Blues win, but Saints fall short of the top eight
St Kilda have finished just shy of the top eight despite claiming a thrilling 20-point win over Carlton.
Full of confidence after toppling competition heavyweights Brisbane last round, the Saints claimed their first victory in four meetings with the Blues, 7.4 (46) to 3.8 (26) at Ikon Park on Sunday.
Stuck in a logjam of four teams with six wins, St Kilda needed Fremantle to beat fellow finals hopefuls Sydney in the last game of the round to claim the coveted eighth place by percentage.
However, the Swans’ victory over the Dockers by a score of 22 points meant that it would not be for the Saints.
The Saints’ coach, Nick Dal Santo, claimed that his team had lost again due to a lack of opportunity conversion.
“I felt that we performed relatively well today but I still think we probably left quite a few goals out there,” Dal Santo stated.
“We could have easily taken care of the scoreboard if we had simply used the ball more effectively in the forward phase.
“We had several opportunities, even in the most recent quarter, and things just didn’t work out that way.
“I’ve always said we’ve got areas of growth and today, that felt like the main one.”
“I’ve always said we’ve got areas of growth and today, that felt like the main one.”
In the game that determined whether victory or defeat, Georgia Patrikios displayed her class by amassing 25 disposals and eight contested possessions in a dominating performance. Hannah Priest, the captain, was a defensive rock with nine intercept possessions.
Despite Abbie McKay’s best efforts, her team was outmatched on the pitch as Patrikios countered her in the midfield.
Alongside Mimi Hill (30 disposals), McKay amassed 28 disposals and 12 clearances as the 17-year-old defender Keeley Sherar struggled to contain a formidable Saints attack.
With support from Lily Goss, Mia Austin scored the first goal for Carlton in the second term, but that was the last time the Blues scored until the last term.
A barrage of goals from Maddie Boyd, Ella Friend, Nat Exon, and Nicola Xenos (two each) saw the Saints pull away with ease.
Carlton scored 0.5 in the third term but were unable to catch up to the visitors due to careless kicking.
Breann Moody, a ruck, took matters into her own hands. She intercepted a centre-bounce clearance, showed off her speed, and sent the ball through on the bounce from 50 metres to end Carlton’s goal-scoring drought.
This could be a contender for goal of the year.However, J’Noemi Anderson ended the celebration early by scoring a goal of her own to give the Saints the victory.
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