Scott Lockhart reporting for AFANA from the MCG.
St. Kilda has returned to the top eight following a hard fought 29 point victory over a lackluster Carlton side at the MCG on Friday night. The Saints forwards were sensational in near perfect conditions as Steven Milne (five goals) and Nick Riewoldt (three goals) effectively kicked Carlton out of the game. The same could not be said for Blues star Brendan Fevola who despite kicking three goals was consistently undisciplined and found himself periodically benched after handing the Saints a goal following a 50 meter penalty.
Errors in front of goal were the order of the night as Carlton ruined any chance they had of driving the Saints out of the game in the first term by kicking eight straight behinds, most of which more than kickable. St. Kilda, too, had their misfortunes as they missed their opportunities to put Carlton out of the game in the third term.
Carlton began the match in the same fashion that saw them crush Richmond in the previous round, with efficient disposal and ball movement leading to a flurry of chances on goal. Eddy Betts took the first of these opportunities to hand the Blues the opening goal and significant momentum in the early stages of the match. Another straight kick from exciting youngster Marc Murphy extended the lead out to beyond two goals as the Saints wasted their rather simple early chances. Carlton, too, had their chances to hurt St. Kilda on the scoreboard but could not punish their opponents as they opted for style over skill. Full forward Brendan Fevola the leading culprit after he attempted to soccer the ball through from 30 meters out, rather than collect the ball and kick the easy goal. Late settling goals for the Saints through Gram and captain Nick Riewoldt has the margin within a goal at the opening change after a quarter that promised so much but in the end delivered very little.
Whatever St. Kilda coach Ross Lyon said to his troops at quarter time certainly worked, as his team’s entire attitude and work rate excelled in the second term to leave Carlton breathless. Early goals through Milne and Jones handed the Saints the lead as Carlton's kicking woes continued with eight straight behinds before they kicked another goal through Fisher. Volatile forward Fevola was brought to the bench to cool his head after a 50 meter penalty was awarded against him leading to another Saints goal. Riewoldt's dominance on the lead up forward proved too difficult for the Blues defenders as he goaled yet again to extend the Saints lead to beyond three goals. The lead was shortened as Fevola returned to the field to redeem himself to kick a crucial goal. But even some Fevola magic couldn’t prevent the onslaught that followed as the Saints piled on three consecutive goals to have a crucial 22 point lead at half time.
The Blues inability to convert their chances again proved costly in the early stages of the second half as consecutive behinds followed by goals to St. Kilda through Armitage and Blake significantly hurt any chance that Carlton had of getting back into the game. Yet against adversity, and continuing pressure from the Saints, Carlton continued to fight and goals from Brown and Fisher had the margin back within four straight kicks half way through the term. If the measure of this game was midfield and ruck dominance then the Saints would have had this in their keeping by the final change. Their ability to consistently win the ruck contests and deliver the ball to their forwards in quick succession was a constant problem for the Blues. Late consecutive goals to Steven Milne epitomized this play as the Saints held a commanding 33 point point lead with a quarter to play.
Specializing in comebacks in 2008, Carlton appeared to be living up to their reputation in the opening stages of the final term. The manner in which the Blues began the term would have sent shivers up any St. Kilda supporters spine as they delivered four unanswered goals, including two superb efforts from Betts, to bring the margin back to within nine points. Chris Judd's complete dominance through the middle of the ground and across the clearances handing the Carlton forwards chance after chance on goal.
Yet, perhaps not surprisingly, just when Carlton appeared to be working to take control of the match it was the Saints who found yet another gear. Inspirational efforts from Koschitzke, who goaled to steady his side, appeared to lift the Saints as their running intensity grew significantly and Carlton looked to run out of legs. A further three goals, including a fifth to Steven Milne, handing the Saints a critical 29 point victory in the run to September.
Next week St. Kilda faces a tough task when they play Hawthorn at the Telstra Dome, while Carlton will face Sydney also at the Dome.
Final Score: Carl: 2.8 5.9 8.12 12.15 (87) Saints: 2.4 9.7 14.9 18.11 (119) Best Carl: Judd, Betts, Fisher Saints: Riewoldt, Milne, Armitage, Koschitzke Goals Carl: Betts Fevola 3, Fisher 2, Browne Cloke Gibbs Waite Saints: Milne 5, Riewoldt 3, Armitage Koschitzke 2, Blake Gram Harvey Hayes Jones McQualter Reports: Nil Injuries: Koschitzke (knee) Crowd: 55, 658 at the MCG.
Article last changed on Wednesday, July 30, 2008 - 12:36 PM EDT
