Round 20 match preview: St Kilda v Melbourne

Match details
Saturday, August 11, 1.45 pm (local time), MCG

Broadcast guide

Form
Melbourne: L, L, L, L, L, L, L, L, L, W, L, Bye, W, L, L, L, L, L, W
St Kilda: L, W, W, L, W, L, W, L, W, L, W, L, Bye, L, W, W, L, W, L

Ladder position
Melbourne: 16th
St Kilda: 10th

Head-to-head
Played: 203
Melbourne: 118
St Kilda: 84
Drawn: 1

At this ground
Played: 90
Melbourne: 58
St Kilda: 32
Drawn: 0

Last time they met
Round 5, 2012: St Kilda 12.2 (84) d Melbourne 10.6 (66) at the MCG

Recent streak
Melbourne has lost its past seven matches against St Kilda  

Memorable match
First semi-final, 1998: Melbourne 15.17 (107) d St Kilda 7.14 (56) at the MCG
In 1998 - the first year of Neale Daniher’s coaching reign - Melbourne made a welcome run at the finals after seasons of absence and unwelcome turbulence. Having overcome Adelaide in the qualifying final, the Saints were the foe for the semi final. While Garry Lyon missed this game through injury, Travis Johnstone became the 13th Demon to make his finals debut in 1998. After some poor kicking early on from Melbourne, St Kilda led by four points at quarter-time. The Saints then extended this lead to 14 points early in the second quarter.  But this would be St Kilda’s biggest lead all day, as Jeff Farmer soon took control. With three goals to ‘Wiz’ in seven minutes, the Demons were suddenly in front by five points, then 17 at the long break. The second half showcased Melbourne’s emerging form and six goals in the last quarter confirmed their superiority. In the end, it was a 51-point victory to Melbourne and a preliminary final berth.

Milestones
Melbourne: Brad Green: He is due to play his 252nd match, taking him level with Brian Dixon in sixth spot in the club’s history. The most games for Melbourne are David Neitz (306 games, 1993-2008), Robert Flower (272 games, 1973-87), Adem Yze (271 games, 1995-2008), Jim Stynes (264 games, 1987-98), Steven Febey (258 games, 1988-2001), Brian Dixon (252 games, 1954-68), Brad Green (251 games, 2000-current), James McDonald (251 games, 1997-2010), Jeff White  (236 games, 1998-2008) and Brett Lovett (235 games, 1986-97).
Jack Grimes: 50 matches
St Kilda: Nil

Coaching record
Mark Neeld: 18 matches, 3 wins, 0 draws, 15 losses
Scott Watters: 18 matches, 9 wins, 0 draws, 9 losses

Injury list
Melbourne: Clint Bartram (knee) - season, Jamie Bennell (knee) - season, Mitch Clark (foot) - season, Tom Couch (hamstring) - test, Aaron Davey (foot) - season, Max Gawn (knee) - season, Mark Jamar (calf) - 2-3 weeks, Liam Jurrah (ankle) - 1 week, Jordie McKenzie (knee) - test, Stef Martin (foot) - test, Cale Morton (shoulder) - season, Daniel Nicholson (jaw) - test, Ricky Petterd (hamstring) - test, Rory Taggert (back) - indefinite, Jack Watts (ankle) - test
St Kilda: Darren Minchington (hip) - season, Adam Schneider (hamstring) - 1 week, Rhys Stanley (hamstring) - 1-2 weeks

Players to watch
Melbourne: Jack Grimes
The co-captain plays his 50th AFL match this round - another tick in his best AFL season yet. Although he has had a tough initiation into the captaincy given Melbourne’s year, Grimes has thrived in the role. He has played 17 matches - his best effort in a season - and has shown fine leadership in 2012. He has been durable, and one of Melbourne’s most consistent performers in 2012.

St Kilda: Ahmed Saad
The forward has had a fine first up season, booting 21 goals from 12 matches so far. Last round, he kicked three goals and was again an important contributor for the Saints. The 22 year-old has displayed some freakish skills in front of goal, and will be one Saint who will need to be watched carefully. 

Match-up to watch
Tom McDonald/James Frawley v Nick Riewoldt
When the two sides met earlier in the season, McDonald produced a fine performance on the St Kilda superstar. The young Demon defender stood up in the absence of James Frawley, who missed with a calf injury. It will be interesting to see if McDonald gets the job again, or whether Frawley mans the St Kilda skipper.

Most disposals
Melbourne: Nathan Jones (424)
St Kilda: Lenny Hayes (455)

Most marks
Melbourne: Jeremy Howe (104)
St Kilda: Nick Riewoldt (122)

Most tackles
Melbourne: Jordie McKenzie (98)
St Kilda: Lenny Hayes (109)

Most goals
Melbourne: Mitch Clark (29)
St Kilda: Nick Riewoldt (46)

How’s stat?
Melbourne’s most recent finals win was against St Kilda in the 2006 elimination final. It was also the red and blue’s most recent win over the Saints.

Foot in both camps
Those who have been involved with both clubs include: Jamie Shanahan, Luke Beveridge, Sean Charles, Alastair Clarkson, Peter Russo, Rod Keogh, Paul Callery, Derek Feldmann, Ivan Baumgartner, Alf Copsey, Beres Reilly, Don Hooper, Ron Wilson, Geoff McInnes, Eric Peck, Jack Lord, Harry Tampling, Jack Watt, Aubrey McKenzie, Steven Clark, Steve Turner, Glenn Boland, Mark Jackson, Carl Ditterich, Col Deane, Carlyle Jones, Hugh Dunbar, Percy Tulloh, George Haines, Clarrie Wyatt, Mick Anthony, Carl Kenley, Algy Millhouse, William Angwin, Bill Flintoff, George McCart, Herb Friend, Charles Suhr, Frank Brown, Tom Ryan, Stewart Geddes, Arthur Britt, Vic Cumberland, Dick Robertson, Stephen Powell, David Grant, Greg Hutchison, Brian Royal, David Misson.

What Jack Grimes says …
“Coming off a good win, we’re going in pretty positive. The boys have had a lighter week on the track. Their confidence is up and last time we played the Saints, it was a really good game. They got us in the end, so we’ll be hoping we can put up another performance like we did last week and play four quarters and hopefully get the points.”

Key Melbourne question
Melbourne won its third match for the season last round. Can the Demons cause an upset and win back-to-back matches for the first time this year?  

Key St Kilda question
The Saints are two matches outside the top eight, but remain a chance for the finals. St Kilda plays Melbourne, then Geelong, Greater Western Sydney and Carlton in the final four rounds. Will the Saints keep their finals hopes alive with a comfortable win over Melbourne?

Summary
St Kilda, which is still fighting for finals, went down narrowly to Collingwood last round. The Saints will need to win this and - if not all - at least three of their final four matches. They will enter this match as favourites, but the Demons will have some optimism, given they are coming off a 42-point win against Gold Coast Suns last round. When Melbourne and St Kilda met in round five this year, the Demons went down by three goals - at that stage their best performance of the season. Again, it will be a massive challenge, but Melbourne has made it a key focus to not let the season peter away. Notching up another couple of wins by the season’s end remains a prime focus for the Demons, and this will be a great opportunity against a quality side still more than capable of playing off in September.