The conclusion of Round 15 largely went to script, with the Dogs staying in touch with the top four and the Saints copping all types of bad luck.
That does seem to be the case for St Kilda in 2026, as they have seen one of their recruits injure an Achilles Tendon, and be ruled out for the year, and they’ve yet to even get their number one forward for the second-straight season. Meanwhile, the Dogs haven’t exactly had a great run, either. The man that was supposed to drag them back to the Promised Land did a knee and will sit out the remainder of the season, and as soon as that happened, people wrote them off.
Perhaps a little too prematurely.
People will scoff at the notion that the Dogs knocking over the Saints somehow enhances their 2026 credentials, but it feels as though the Western Bulldogs are continually in a no-win situation. Either they win and stay in the hunt, or they fall away and the usual suspects say “I told you so.”
The Saints challenged in this game, but the Dogs had the answers every time they did. Buoyed by a powerful effort from their much-criticised back six, and a meat and potatoes effort from their midfield, they pulled away in the final quarter to record a 22-point win.
Bont was Bont, Buku Khamis had close to his best game of the season, and the returning Libba got through the game unscathed.
Time to jump into the Eight Things We Learnt from this one.
A POINT TO PROVE
Before each game I watch, I pencil in two players to watch a little more intensively as the contest progresses. There is no uniformity in choosing them – I just kind of look at the individual games and which players need to make a statement.
This time around, I am looking at two players who have jumped from one side to the other.
JACK MACRAE
After starting his St Kilda career in a blaze of glory, Jack Macrae is now playing the role he is more suited to at this stage of his career – as a role-playing midfielder who provides support to the younger cohort.
I think it is safe to say that the days of Jack regularly racking up 30+ disposals are a thing of the past, and he now spends as much time on the half-forward flank as he does in the middle.
In this one, he was solid without being spectacular. You could almost sum up his career in those words, couldn’t you? He had 23 touches, managed seven clearances as he did the grunt work, and managed just the three score involvements as his team struggled to capitalise on his work.
Macrae has another year to run following this, but I don’t expect more from him than what we’re seeing right now. The Saints know the direction they want to head in, and Macrae can help them get there… but I am not sure how long he’ll last if they do.
NICK COFFIELD
Coffield never really got a great run at it at St Kilda. It wasn’t anyone’s fault – he was just injured so often that he wasn’t getting what he wanted, and the Saints weren’t getting what they wanted, either.
The Dogs took a gamble on him, and this season, he has put eight games under his belt. I am not quite sure whether this is due to his hard work, or the situation the Dogs find themselves in with their back six, but he now has his chance to once again find his place in the league.
In this game, he had a mixed bag, with the most memorable moment coming when he made a horrific turnover to gift Campbell Lake his first goal in the league.
His numbers look good, and within the structure of the Dogs’ defence in this one, he worked quite well, amassing 18 touches, but I am of the belief that if the Dogs had a full list to choose from, he would have a tough time retaining his place.
EIGHT THINGS I LEARNT
1 – BONT OPERATES ON ANOTHER LEVEL
Whilst the cool kids got a bit carried away with the sheer numbers of Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera in this game, it was the class of Marcus Bontempelli both around stoppages and in the open field that made a massive difference in the end.
Bont may have had ten fewer disposals, but the way he played both ways – both working to win the footy, and to close down space of his opponents, was the type of game that have many believing he is still the best player in the game.
The one shining moment that saw him stand out from every other player on the park resulted in his only goal for the game. At pace, he gathered the bobbling footy with one hand, putting distance between him and his shadow – Hugo Garcia – before turning, swinging onto his left foot, and snapping truly from 35 metres. So fluent was his movement that Garcia had no chance of stopping him.
I genuinely could not see someone else in the league right now executing a play like that. It was just so perfect – just so Bont.
2 – BUKU KHAMIS GOT THE IDEAL MATCHUP FOR HIS SKILL SET
Buku has had an up-and-down season in 2026. He started well, as his Dogs looked great in the early games, but as the season has progressed,. He has found himself in matchups that have left him undersized.
That was not the case in this one, as his direct opponent was Liam Ryan, and you could almost see Khamis;’ eyes lighting up as the Saints started bombing the footy in long and high.
Ryan was coming off 11 goals in the last two weeks, and was the forward with the best returns over that period. He went from the penthouse to the outhouse in this one.
Khamis was all over him, forcing Ryan to attempt several hangers in an attempt to get into the game.
None were successful.
Khamis, on the other hand, flew in for seven intercepts and eight one-percenters, playing possibly his best game of the season. He picked up four free kicks, as the Saints’ forwards found themselves having to hold and push to get the upper hand on him.
Did the Saints get their matchups wrong? Should Caminiti have started forward to make Khamis defend a tall? Maybe Mason Wood to add more of a stronger body?
Once Tom De Koning went down injured, it was as though the Saints had only Ryan and Jack Higgins as their avenues to goal, especially with Mitch 50/50 Owens missing when the Saints needed him to work out the kinks in his game.
3 – THE SAINTS USED NASIAH LIKE THE SUNS USED TO USE GARY ABLETT JUNIOR
I mentioned this amongst my fellow Mongrel writers, and was horrified to find that some of them don’t remember the way the Suns would relentlessly put the footy in Ablett;’s hands, for better or worse.
The St Kilda game plan was evident from the start – give the footy to Nas, and see what he can create.
He picked up 13 touches in the first quarter, with so many handball receives that I lost count (apparently, I have trouble counting into double figures… I got distracted, okay?). It appeared for a while that Wanganeen-Milera was on target for a 50-disposal game, but much like the Saints, he ran out of steam in the last.
Nas did what he usually does, and took on the toughest kicks, which had a series of mixed results, but the Dogs were successful in closing down the centre corridor, which meant that Nas often resorted to running down the outside, along the wings, to distribute.
This was a sound tactic by the Dogs, and unsurprisingly, was a tactic that teams also used to use against the Suns and Ablett back ten or so years ago.
44 touches for the Big Wang, but in terms of damage, give me Bont’s game over Wanganeen-Milera’s. Much more organic, and much more damaging.
4 – YOU ONLY NEED TO WIN ONE BATTLE AS A FORWARD, BUT DEFENDERS NEED TO WIN THE ENTIRE WAR
I’m referring to Rory Lobb in this case, and the magnificent job Anthony Caminiti did on him right up until the final quarter.
At that point, Lobb managed to get off the chain, take one contested mark, and get out the back for a “Joe the Goose” handball over the top to hit the scoreboard twice. On paper, it undid a heap of work that Caminiti did up to the point, but the reality is that he did an exceptional job to stifle Lobb for the majority of the game.
Lobb is currently being used as the Dogs’ swingman, but he ran into his match in this one, with Caminiti collecting ten one-percenters, and restricting Lobb to just three disposals in the first three quarters.
The final numbers say Lobb had six touches and two goals, but really, he won one battle for the game.
But winners write the history books, right?
5 – ARTIE JONES CAN GIVE THE DOGS WHAT NOBODY ELSE CAN
You need a bit of sizzle with your steak as a small/medium forward, and Artie has plenty of both.
His clean hands and his evasion provide the Dogs with an x-factor when he has the footy in his hands. He draws opponents to him and then steps around them like they’re another parent’s toddler coming in for a hug. You have to dodge those kids, right? Their hands could have been anywhere!
When he does his zigging and zagging, some might see it as Artie trying to do too much, but in order to truly appreciate what he is up to, you have to look at the space open up for his teammates as a result.
When Artie gets the footy, the opposition shifts. It zeroes in on him and the intelligent Dogs around him know exactly what to do. The man is a creator, and he gives the Dogs something special. Great to see him out there on a regular basis this season.
Now, if they just get Weightman back again, they’re going to give some defences fits.
6 – THE JACK SINCLAIR INJURY IS A DISASTER FOR THE SAINTS
We saw a reshuffle in the St Kilda defence during this game, with Jack Sinclair suffering what they told us was a calf injury, but many are speculating that he may have suffered the same fate as his D50 running mate, Sam Flanders, and injured his Achilles Tendon.
The fact that he was in a moonboot after the game added field to that fire.
Nonetheless, even a short-term injury sends this Saints back six into a state of flux, as they are forced to redeploy others to fill the void left behind.
Sinclair is one of the best rebounding half-backs in the league, and in this game his shoes were initially filled by none other than Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, before he handed over the duties to Bradley Hill.
Hill had been drifting back into defence over the last month or so to cover the loss of Flanders, whilst Nas has a history of powering out of D50 for the Saints.\How they handle this role, either in the short term, or the long term, will make for an interesting watch as the season starts to head into the business end.
7 – ABOUT TIME YOU ARRIVED, LACHIE
What a first quarter from Lachie McNeil, who managed to find the footy 12 times in the opening stanza.
It feels as though this bloke has been around forever. Hell, I remember making stupid “single female lawyer” jokes about him back in 2021, while we were all locked down in our houses and flats (again) during the covid period, and here we are, five years later…
… he managed an equal career-high disposal count, and for a while, looked like he was going to smash it to bits.
However, after that ridiculous first quarter, he slotted back into his regular role of barely being sighted, managing just six touches for the remainder of the game.
McNeil is 24 now. Whilst I am sure he is walking on air after playing the best game of his career, the pressure is now on him. He has demonstrated what he is capable of, so now, meandering about and NOT being involved is unacceptable. Sorry to rain on your parade, Lachie, but doing what you did for one quarter is a massive tease, and we want to see more of it.
8 – LIBBA GETTING THROUGH IS THE STORY I AM INTERESTED IN
23 touches and five clearances are likely not going to have this game sitting amongst Libba’s best games, but for a bloke that has had many stating that he may never play again, after sustaining another concussion, seeing him out there at all was good enough for me.
Libba only knows one way to play. I was going to say “Like his dad…” but Tony actually has several ways to play and changed his game significantly, so it didn’t quite work.
Tom, however, has only one gear, and when he plays footy, there is simply no other option than to put your head over the footy and win it.
It’s what leaves him so susceptible to head injuries.
That he was able to walk on the field with his teammates again would have made them walk taller. That he was able to find plenty of the footy and use that to create for teammates (three direct goal assists) was a bonus.
Last week, I watched the Crows dismantle the Dogs in the midfield – they missed having Libba in there. They missed the toughness that he brought and the way he prevents the opposition from breaking away from stoppage. In this one, he was a problem the Saints had no answer for. And it is my hope that he continues to be that for many other teams this seasonal, and into next, as well.
Great to see you back, Libba.
QUICKIES
A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that Brad Hill might be close to the Saints’ B&F this season. I was quickly shot down, and he followed that statement up with his worst game of the season. Thanks Brad…
He made up for it this week, racking up 37 touches in the Sinclair role.
Good to see Joel Freijah find plenty of the footy again. Time in the middle will mean his development is fast tracked, and I hope the Dogs continue to throw him into the guts.
I praised Buku above, but James O’Donnell deserves a bit of a shout out, as well. He copped that hip and shoulder from Liam Ryan… hell, I would have to take a week off work after a hit like that. He had seven intercepts and 11 one-percenters, and could count this as one of his better games.
Ditto at the other end with Jack Silvagni. Whilst his move to the forward line did not reap the same rewards as the last time, his work in defence, opposed to Aaron Naughton, was fantastic.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This was a good game to watch – fast-paced, desperate, and with some stars stepping up to create.
The Dogs have a week off in Round 16, as the AFL fixture continues to drag the damn byes out forever. Their first game back sees them up against the Swans, which once again emphasises how important this win is.
The Saints also have a bye next week, and it is about this time they need to make a stand. Their first two games back are against the Bombers and Power – both very winnable.
Both these teams are capable of making finals this season, or at least wildcard round, but I have to admit, given the players they’ve lost, it is difficult to see them making real noise. Of course, unless something amazing happens.
I guess that’s why you have players like Bont and Nas on your teams, huh?
As always, massive thanks to those who support this work. You can see the amount of care that goes into it. I love footy, I love writing about it, and I hope you enjoy reading it. Without you, this whole thing falls over. Sincerely… thank you – HB
Like this content? You could buy me a coffee – I do like coffee, but there is no guarantee I won’t use it to buy a doughnut… I like them more. And I am not brought to you by Sportsbet or Ladbrokes… or Bet365, or any of them.
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