.
“When you lay 98 tackles, you want to get reward for that sort of effort and energy and we want to be aggressive with the way we put pressure on the opposition.”
St Kilda Key Stats
- #4 in league for bounces (115)
- #6 in league for rebound 50s (448)
- #8 in league for disposal efficiency (72.9%)
- #8 in league for marks (1040)
- #8 in league for marks inside 50 (135)
- #8 in league for tackles (762)
Players to Watch
Nick Riewoldt
The skipper has missed three games this season due to injury but after jarring his knee in the Saints’ match against Melbourne in round 11, Riewoldt will be fully fit to take on the Dogs. At 32, Riewoldt is still the dominant presence in the Saints’ line up and will be no different this weekend. In the Saints’ last three matches, Riewoldt has kicked four, one and four goals and as always, is averaging a high amount of marks per match, going at 9.4
Jack Steven
The 25-year-old is averaging six tackles, five marks and 28 disposals from his 11 matches this season. Steven has collected 30 touches or more on five occasions this year, including 38 touches against the Hawks in round 10 and 37 touches and 12 tackles against the Eagles in round eight.
Head to Head
Western Bulldogs 72
St Kilda 80
Draw 3
Last time we met
St Kilda 14.10 (94) defeated Western Bulldogs 13.9 (87) at Etihad Stadium, round 6 2015.
St Kilda's last three games
R11 2015 – St Kilda 12.13 (85) defeated Melbourne 12.11 (83)
R10 2015 – Hawthorn 20.12 (132) defeated St Kilda 10.9 (69)
R9 2015 – St Kilda 16.12 (108) defeated Brisbane 13.8 (86)
