In one of the biggest upsets of the season St Kilda toppled Fremantle, and the prospective wooden spooners didn’t just fall over the line for a lucky win, they comprehensively pummelled one of the premiership favourites by 58 points.
Whilst the manner of the win was a talking point in itself, the bigger issue at hand is the prospective repercussions and ramifications that could surface for both sides on the back of the shock result.
St Kilda has been anchored to the bottom of the ladder for consecutive weeks after a promising start to the season and, on the back of some heavily losses, are widely tipped to finish with the wooden spoon.
The one upside to wearing such an unwanted tag of being the worst performed team in the competition is receiving the coveted number one draft selection.
But could this upset win jeopardise their chances of holding onto the first draft pick?
Before the weekend St Kilda sat in 18th place with just three wins – one win less than 17th placed Brisbane, and seemed assured on the wooden spoon. With the win against Fremantle it now means they are equal on points and only hold the bottom spot on a lack of percentage.
Granted, there isn’t much difference between holding the first or second picks in the draft, but still having first access to the very best player from the draft is a luxury the redeveloping Saints would rather have.
The ramifications for Fremantle are a little more dire given they have been well placed to push for the premiership over the past two seasons, and once again are in a position to challenge.
Losing what was considered a guaranteed win now means their once assured position in the top four is looking shaky given the tight competition for spots in the upper half of the ladder.
Over the remaining weeks in the 2014 fixture, Fremantle will face Carlton and Brisbane, who should be easy opposition, but tough matches against fellow top four aspirants in Geelong, Hawthorn and Port Adelaide means they must continue to win and cannot afford to drop anymore ‘easy’ matches.
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