Melbourne are still searching for their first win of the season while St Kilda need to bounce back after their loss last week. We’ll have live scores from 7.40pm AEST.
The first three weeks of the Demons’ season were as turbulent as you can get at a footy club, both and off the field.
A more competitive effort last week against the Western Bulldogs restored some sense of calm, but that 21-point loss meant the Dees were still without a win in 2012.
Now, they must face a St Kilda side that will no doubt be hungry to bounce back and return to the winners sheet.
They lost to Fremantle last week in a tight contest. Despite winning in key statistics, a number of their stars – like Nick Dal Santo, Sam Fisher and Stephen Milne – were “shut down” by the Dockers.
Melbourne may employ a similar tactic this week in the hope of pulling off an upset.
Overall, the Saints are 2-2 and sit in eighth place. A win will mean they maintain their spot in the top eight and see them jump over Collingwood and potentially some of the other three-win teams.
The storyline in the Dee forward line thus far has been Mitch Clark, who’s registered 10 goals in what is a low-scoring side, but he’s out due to a neck injury.
At the other end, Nick Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke have shown form in patches, but Koschitzke won’t play due to suspension.
Some tinkering will be needed. It will certainly be interesting to observe whether Jack Watts or Jeremy Howe can step up in Clark’s absence.
In the middle, St Kilda have the stars. Lenny Hayes is back and the likes of Nick Dal Santo and Leigh Montagna are always dangerous. Dee James Magner, who had the important job of Matthew Boyd last week, may be thrown on Dal Santo.
All in all, this is a game St Kilda should win. But after turning a corner last week, Melbourne will be hoping to show more signs of progress.