St Kilda’s nightmare season in the AFL deepened on Saturday, going down by 48 points to the Brisbane Lions. This crushing loss followed just a week after being humiliated by 71 points to the Western Bulldogs the week prior. The Saints’ performance raised concerns, especially after earlier victories against Geelong and Port Adelaide this season, leaving fans and analysts questioning the team’s trajectory.
In the opening quarter of the game, St Kilda failed to get going. Despite this dominance, they only mustered six forward 50 entries, as Brisbane surged in front with 24 inside 50s. After the Saints were put in an early hole, they were unable to recover and take charge of the game. For all their backbone, they were unable to claw back a 17-point third term deficit.
Jack Higgins was one of the few highlights for the Saints, kicking three goals against the Cats. The small forward has been an incredible success story in his return to the professional game after fighting and winning against a brain tumour. His grit and talent combined with an uncharacteristic lack of help from everybody else on the field turned out to be a huge moving part.
During a stoppage in play, criticism of the team’s bench, which featured Ryan Byrnes, Hugo Garcia and Cooper Sharman, went worthless. Coach Ross Lyon spoke to the supposedly competitive players on quarter-time to try and massively reset their entire attitude.
“Not a spray, but I was animated … (the most) since I’ve been back at the club,” – Ross Lyon
Lyon acknowledged the challenge posed by Brisbane, stating, “We’re talking top of the pops (Brisbane). Did I think coming here it was going to be a picnic? I wouldn’t have thought so.” He drove home the point that you must provide action and not just verbiage, especially when operating under adversity.
Hugo Garcia, just turned 19, was subbed before half-time for tactical reasons. Lyon’s willingness to implement those changes speaks to his ability to pivot strategy under increasing fire on the MLS side.
“Sometimes you have to stop talking about it and sometimes you just go ‘bang’. I live in the world of action and I pulled the sub, tried to get something done,” – Lyon
Lyon showed tremendous passion in trying to rally his players and swing the momentum of the game. St Kilda were unable to build on their momentum as the game wore on. The Saints’ failure to execute in the red zone was clear-cut even before halftime.
