Australia

Richmond restricted to two goals in 60-year low as St Kilda records stunning upset win


St Kilda has produced a major upset to leave Richmond’s premiership defence in tatters, with the Saints humiliating the Tigers by 40 points at the MCG.

The Tigers could only manage two goals as they recorded their lowest score in any match since 1961, with the Saints winning 9.8 (62) to 2.10 (22).

Enduring a difficult season at 5-8, the Saints were given little hope on Friday night with the Tigers desperately clinging on to eighth spot as they search for a third-straight flag.

But the Saints dominated from the outset by kicking the first five goals and an expected Tigers resurgence never came as the Saints prevailed in front of 14,787 spectators.

If GWS defeat Hawthorn, as expected, on Sunday then the Tigers will be outside of the top eight at the end of the round.

Adding to Richmond’s woes was what could be a serious knee injury to key defender Noah Balta, who got caught up in a tackle late in the third quarter.

Fellow defenders Nathan Broad and Nick Vlastuin finished the match but both appeared to be hobbling late in the contest.

Making the result even more extraordinary was Richmond annihilated the Saints by 86 points when the teams met in round five.

But with Rowan Marshall back in the team to reunite with ruck partner Paddy Ryder, St Kilda again looked like the team that made last year’s semi-finals.

Their agonising loss to Adelaide before the bye was a distant memory as Ryder and Marshall gave the Saints midfielders silver service, led by a superb performance from Luke Dunstan.

Even Saints forward duo Jack Higgins and Max King, who have been struggling with confidence in front of goal, were able to nail difficult shots in the first half in a massive boost for the pair and their team.

Luke Dunstan (left) shows his delight after kicking a goal for St Kilda.(

AAP: Scott Barbour

)

Saints forward Jack Billings was a late withdrawal after hurting his knee during the warm-up and was replaced by Nick Coffield, however the 21-year-old was subbed off with a left hamstring injury in the third quarter for debutant Leo Connolly.

The Tigers struggled for shining lights, with stars Dustin Martin and Shane Edwards kicking the Tigers’ only goals.

They head to the Gold Coast next weekend for a round 16 clash with the Suns, while the Saints will be full of confidence against Collingwood at the MCG.

AAP/ABC



Source link

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button