It’s a knockout

Round 13, 2022
Brisbane Lions 2.4, 3.6, 7.10, 10.18 (78)
St Kilda 2.1, 5.6, 7.7, 8.9 (57)
Crowd: 26,610 at the Gabba, Saturday, June 11th at 7.25pm
By Rory Sackville

I was in foreign territory for this game, at my brother’s place with my Dad, on a cold June Saturday night. The Saints were back in foreign territory too, but at the same time it probably felt a bit like home after the two pandemic-affected seasons left us in Qld for a majority of them both. The Gabbatoir was in boss mode like it was 2001, the Lions winning 24 of the past 27 games there going back to 2019. Our last game there against them? A hard-fought two-point loss in “peak pandemic” 2020. 

I really do hate interstate games, especially at night. You just feel helpless. It’s like you have no influence or input on the game, as opposed to if you were there. It’s just you, whoever else is in the room with you, and the commentators. 

The commentators, including Brisbane Lions legend and board member, Leigh Matthews, didn’t provide for much Saints influence or input in the pre-game either. Well, at least there was a pre-game this time, unlike the last Saturday night interstate game versus Adelaide where the broadcast started at 7.24pm and 50 seconds. Over on Fox, it wasn’t much better, with Brisbane Lions legend, Jonathan Brown, providing his usual, middle-ear reverberating, sub-tonal “uhrgs” and “ahrgs”. St Kilda legend Nick Riewoldt seemed to be lulled into the Brisbane narrative too.

Mitch Robinson was back in the side (more on the “Mitch Robinson react face” later”), which reminded me of something I’d left out of my The Juggernaut Era article earlier in the week – his punch on with Gardi outside Eve nightclub … those heady days … 

Joe “Joey” Daniher was also back in the side – another portent of what was to come; the Saints are always on the receiving end of star players coming back into the side or getting up from injury the week before (hello to Darcy Parish who will most definitely line up against us on Friday night).

Roaming Ro was also back (note: I didn’t even know it was a thing) – this is what social media content 2022 style looks like – the biggest insight we got was (unconfirmed rumours) that Doogs sweats when he plays video games.

The Accountant (*checks the ledger*) was installed as Captain – our fourth captain in four weeks. He walked out to the toss with Windy.  “They’re changing the karma of the club”, says my Dad, as Windy handed over a boomerang to Zorko in the now traditional pre-game ritual.

There’s always concern coming off a bye – will the players be flat? Or will they come out firing after a week’s break … well, at least it was the latter, after a string of early-season games where we couldn’t get on the scoreboard early. The Max King quarter was the first quarter, so it seemed, getting right on top of Harris Andrews. Max snared the first two goals of the game in his 50^th of hopefully many games for the Saints. Kicking the first two goals of a game just seemed like an anomaly …

With Crouch going head-to-head with Neale, and Seb, Gresh, Windy and Owens running through the middle, we were getting on top of the Lions mids early  – but soon enough they were reading Paddy Ryder’s (still in that St Kilda jumper) hitouts to “advantage”, like they were reading a little kid’s book. Seb Ross’s inside-50 entries started to resemble 2019 Seb (clearly missing Steele in the middle), with his efforts plopping onto the Brisbane defenders’ heads. 

With second playing fifth leading into the game, there was always going to be a bit of heat in the game, and spot fires blew up around the ground at every juncture. Brisbane responded after three straight behinds with a goal through that man Joey, and then punctured by the rare double goal to Charlie Cameron (who had been well checked by first-half BOG Jimmy Webster), after a Brad Crouch indiscretion. Jack Higgins – whose head seems to be targeted in every game he plays – was shoved in the back (no free-kick), trying to kick a miraculous goal resulting in a behind, and we were down by three points at the first break.

The first quarter was littered with kicking errors from both sides, and misses at goal particularly by the home side. Fair to say there were more shanks than a LIV golf tournament. Looking at the stats sheet at quarter time showed that somehow Lienert (the sub) had more DT points than three players actually playing in the game.

So by now I was stress eating away. Snack of choice: a gigantic bag of Sprinters Plain Chips from Aldi with a smattering of old faithful SoC, Chicken Twisties. 

The second quarter wasn’t the Max King quarter, but it certainly belonged to the Saints – even with a little bit of luck from the “not-so-very-good-but-definitely-not-showing-any-dissent-to-them” umpires. A questionable (but on review and reflection ultimately correct) free for deliberate gave Gresh a goal from the goal square, and we were on top. Zorko either didn’t appreciate the gift given to him at the toss, or just doesn’t know what it means to be a strong leader, and gave away an abuse free-kick, and soon after shoved Higgins’ head into the turf.

Speaking of heads being shoved – this is where the game turned. We led by 12 points at the half after a great (but questionable – insert Mitch Robinson react face) mark by Murmurs McKenzie, but a few minutes before the end of the second, Mitch Owens’ daring style worked against him. He met Lincoln McCarthy head-on and got knocked out, ruling him out of the match (and the next one). We’d held the Lions to their lowest half-time score of the year.

Within two minutes of the third quarter starting, Murmurs was off with concussion, and our structure started to collapse. The Lions got the first two goals of the quarter; the first through Starcevich, after Gina the sub’s first possession was a roundhouse to his head, giving away 50, and subsequently, a goal. Halfway through the third quarter the inside 50s read 11-0 the Lions’ way. The game should have blown out much further than it did, but for some excellent defending by the back six/seven all game – especially Battle and Webster – and a couple of goal reviews going our way too.

A huge run by Buts in the middle of the ground (note: this was the stage I realised Hill was playing but more on this later), led to a typically hardworking Higgins goal (who was shoved in the back well after the kick … no free kick). Higgins works so hard to get back and get into position – he has such strong forward craft (and crypto investment skills). The Lions got a couple back, and then Gresh (who had been quiet) took on the game, and set sail from 50 to nail a cracking goal before three-quarter time. We had multiple shots at goal in the last couple of minutes of the quarter for no score. We just weren’t able to sneak ahead, but again – like quarter time – we were three points down. We were still in this game … or so we thought.

But at three-quarter time we got the news we were three players down with Jones off with a hamstring. The CEO-in-waiting gave an on-field interview, basically telling the world what our structure and game plan was going to be in the last quarter. Maybe keep him off the mic mid-game once he becomes CEO?

McCluggage – who in my mind was BOG – got the first of the last after a dropped mark by Hill (which reminded me again he was playing). Early in the last quarter the stats read 24-8 inside 50s after half-time the Lions’ way. There is no doubt losing Owens and then DMac (and then Jones) limited our rotations, and we just ran out of legs. The defenders never gave up though – they still gamely defended everything thrown at them; Capt Cal with a tremendous save on the last line of defence. With savings like that, I want Capt Cal to do my taxes at EOFY. 

In the end, we recorded the lowest amount of I50s of the year, but no goals from stoppages (see Ryder and his hit-outs to “adv” – won the hit-outs 31 to 25, but lost the clearances 34 to 25). We’re now sixth halfway through the season and, even with a tough run home (Brisbane, Sydney x 2, Freo, and Carlton – who are all in eight – all still to come), I think we’ll be thereabouts come season end. But 149 years of trust issues still linger.

It was later revealed that a few of the players including Hill, Wood and Higgins were all unwell, and it showed throughout the game. With the VFL game earlier in the day (side note: why? Why was the VFL game BEFORE the AFL game on the same day, especially interstate?), there was little that could be done. Losing three during the game and having a few players unwell was just too much to handle.  

On to Essendon, who are the most under the pump team in the comp. West Coast and North are cloaking the troubles at the Bombers … so that means the stage is set (remember those trust issues) … we will have three forced changes, but here’s hoping Nas, Latte and Clark come into the side, and we get on the right side of the (checks notes) ledger.