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The Sydney Swans have added another big win to their premiership resume on Saturday night, blowing the St Kilda Saints away in the second half to win by 70.
» Click here to read the full match report
Final score
St Kilda 11.10.76
Sydney 23.8.146
One of the year’s up-and-comers hosts one of the premiership contenders, as the St Kilda Saints meet the Sydney Swans at Etihad Stadium. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog from 7:25pm (AEST).
St Kilda have been an easy team to like this season, and I suspect there’ll be a lot of people cheering them on tonight.
To be blunt, it would take a small miracle for them to make the eight from here. They’d need to win each of their remaining three games and have the Roos lose their last two.
But there’s something about keeping that slim, mathematical chance alive that gives extra weight to everything that happens on the field. In a team that is developing, if not all that young in truth, that extra sense of significance can be valuable in preparing for the future.
And you can be sure that that slim hope will get that home crowd a little more enthusiastic, and a little louder, for tonight’s game.
If anything, there’s even more on the line for the visiting Sydney Swans.
The race for top four positions and home finals is a season long marathon, but this year it’s come down to a sprint finish between at least five teams, of which Sydney are one.
Currently they sit in second with the highest percentage in the league, but a surprise loss could see them tumble out of the top four.
Sydney would be aware that St Kilda have often played above themselves this season, and are particularly strong inside the dome at Docklands, tonight’s venue. Sydney, on the other hand, haven’t played here since round 2.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The Swans have been excellent in 2016, and will approach every game with confidence. While they’ve had a few poor performances they’re certainly the more consistent of the two teams.
Sydney have conceded just 67 points per game so far this season, which is something of a concern for the Saints, who in turn don’t exactly have the league’s most potent forwardline.
Their powerful midfield is going to cause real problems for the Saints. St Kilda’s best performances often rely on the tireless work of Jack Steven, but between Luke Parker, Josh P Kennedy, Tom Mitchell and Kieren Jack it’s likely that Sydney will get first use of the ball more often than not.
Up forward for the visitors, all eyes as usual will be on Buddy Franklin.
At selection, the Saints have lost Luke Dunstan to injury, and replaced him with an extra forward option in Patrick McCartin.
Sydney have gone with an unchanged lineup following their thrashing of Port Adelaide.
Both teams have shown a lot of grit and determination this season, and probably exceeded most expectations. There’s a lot to look forward to, as well as a lot on the line, in this contest.
You have to favour the Swans, even away from home, given their superior experience and relative consistency. But don’t write off the Saints tonight.
Join The Roar for live scores and a blog from 7:25pm (AEST).
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