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St Kilda Saints vs Geelong Cats highlights: Saints stun Cats

25th June, 2016
Kickoff: 7:25pm AEST
Venue: Etihad Stadium
Last meeting: R21, 2015, St Kilda 14.13 (97) drew Geelong 15.7 (97) at Etihad Stadium
Betting: St Kilda: $5.00, Geelong: $1.17
Sam Gilbert (AAP Image/Tony McDonough)
Roar Guru
25th June, 2016
97
5630 Reads

Match result:

The St Kilda Saints have taken one of the upsets of the season, defeating the Geelong Cats by 3 points at Etihad Stadium.

REPORT: SAINTS SCORE MASSIVE UPSET

Final score
St Kilda 14.9.93
Geelong 13.12.90

Match preview:

The St Kilda Saints are fresh off their bye, as they take on ladder leaders the Geelong Cats tonight at Etihad Stadium. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 7:25pm (AEST).

The Cats snatched top spot on the premiership table last week after a dominant victory over the Bulldogs.

Meanwhile, the Saints sit in twelfth position with five wins this season including an impressive display against the Blues in Round 12.

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Geelong have won four of the past five encounters against the Saints, with the two sides most recent meeting being a draw at Etihad Stadium last season.

The Saints are yet to defeat a team inside the top eight this season and coming off well rested from their bye it’s a great opportunity to challenge the ladder leaders with confidence.

While the Cats have been on fire in recent weeks they suffered some shock losses against Collingwood and Carlton, so they will be keen to cement themselves inside the top four with a victory.

Winning the midfield battle, particularly the contested ball and clearances, will play a major factor in the match up.

The Cats midfield will feature Patrick Dangerfield and captain Joel Selwood who have both been in blistering form in recent weeks, playing a pivotal role in the Cats averaging the most centre clearances in the competition.

The Saints engine room will see the likes of Jack Steven and Seb Ross who have shown damaging signs in the midfield across the first half of the season.

Geelong are leading the league in contested marks, with spearhead forward Tom Hawkins taking 30 for the year and adding 28 goals to his name, he will be looking to make an impact up forward tonight.

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On the other end, St Kilda’s Josh Bruce has grabbed 24 contested marks this season and slotted 24 goals as a result.

The recruit of Lachie Henderson has faired well for Geelong’s defence added with veterans Corey Enright and Harry Taylor, while St Kilda’s back half has displayed incredible run this year with Jack Newnes and Leigh Montagna also having a great year rebounding in defence, averaging 27 disposals and three rebound inside 50s per game.

Tom Hickey will have his work cut out against the Cats tall timber of Zac Smith, Mark Blicavs and former Saints teammate Rhys Stanley who will see out the ruck battles.

Prediction
I have enjoyed St Kilda’s relatively fresh line up this season and have been impressed with their promising signs, despite some inconsistent patches throughout the year.

Regardless of them coming off the bye, it’s impossible to ignore Geelong’s dominant form over the past few weeks.

With Patrick Dangerfield in Brownlow medal-winning form and Joel Selwood right with him the Cats will be too strong for St Kilda taking the win ahead of next weeks rest.

Geelong by 35 points

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Can a fresh and well rested St Kilda line up knock off the white hot team of the competition in Geelong? Or will the Cats continue their wave of momentum with a commanding victory?

Join The Roar tonight at 7:25pm AEST for live score updates and debate in our live blog.

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