The Prophet’s Perceptions
In Sunday Night prime time, two Marvel Stadium experts – the Dogs and the Saints – engaged in hostilities for true home ground advantage. The Dogs, spurred by the return of skipper Marcus Bontempelli, look to maintain touch with the top 8, while the Saints look to engage the top four. There are plenty of potential storylines that may come from this game; it is enticing on paper, and like Wrestlemania Saturday, could fly under the radar in terms of drama. Who will take the points? Well, I’m the Prophet and these were my perceptions.
Bont Watch
Arguably the biggest name in football and widely considered the best player in the game, the Bont returned from football purgatory (injury) on Easter Sunday. Like Jesus rising from the dead and instilling hope in humanity for those who believe in him as the Messiah, Bont has rekindled the aura that the Dogs can possess with a sparkling return.
He started the game in defence, spent ample time up forward, and was brilliant at the stoppages. He had 30 disposals (12 contested), 8 clearances, 12 score involvements, 87% disposal efficiency, and kicked 2.1. He looked like he hadn’t missed any time and just his presence makes this Dogs side exponentially more formidable.
Big Wang
Our esteemed leader, HB, is trying to get the above to stick as a nickname for Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (It’s a great nickname – HB). He has risen quickly in the ranks in season 2025. Whether it be his running capacity or his weapon of a right boot, he is having a big say on the Saints’ fortunes. And while he had 25 disposals tonight at 70+% disposal efficiency, his overall impact was down. Sure, he led all-comers with 688 metres gained, and six inside 50’s; however, he had just the two score involvements – one of which was a goal assist in the opening minutes of the game.
His ability to link others in on the play and have the space to use his biggest weapon – his foot skills – is vital to the fortune of his side. He got into good spots, but the Dogs’ pressure made life hard for him at times, and the lack of teammates ahead of the ball made finding targets a challenge.
He still found space and ran all night, he just didn’t have anywhere near enough support.
Size Matters
Keep your heads out of the gutter! Many say it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the fight in the dog … others say that it’s not about the size, but how you use it … both rang true tonight. On paper, there was a clear discrepancy in height across various lines. Most notably, the mosquito fleet of St Kilda forwards up against the likes of Liam Jones and Rory Lobb behind the ball. Tactically, we were presented with different and conflicting styles. The Saints set to run and gun, changing angles and avoiding long kicks down the line.
In the opening minutes of the game, this loked to be a masterstroke. Their first five entries resulted in 4.1.25 … while the Dogs had just the solitary goal from a few entries. However, the Dogs were able to recalibrate and provide more intent and pressure on the ball carriers further up the field, resulting in them completely taking over the game. And once the Dogs took over, they never looked back. The Dogs completely took hold of the game in every facet.
Sure, the Saints mid-size and small forwards did the bulk of their scoring, but there was so little of it that it didn’t really matter. The other glaring issue was the lack of defensive pressure from the small forwards of St Kilda.
This is My Brutality
No, I’m not talking about Rhea Ripley by writing that, but rather, how the Dogs took over this contest and absolutely buried the Saints. They were brutal around the contest. Every time there was a stoppage, the Dogs just seemed to have more options to give the ball to, and could move the footy with relative ease.
They dominated the clearances 44-23, most notably 20-6 centre clearances. With starting positions, this sort of dominance from the centre bounce makes things very challenging for the opposition, and that was evident on numerous occasions tonight. The Dogs were able to execute their plans and set up the game by controlling field position after winning it at the coal face.
While Tim English may not be quite as dominant as we’ve come to expect, the Dogs mids – Ed Richards, Tom Liberatore (who is having an All-Australian start to the year), Joel Freijah, and the returning Bont continue to show why the Dogs can never be counted out. These guys blend outside run and bottom-of-the-pack grunt to perfection.
I also need to mention Matt Kennedy. An 11th-hour acquisition in the trade period, the former Blue has added depth and an extra dimension to this Dogs outfit. Whether it be resting forward or at the coal face, he is a reliable contributor. He finished tonight with 22 disposals (10 contested), two goals, six tackles, a game-high 10 clearances, and all of this at 82% disposal efficiency. He makes an impact every time he touches it.
Target Practice
The Saints need some help up forward. With Anthony Caminiti shifting behind the ball, Max King injured, and Tim Membrey being gifted to the Pies, the Saints look thin up forward. They require their medium-sized forwards to compete and bring the ball to the ground. Tonight, they weren’t able to do that consistently, and through no fault of their effort.
It’s one thing to build your plan around a small forward line, it’s another to execute. Tonight, the Saints failed to deliver in that regard. They need to work out their best mix, try some players, or work on how they maximise their impact. As an aside, the small forwards need to not just be front-runners who sneak out the back and get cheap goals. Chase, tackle, and put pressure on the defenders. They could take some inspiration from the Dogs and the buy-in that seems to exist.
They have talent, with some list gaps, and it’s on Ross Lyon to work out how to get the best out of the players at his disposal.
Fingers Crossed
I don’t like to dwell on potential negatives, but the knee injury to Sam Darcy looked nasty. Footage of his family in the dressing room following the incident did not paint a very positive picture.
We all still hope for the best, as everyone, even opposition supporters, want to see the best players on the field every week. This is particularly so when it comes to stars that seem ready to explode, but at the same time, we prepare for the worst. On a night that was so positive for the Dogs, this one negative almost overshadowed it.
Other Things
Jack ‘Snags’ Higgins surprisingly hadn’t kicked any snags against the Dogs before tonight in seven previous meetings. This is quite damning for a mercurial small forward. He can breathe a sigh of relief now, having broken that duck.
– Addition: In the third quarter, we saw the worst of Higgins. He was out the back of a contest, running towards the goal, and received a handball. His blinkers went on, and he chose to have a shot rather than do the team thing and pass to Brad Hill virtually in the goal square. Higgins miskicked, and it went through for a behind. The Dogs then took it from the kick out inside 50, resulting in an Aaron Naughton goal. That’s top five for worst clangers this year. It killed the Saints momentum and field position (albeit they couldn’t really capitalise anyway) and gave momentum back to the Dogs.
One of my pet peeves is commentators not knowing players’ names. You can excuse it if players have similar profiles and looks, however, Cal Wilkie and Jack Sinclair don’t have similar profiles or looks. Twice in the opening minutes, Garry Lyon called Wilkie Sinclair. Be better, Garry.
I will admit to not having seen a lot of the Dogs thus far in season 2025. So, I was pleasantly surprised to see the development and increased output from Joel Freijah. His burst from stoppage was exceptional, and his raking left-foot kick is a serious weapon. I’m excited to see what he can become; his goal on the run was great, but his goal in the final term, in traffic, with limited space, was very special.
Cooper Sharman threatened at times tonight. He found space on the lead and appeared to be the only St Kilda player able to take marks in the front half. While he only had 8 touches, he still had multiple looks at goal, and seven of his eight touches resulted in Saint scores. He kicked 0.3 and some of them at key moments. It was almost night. He just needs one of these nights where he kicks straight, and he’ll go from being a solid contributor to a genuine football star.
A shout out to Tom Liberatore for nothing other than his exceptional run-down tackle on Brad Hill in the early stages of the final term. Hill looked at Libba and thought he could take him. He tried to fend, but that was all Libba needed: an arm to latch onto and drag his opponent down.
It might seem weird acknowledging a Saints defender after they copped a belting, but I enjoy the way Liam Stocker plays the game. He’s a blue-collar defender. He’s tough, runs in a straight line, and doesn’t shirk any form of contest. He did all of those things tonight and is one of the few Saints players who had an impact.
What Did We Learn?
Dogs – they easily become the team everyone loves to pile into. Whether it’s because Luke Beveridge rubs people the wrong way or something else, the Dogs don’t get given a lot of grace when they fail to win. Tonight was completely comprehensive. They were brutal around stoppages, efficient and dynamic up forward, and their defence, including pressure, was exceptional. This was a genuine all-round performance from the Dogs. When they are up and running like this, playing intuitive, chaotic, free-flowing footy, they are fun to watch and can seriously score. Were it not for a number of posters and a handful of missed opportunities, this could have been an all-time smashing.
Saints – the boys from Moorrabbin didn’t do themselves any favours tonight. They play Marvel well, they have been really competitive so far this year, and tonight they went backwards. I don’t like to question a team’s effort, but the ease with which the Dogs moved the ball from end-to-end and how easily they took the ball away from stoppage would infuriate Ross Lyon. His side were dismantled around the contest – even though they won contested possessions narrowly (namely down to the amount of pressure the Dogs were putting on) – and their pressure lacked. They are a young side and show glimpses of greatness, absolutely, however, this is the year they need to start taking steps forward in regards to their toughness, their consistency, and adding a bit of mongrel to the way they play. They have weapons, others are developing, and they have a bright future. However, tonight sets them back.
Well, the Dogs eviscerated the Saints, and put the competition on notice that they are going to contend and cause problems for sides this year. They take considerable momentum into next Saturday Night against their nemesis Toby Greene (and his Giants) in the nation’s capital, while the Saints trek back to Marvel on Saturday afternoon with a chance to respond against the Lions.
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