Friday Fallout: It's the same old story for St Kilda

It’s a fairly standard story for St Kilda fans this season. Comfortable wins against teams below them, then competing for three out of four quarters against the true top teams and falling short when it matters.

Ross Lyon summed it up well in the post-match press conference.

“We’ve got to get better method. Our intent was pretty good but we came up short,” Lyon said.

“Our young players saw the consistency you need tonight.”

You can’t help but imagine that last comment was directed at youngster Hugo Garcia who was well below the heights of last week where he collected 25 disposals and kicked two goals.

That is still the question for the Saints; whether they can overcome their inconsistencies and take their game to the next level with a group of players who can still put together a quarter well below a top team’s standards.

Fremantle would be pleased with their ability to withstand a three-quarter attack and kick away with class and talent in the last quarter.

They are building an array of ways to get their wins and that is imperative for a team that is now rolling on 10 wins in a row.

Tom De Koning (8 disposals, 20 hitouts) was not at his aerial best and would be keen to have more of a presence in some key games like this going forward for the Saints.

Fremantle look to make it 11 wins in a row as they travel to Brisbane to face the Lions, while St Kilda face Hawthorn on Thursday night at Marvel Stadium.

Ethan Clark

Injuries galore in Dreamtime at the ‘G as Essendon move to last

While it wasn’t the prettiest game on the eyes with a collective 118 turnovers from both teams, Dreamtime at the ‘G delivered the goods for the injured Tigers.

Despite struggling to field a fully fit squad with a whopping 17 players on their injury list, Richmond were guided to victory by their experienced core – Jayden Short, Tim Taranto and Jack Ross.

Short and Taranto accumulated 30 touches each, with the 200-gamer playing a vital role off the half backline and Taranto dominating the midfield with eight clearances. Ross was also superb around the ground, collecting 24 disposals along with one goal, five tackles and 10 score involvements.

Youngster Patrick Retschko also stood up for the Tigers in just his sixth game. The winger’s work rate was elite, allowing him to gather the ball 27 times and deliver nine score involvements – promising signs for all Richmond fans.

Nate Caddy was the brightest shining light out of the Bombers, managing two goals from five shots. The 20-year-old key forward flew at everything and impressed aerially, proving why he has been rated so highly by many pundits to develop into a powerhouse. Darcy Parish was also back to his best for Essendon, collecting a game-high 41 disposals and game-high nine clearances, winning him the Yiooken Award for best player on the ground.

The scrappy game wasn’t without many casualties though with three players being sent to the hospital – Andy McGrath (ESS), Archie May (ESS) and Tom Lynch (RIC). The Bombers skipper was sent to the hospital before the final siren for a broken jaw, while May and Lynch joined McGrath post-game for potential broken ribs and an injured larynx, respectively. Essendon’s Sam Durham and Richmond’s Jonty Faull both suffered concussions as well, along with Matt Guelfi being ruled out of the game for the Bombers in the opening minutes thanks to a hamstring injury. Essendon midfielder Jye Caldwell also played out the game with an ankle/syndesmosis injury sustained in the first quarter.

The now bottom of the ladder Bombers will be licking their wounds and wondering where to go from here, while Richmond fans will be jubilant that they managed to win their second game of the season.

While there were promising signs from these developing teams, this matchup proved that they are both still far off any September success in the near future.

Connor Scanlon

Hawthorn v Adelaide

If ever a top six team needed a win, it was Hawthorn on Thursday night.

The Hawks entered Round 11 on the back of a draw and two defeats - a winless run of three that saw them drop back to sixth.

A loss to the Adelaide Crows would’ve seen them tumble further and the heat would’ve been turned up. The Hawks needed to show the footy world they still had a key part to play in the 2026 season.

They trailed by 17 points late in the first term and Sam Mitchell was visibly irate. Not a good start.

But the Hawks rallied on their ‘home’ deck in Launceston - which they’ll soon leave behind - booting five second-quarter goals to crank up the temperature on a cold night. It helped them pull off a 75-66 victory.

Without Jack Gunston they required some nous inside forward 50. Enter Blake Hardwick, more often than not a miserly defender, who kept them in it early before finishing with four goals.

It was just the tonic the Hawkers needed after a few subpar showings.

The Crows bookended the game with strong first and last quarters but the middle phase, when conceding seven goals and kicking only two, ultimately cost them.

They went cold despite having their heater on the bench. It was 6° though.

Matthew Nicks and his men had been making headway with three triumphs on the trot. A win in Tassie would’ve done wonders but a loss was more expected than not given their opponents were chasing 12 in a row at UTAS.

They enter the bye with a 6-5 record which has them holding eighth spot (for now). They'll be sweating on Izak Rankine's calf. Regroup, rest and reset.

The Hawks get no such luxury but they’ll likely be happy with that scenario. Gaining momentum no doubt on the agenda.

Next up is St Kilda which they’ll be expecting to win under the roof. That would take them to 8-1-3 and right in the top four mix.

Andrew Slevison