When St Kilda floor out an unpleasant, borderline unwatchable victory over Gold Coast final week, the response was about as vital as any victory has acquired in season 2024.
Positive, they obtained the win, mentioned the critics, however the stodgy model of play made these 4 factors all however meaningless. Kane Cornes, who has by no means met a public opinion he didn’t wish to latch onto, described it as ‘a disgraceful strategy to play soccer’, the harshest response to their efficiency however removed from alone. Even long-suffering Saints supporters had been left extra relieved than thrilled by their efficiency.
So per week on, the Saints’ new-look model of play, notably in regard to their ball motion, would have happy lots of these calling for likelihood after final week’s snore-fest – even when it resulted in a 20-point loss to Brisbane.
Ross Lyon tweaked issues radically to have the Saints taking part in as quick and as aggressive as at any level in both of his tenures. Harmful kicks had been bitten off into the central hall. Liam Henry buzzed across the midfield and even began attending centre bounces within the second half. Jack Higgins was without end a risk in an open attacking 50, whereas Max King too relished the prospect to compete with out having half the opposition flooding again into house and supporting his backman.
The historical past books will say St Kilda didn’t beat the Lions on Friday evening on the Gabba, although their barnstorming final-quarter comeback very almost threatened the unimaginable. It wasn’t the primary time they’d challenged the Lions, however each time till the tip their surges had been met with a parry, then a counter-thrust, from a house facet that confirmed immense composure for a facet usually derided for missing it.
The seven objectives conceded within the first quarter because the Lions repeatedly scythed the ball by way of the center from defensive 50 with out their opponents having the ability to lay a finger on them was, in reality, the ball sport.
However the path again into the sunshine is seldom a simple one, and teething points had been at all times going to be a hazard. And except there’s a Saints fan on the market who believes the identical fierce defensive press and persistence that floor the Suns down so comprehensively final week was going to work on the highway in opposition to an in-form and high-octane opposition just like the Lions is, frankly, kidding themselves.
If the Saints had been going to go down on Friday evening, then no less than they went down swinging – and in so doing, took step one alongside the trail in direction of a viable, workable sport plan to take them locations as their checklist develops.
Essentially the most notable change of all was the Saints’ dedication to successful the ball again as near objective as attainable – of which the disadvantage, particularly early, was how straightforward it was for the Lions to attain after breaking by way of that heavy press.
The Saints kicked 5 objectives, together with the primary two of their final-quarter surge, from ahead half intercepts, their kryptonite all yr: heading into Friday evening, they averaged below 16 factors a sport from that supply, comfortably final within the league.
It was a high-risk, high-reward play given the Lions’ strengths: few groups within the league transfer the footy sooner from defence to assault, but it surely’s identified that Brisbane will be susceptible defensively when put below the pump.
And positive sufficient, regardless of the above stat, the Lions persistently moved the ball from finish to finish by way of the Saints’ wall: 10 of their first 19 defensive 50 possession chains had been transformed into an inside 50, at a price greater than double the AFL common.
All the identical, that objectives determine from the Saints is all of the extra outstanding contemplating how effectively the Lions used the ball – their disposal effectivity by no means dropped beneath 80 per cent, an unimaginable determine for such a high-kicking group (with 250 kicks to only 95 handballs for the night, their ratio was huge even by the Lions’ requirements).
By the ultimate siren, the Lions’ kicking effectivity was 82 per cent – comfortably the yr’s greatest.
Add to that 151 marks, the newest occasion of a group merely racking up in that stat in opposition to the Saints, and it’s a minor miracle – and a credit score to the Saints’ stoppage work – that the Lions didn’t dominate possession comprehensively.
Turnovers had been uncommon – but when the Saints discovered or compelled them, they capitalised ceaselessly, which persistently saved them within the sport.
It took some time for the within 50 rely to mirror it, however the territory domination ensured by the Saints’ management of stoppages made such a technique possible to the purpose the Saints had been solely seven factors down within the closing quarter with all of the momentum.
Marcus Windhager’s clamp on Lachie Neale proved efficient regardless of Neale’s seven clearances – three fewer than he achieved in tearing the Bulldogs aside final week – and Tom Campbell’s inclusion allowed the Saints to have a real ruckman at each stoppage, finally carrying Oscar McInerney down.
However a 13-1 clearance differential (!) to quarter time wasn’t sufficient: repeatedly, the match would observe the identical path. An aimless Saints clearance would wobble ahead, be intercepted at half-back by the Lions, and whistle again over their heads with terrifying velocity, often initiated by Dayne Zorko or Darcy Wilmot, for Joe Daniher to benefit from a mismatch on first Zaine Cordy and later Anthony Caminiti.
With 17 inside 50s to 10 within the closing quarter, it took till then for the Saints’ stoppage domination, which by that time had waned however not disappeared completely, to be mirrored in territory, with Liam Henry’s breakaway velocity having been pushed up the bottom contributing noticeably. Fingers crossed, for his or her sake, the ankle harm within the dying minutes that noticed him limp from the bottom isn’t severe.
Tag the oppositon’s greatest midfielder. Tire out the opposition ruckman. Transfer the ball speedily and goal the hall from defence. And when the ball’s inside 50, set as much as attempt to flip it over. It’s a gameplan that lends itself to leisure, and it appears to swimsuit a Saints group seemingly conditioned below Lyon to be stodgy and defence-first to a tee.
The results of all of it was as un-St Kilda-like a match as you will note: simply the fourth time all yr that two sides have each reached 100 factors, it was the Lions’ highest rating on the Saints since 2008 and the Saints’ greatest tally of the season.
Say what you’ll about Lyon, but it surely was an extremely daring transfer to open the floodgates in opposition to Brisbane on their very own turf – a group that, for the final 5 years, have ripped higher groups than this to shreds on the counterattack on their patch.
But it surely labored in addition to it presumably might have anticipated to. A 20-point loss to an in-form group would absolutely have exceeded the expectations of most Saints followers, and there can be no pointed criticisms this week of the Lyon model being a disservice to soccer.
The Saints is not going to be taking part in finals this season, barring a miracle: however the remainder of their yr needn’t be a waste, particularly now that there’s a brand new model to be refined, honed, examined and improved upon.
A brand new, slick St Kilda has a protracted strategy to go earlier than it may be spoken of as a very threatening group – but when they may give the Lions as huge a scare as they did on Friday evening, then they’re lots nearer to it than they’ve any proper to be.
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