Talking points for the Saints, Bulldogs clash

Shaun Higgins of the Western Bulldogs marks in front of Nick Riewoldt of St Kilda during the AFL Round 17 match between the St Kilda Saints and the Western Bulldogs at the Docklands Stadium. Slattery Images

When St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs meet tonight at the MCG, there will be an unnerving sense of familiarity in the air. St Kilda has been to a preliminary final three times in the past five years, but they’re yet to capitalize.

They lost their prelim last year to eventual premiers Hawthorn. They lost one in 2005 to eventual premiers Sydney. And the closest of the lot came in 2004 against Port Adelaide, who also went on to claim the premiership.

However in their favour this time around is the fact the Western Bulldogs, too, have an uneasy relationship with preliminary final weekend.

The Dogs also fell short this time last year, losing by 29 points to Geelong. Historically speaking, the club has made it to a total of eight preliminary finals. They’ve won only one of them – in 1961.

It’s enough to make supporters of both clubs that little bit more nervous going into the game.

Come the first bounce, though, it’ll be up to the players to make their own history.

Will the Bulldogs be able to handle the Saints forwards?
Last week, the Dogs let Jonathon Brown and Daniel Bradshaw bag three each. The last time they faced the Saints – who were without Justin Koschitzke – both Nick Riewoldt and Stephen Milne bagged five. And now they meet again, just two weeks after Riewoldt silenced doubts over his ability to stand up in finals.

It’s a dangerous mix, and without the luxury of a Tom Williams return, All-Australian Brian Lake becomes especially crucial. He’s more comfortable in the full back role, where he’ll probably face Kosi, but there will be a temptation in Rodney Eade’s mind to move him up to Riewoldt.

How will the battle up the other end of the ground pan out?
This match pits the team that scored the most points all season up against the team that conceded the least points all season. It’s hard to judge which way this will go due to the “even spread” both teams have. St Kilda’s renowned for their defensive pressure, and they’ll need to produce that tonight.

However the Dogs can come out on top here, especially if the likes of Brad Johnson, Jason Akermanis and Shaun Higgins are all firing. Despite the criticism their forward set-up cops this time of the year, they can still do some damage.

Who will win the midfield battle?
The Bulldogs are ranked second in the competition for disposals – two spots above St Kilda – but have been comprehensively beaten in this statistic on the two occasions they played the Saints this year. The Saints have been able to restrict them from playing their usual free-flowing style of play.

Both sides have quality players running around in the middle, but line them up mano a mano, and the Saints would be ahead. Matthew Boyd, Daniel Cross, Adam Cooney et al will need to bring their A-game to outdo the likes of Nick Dal Santo, Lenny Hayes and Leigh Montagna.

Will St Kilda continue their good record against the Dogs in ‘09?
The two teams met twice in the home and away season, and St Kilda was impressive on both occasions. They came away with a 28-point victory in round six, and come up trumps by 45 points back in round 17.

That win streak looks likely to continue. The Bulldogs won’t be out of it tonight, but the Saints are in the best position they’ve been in all decade to march on for one week more.