St Kilda v North Melbourne
Saturday, May 29 - 4:35pm
Marvel Stadium
North Melbourne and St Kilda have emerged from Round 10 with some demons to bury, with both sides suffering disappointing losses to fast, free-flowing sides.
Despite rallying in the third term, North fell to a fast-starting Essendon side as it struggled to cope with the speed and efficiency of the red and black outfit.
Taylor Garner impressed with 3 goals for the second consecutive week, while Ben Cunnington finished with 34 disposals and 9 clearances.
St Kilda have been sent cartwheeling down the ladder following its 111-point loss to the Western Bulldogs, with senior coach Brett Ratten indicating sweeping changes to his side heading into this week.
Jack Sinclair was given plenty of opportunity to impress in the back line, finishing with 28 disposals and 6 intercepts.
Last time we met:
Round 1, 2020
A fourth quarter midfield masterclass from Ben Cunnington saw North overcome St Kilda by just two points, to kick of the 2020 season in style.
Cunnington kicked both of North’s goals in the final term, as a stingy defence restricted the Saints to just one major of their own.
North didn’t take the lead until the final term, but top tier performances from Cunnington, Jy Simpkin and Jared Polec kept the Roos in the hunt all game.
Cunnington finished with 25 disposals, 7 tackles and 6 clearances with his 2 goals, while Simpkin and Polec finished with 25 and 23 disposals respectively.
Zak Jones worked hard in midfield for the Saints, finishing with 7 clearances, while Jack Billings kicked 2 goals.
The matchup:
Lachie Young v Jack Billings
After being recruited from the Western Bulldogs as a half-back flanker, Lachie Young has made a successful move onto the wing in recent weeks, playing the defensive wingman role with aplomb.
With lethal foot speed and a powerful engine, Young possesses the perfect athletic profile to be a defining influence on both sides of the football, whether it be tracking back to help the defence or launching forays inside 50.
He’s quickly adapting to his more offensive role in the side, completing a career-high 5 inside 50s against Essendon last week, while still working back to register 5 intercepts and 2 tackles.
Jack Billings looms as the biggest challenge of Young’s short stint on the wing so far, with the Saint being arguably the best attacking wingman in the AFL.
Billings’ innate ability to float forward and position himself in the right place at the right time is a challenge for any opponent, kicking 23 goals and 36 behinds primarily playing forward in 2017.
Like many of his teammates, he had a quiet day against the Bulldogs, however for Billings a ‘quiet day’ still means 17 disposals and a goal.
With both teams possessing high-quality inside midfielders and strong marking targets up forward, a key part of the battle will be which outside players can adapt their games to help their teams the most.
They key men:
Tarryn Thomas and Jack Steele
Tarryn Thomas is improving every week since moving into the midfield, putting in an arguably career best performance against Essendon last week.
With 21 disposals, 5 clearances and 2 goals against the Bombers, the most impressive part of Thomas’ game is the ability to find teammates in dangerous positions, registering 25 score involvements over the last five games.
With the ability to shift onto the wing or into the forward line, Thomas’ combination of height, speed and agility can make him a nightmare for defenders to match up on, and when he’s got his tail up he’s one of the most exciting players in the competition.
His penchant for being an effective influence while making the game look slow and easy can’t be underrated, and David Noble will be hoping he can once again up his already impressive output to give his side the best chance of winning.
St Kilda’s sole captain before the return of Jarryn Geary, Jack Steele has impressively stepped up to the plate in 2021, at times putting the team on his back and dragging them back into games by himself.
With the second-most tackles in the AFL this season (70), the defensive intensity Steele brings in the midfield is almost unrivalled, and North’s midfield will have to be at its most slick to be effective against him.
It’s not just his defensive efforts that cause danger for the opposition though, Steele can find the football too.
Averaging over 26 disposals and 5 clearances, Steele getting off the leash and out of control could be one of the biggest worries for North, but Noble will back his midfield to get the job done against the All-Australian.
The stat:
Since Taylor Garner’s return to North’s AFL side, the 27-year-old has been in irresistible form.
Kicking 6 goals in his two games this season, this is the first time in Garner’s career he has kicked 3 goals in consecutive games.
After kicking 3 goals in a game just once in his career before 2021, Garner’s game has undergone an evolution in recent times, with the forward looking to become more of a presence inside 50.
His 4 marks inside 50 last week is a new career high for Garner, with the number-6 also registering 8 score involvements, just one short of his career-high 9 against Gold Coast in 2017.
A fit and firing Garner makes North’s forward line infinitely more dangerous and is a welcome sight for all North fans.
