Collingwood is desperate to avoid a woeful 0-3 start to its premiership defence as St Kilda’s biggest home game of the year — and chance to make a major statement — arrives.
The Saints (0-1, 89.5%) were brave but narrowly beaten by Geelong down the highway in Round 1. They chose to move a home game to the MCG to celebrate Spud’s Game, in honour of the late, great Danny Frawley.
But it means the Magpies (0-2, 69.9%) will be well supported at their ‘away’ game, as they try to finally get on the board in 2024 after opening the year with losses to GWS and Sydney.
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No reigning premier this century has defended its crown after starting 0-2 while just last year, reigning premiers Geelong started 0-3 and then missed the finals entirely.
The last team to start 0-3 and make the top four was North Melbourne in 2007; since 2000, just over 10 per cent of 0-3 teams have recovered to play finals.
At selection, the Saints regained superstar Jack Sinclair plus Zak Jones, with Brad Crouch surprisingly omitted alongside 2023 draftee Lance Collard.
For the Magpies, John Noble, Charlie Dean and Ash Johnson were all omitted with Will Hoskin-Elliott managed, replaced by Billy Frampton, Tom Mitchell and Reef McInnes.
Ryan Byrnes will celebrate his 50th AFL game, as will Nick Daicos.
Watch it live on Fox Footy (channel 504), plus streaming on Kayo, from 6:30pm AEDT.
Murray pays touching tribute to Spud | 01:45
MATCH UPDATES
Zak Jones (St Kilda) and Fin Macrae (Collingwood) were the starting substitutes.
Jones returns to Ross Lyon’s side after suffering a concussion in early March. The 29-year-old was also struck down by a medial ligament strain late last year.
Jamie Elliott kicked the first goal of the game, nailing a set shot from a Nick Daicos direct assist.
Jack Higgins provided the immediate St Kilda reply by way of a simple over-the-top goal.
Midfielder Patrick Lipinski pushed Collingwood’s lead to seven points with a crafty banana goal in close quarters.
St Kilda talisman Max King took a strong pack mark but wasn’t able to register a score with his set shot.
Reef McInnes snagged his first major of the evening with a snap from a tough angle to increase the Pies’ advantage to 13 points.
A sickening fall suffered by Mason Wood in the first quarter, with the Saints utility appearing to land on his head and then convulse, saw him stretchered off the ground.
Zak Jones entered the contest with just under 10 minutes of playing time remaining in the first quarter.
Following the resumption of play the Saints began to gain the ascendency, with goals to King and Liam Henry tying the scores at 19.
After a solid start to the game, a bad Darcy Moore blunder deep in defence led directly to a Bradley Hill goal, before a Billy Frampton free kick against in the goalsquare made it four straight majors for the Saints to close out the first term.
St Kilda’s run of goals resumed after quarter-time as Tim Membrey got on the scoresheet, making it five consecutive goals.
A poor turnover deep in St Kilda’s defence by Riley Bonner led directly to a Lachie Schultz goal to stem the tide. It ended a run of five-straight Saints goals, reducing the Pies’ deficit to 12 points early in the second term.
The standard of play dropped noticeably in the second term, with skill errors and free kicks against littered throughout.
McInnes snapped his second goal of the first half in the latter stages of the second quarter, making it a five-point contest.
The Pies turned the tide the other way in the second half of the second quarter, taking back the lead at half-time to the tune of eight points.
The Saints kicked the first of the second half through a pinpoint King set shot, bringing his tally to two for the evening and Collingwood’s margin to two points.
A straight Membrey set shot pushed the Saints back in front, before a Higgins major and another King sausage pushed the Saints ahead by 16 points midway through the third stanza.
A much-needed Elliott snap dragged Collingwood’s deficit back to 10 points.
Multiple wasted opportunities by the Saints kept the Pies within touching distance, before a strong Cooper Sharman mark and goal extended the Saints’ buffer.
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Source Agencies
