Round 20 – Richmond v St Kilda
Fighting to the End (not bitter)
This time last year, it was still mathematically possible for eleven teams to make the finals, however, this season the gulf between the top nine teams and the rest is stark.
Sydney is the outlier as they now seem certain to have a winning season after beating the Lions at the Gabba as I write this.
For the teams who will finish eleventh down to fifteenth, they are in AFL Purgatory, not going down, while not going up.
AFL Purgatory it is a very hard place to escape from.
St Kilda is an example of a team who have resided permanently in AFL purgatory for the last decade or more, and they will finish season 2025 again stuck in no-man’s land.
At the bottom of the ladder resides three or four teams whose season has been derailed by injury (Essendon), clubs trying a rebuild, and/or clubs who suffer from bad management.
Richmond fits the category of a club attempting a rebuild.
Sydney aside, the Saints have been the form team over the last few weeks (outside of the finals contenders) as they are playing the season right out, while the Tigers have left North Melbourne and the West Coast Eagles eating dust as they accelerate their rebuild.
Given some of the shite games the AFL has dished out over the last few weeks, especially on a Thursday and Friday night, this fourteenth versus sixteenth game shapes as a great Round 22 undercard matchup. At the very least, both teams will be trying.
St Kilda will be trying to climb a few rungs up the ladder and enforce their reputation as the best team outside the top nine, while the Tiger Cubs will be striving for one more win to give them a nice, needed shot of optimism for the upcoming preseason.
Round 22’s Undercard Match
Tigers: 01:00:06 / 04:05:29 / 06:08:44 / 07:11:52 were defeated by the
Saints: 03:02:20 / 05:03:33 / 05:06:36 / 08:08:56
Goals:
Tigers: Mansell 2, Balta 1, Armstrong 1, McIntosh 1, Taranto 1
Saints: Higgins 2, Sharman 2, Garcia 1, Wanganeen-Milera 1, Hall 1, Sinclair 1
Best:
Tigers: Ross, Sonsie, Banks, Vlastuin, Taranto, Miller, Broad
Saints: Windhager, Wanganeen-Milera, Wilkie, Macrae, Sinclair, Hill, Boxshall
The Ins
Tigers: Tim Tarranto, Nathan Broad and Tom Lynch
Saints: Mattaes Phillipou, Darcy Wilson, Liam Henry
An Entertaining Negative Game
Neither Team Wanted to Lose
The scoreline would indicate this match was a boring affair, but in real time, the efforts of both teams trying not to lose the match, rather than trying to win the match made for an entertaining contest. Having said that, I wouldn’t recommend watching a replay of this match, as there were errors aplenty by both teams, and long periods without scoring.
The difference between the two teams was the resilience of Marcus Windhager in the first half, the class of Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera in the second half, as well as a coaching misjudgement by Adam Yze in the last quarter.
In a game that fluctuated between periods of dominance, both teams had the chance to bury the other, but a combination of turnover errors and negative mindsets kept this game close. St Kilda had the chance to blow this game to kingdom come in the first quarter, while the Tigers should have put the Saints out of their misery in the third.
In a low scoring game, which was decided by under a goal, the game needed the class of a difference maker, and it was Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera in the last quarter who provided the class that separated the two teams – just.
Adam Yze’s Mistake v Wanganeen- Milera’s Class
I admire what Adam Yze has done with the Tigers this year, given they have won five games in a season they were tipped not to win a match, but he miscalculated not tagging Wanganeen-Milera in the last quarter.
Richmond owned St Kilda in the third quarter around the ground, but a miserly return of just two goals and three behinds to the Saints three behinds and taking only an eight-point lead into the last quarter meant the boys from Moorabbin were still in the contest.
It was obvious after halftime that Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera had awakened from his first half slumber, and some of his delivery to his forwards in third quarter was exquisite, even if the Saints forwards couldn’t capitalise on his brilliance – especially Mason Wood.
Mason Wood has been a good servant over his tenure at Moorabbin (or wherever they train now), but his career has also been scattered with a few examples of where he hasn’t risen to the occasion when it was his turn. In the words of the legendary Jack Dyer, Wood has been “a good ordinary player..”
At the start of the third quarter, Wood had two easy set shots on the back of Wanganeen-Milera’s brilliance to extend the Saints halftime lead, however, he sprayed both attempts which would have given the Saints a decent lead and momentum. Further, when Wood had the chance to redeem himself later in the quarter, he completely missed everything from another set shot attempt.
Tom Lynch wasn’t much better up the other end for the Tigers, missing shots he would normally eat for breakfast.
Lynch, who was returning from suspension, owed his teammates a good game, but he looked lacklustre, and when it was his turn to perform late in the second term and midway through the third quarter, he couldn’t put his exclamation mark on the game. A mere three points to his name at the last change in a close game was disappointing. He did kick the Tigers only goal of the last quarter, but his overall performance was average at best.
It was goals to Kamdyn MacIntosh and a late goal by Tim Taranto in the third quarter that saw the Tigers cash in on their dominance with a nice, but not an insurmountable lead at the break. It should have been more.
While Wood and Lynch were fluffing their lines in the third quarter, Wanganeen-Milera was dominating the play between the forward fifties for the Saints, and it was a matter of ‘when’ and not ‘if’ his dominance would equate to scoreboard pressure.
At three quarter time, the Tigers held an eight-point lead, but there was a sense the lead was not enough, especially as the game was going to open up at some point.
Did I say the game would open up at some point? It didn’t.
Adam Yze’s three quarter time mistake was not recognising the influence Wanganeen-Milera had in the third quarter and not putting a designated tagger on him in the last quarter. Wanganeen-Milera may still have run riot in the last, but Yze’s mistake, or faith, was believing the Tigers could win the match without the need to tag him.
Wanganeen-Milera was involved in all of the three last quarter goals for the Saints kicked, with Max Hall, Jack Sinclair and Cooper Sharman able to capitalise on his brilliant work up the field. If you watch only one highlight in this match, Wanganeen-Milera’s dainty little handball to Jack Sinclair which ended in a goal was a beauty.
Enough of the Nas love fest, for as he as good as he was, it was Marcus Windhager who provided the grunt necessary to keep the Saints in the match.
Marcus Windhager and his Mates
At halftime, Marcus Windhager had accumulated 22 possessions, and he was the difference between the two teams at the main break. In a dour game, with plenty of mistakes, Windhager dominated the half. Even when it was Richmond’s turn to control the match in the second quarter, it was Windhager, with assistance from Callum Wilkie, Hunter Cark, Bradley Hill, Jack Macrae, and Jack Sinclair who blunted the Tigers dominance and kept the damage to a minimum.
Marcus Windhager is still a youngster in the game, but he is leading a nice group of young players, including Max Hall, Hugo Garcia, Hugh Boxshall (he is a ripper) and (a player who reminds me of a former blonde bombshell who captained the Saints) Alixzander Tauru, who are slowly morphing St Kilda into a formidable team.
Ross Lyon has a lot to work with over the offseason, and the long-suffering Saints supporters have good reason to look forward to season 2026 with a sense of hope.
Marcus Windhager is one of the most improved players in the competition in the second half of this season and he is on his way to being considered one of the elite players in the competition if he keeps on the same trajectory in the next couple of seasons.
The Ruck Battle – Do St Kilda need TDK?
The ruck battle between Rowan Marshall and the old Tiger stalwart Toby Nankervis was a battle within a battle, with Marshall probably getting the better of Nankervis by game’s end. Marshall was the better player around the ground with 21 possessions and eight marks, to Nanks 15 possessions and a solitary mark, but Nanks controlled the hit outs 34 to 24.
Marshall has been enormous this year for the Saints, and he has the stamina to ruck and compete all game, so it raises the question; why are the Saints chasing Tom De Koning?
TDK’s form has tapered off the longer this season has gone, and it is debatable as to whether he is even the Blues first choice of ruck presently.
It is worth asking the reverse question regarding TDK, whether the Saints are the right fit for him?
At fear of copping a lot of flak, either Collingwood or Geelong would be a better fit for TDK. Rhys Stanley is nearing the end of his career, while there are rumours concerning Darcy Cameron’s future at the Pies.
And if the Saints are readying to fork out extreme wads of cash to retain Nasiah, maybe a few extra bucks in the pocket would be nice to have?
Tyler Sonsie
I have reviewed a few Richmond games recently and the player who has surprised me this year has been Tyler Sonsie. At 22 years old, Sonsie has been a slow and patient burn for the Tiger faithful, but his recent form has been outstanding, and he is repaying the club with solid consistent performances, week to week.
Sonsie did not star in this match, but rather he has become a consistent player the Yze can put faith into knowing he will fulfill his role within the team structure. Sonsie, like a number of Tiger cubs, now need to get games under their belts over the next season or two to be the heart and soul of the Tigers next resurgence.
Tyler Sonsie, as well as Seth Campbell, Sam Banks, Tom Brown, Taj Hotton and James Tresize, and a few others young cubs, need patience, games and time to hone their skills for the future.
Sometimes it can be hard to believe the message a club is trying to sell, however, in the case of Richmond, the Tiger next rise up the ladder is clear to see and it is starting to take shape.
Callum Wilkie and Nick Vlastuin
Callum Wilkie is the nuts-and-bolts blue-collar foreman for the Saints up back, while the same can also be said about Nick Vlastuin at Richmond. As flashy as the midfielders and forwards can be, no team can hope to rise up the ladder without the work of the blue-collar grunts up back, and St Kilda and Richmond have two of the best foremen up back in the competition.
Wilkie was close to being the best afield for the Saints best in this game with 29 possessions and a massive 16 marks as he methodically controlled the game from defence for the Saints. Wilkie is a natural leader, and he is tutoring the promising Alixzander Tauru how to be a disciplined and consistent player.
Not to be outdone, Nick Vlastuin is doing a similar role tutoring the naturally gifted young cub Tom Brown to hone his craft.
Both Wilkie and Vlastuin will come under serious consideration from the All-Australian selectors, and don’t be surprised if both players are selected in the starting 22 in the AA team at seasons end.
Tidbits
Fox Footy
As I write this piece, the talking heads on Fox are questioning Yze’s decision to not tag Wanganeen-Milera in the last quarter to the extent the issue of tanking was raised. For the love of the game, stop sensationalising every aspect and decision of this game! Given the Tigers third quarter, Yze was entitled to maintain the same formula which saw the Tigers take the lead into the last quarter.
In hindsight Yze’s decision not to tag Wanganeen-Milera was a judgment error as he backed his players to get the job done. Further, a win for the young Tigers would have been more beneficial than whether they get pick three or four in the draft.
Captain Jack’s 200th Game
The esteem a player in the AFL is held in can be measured by is whether the opposition side stands guard at the end of a match when that player is chaired from the ground for a significant milestone, and it was a tribute to Jack Steele career and leadership the Tiger’s participated in his guard of honour for his 200th game.
Captain Jack and his merry Saints have not had much success in recent years, but the way the Saints are finishing this season, coupled with the performances of some of the young’uns coming through, hopefully he gets to play in September in the next couple of years.
Noah Balta, Nathan Broad, Kamdyn McIntosh, Dion Prestia and Jayden Short
For some players success comes early in their careers, while other 200, 250, 300 games plus players never taste success for the entirety of their career, just proving life is not always fair.
For players who do get early success the true test of their worth as a player is when their team heads south, how they stand up when the limelight is not on them anymore?
Broad, McIntosh, Prestia and Short are all premiership players who have had success early in their careers, and while it would be easy for them to rest on their laurels, they are now all solid, reliable players for the Tigers, assisting the rebuild and the young cubs coming through with enthusiasm.
Noah Balta is in a different category for reasons away from the field of play, and every time he is allowed to take the field (has that curfew now ended?), the Tiger faithful are reminded how big the hole is when he cannot play. It is to be hoped (from purely a football aspect) normal transmission can resume for Balta and the Tigers next season, as his off-field actions and the fall out from them, has severely disrupted his year, and made it difficult for him to have a sustained impact.
Max Hall and Hugh Boxshall
Max Hall and Hugh Boxshall have been impressive in the game time they have received this season, and while neither is a household name just yet, it will be interesting to follow their progress in season 2026 and beyond.
Hall is yet another mid-season recruiting success, whilst Boxshall is now finding his feet at AFL level, and starting to look like a real player.
The Saints’ kids are very good. When you throw in the names like Caminiti, Keeler, Wilson, Owens, and the returning Mattaes Phillipou, who I was just happy to see get through the game, the Saints are very well-stocked to start giving finals a push in the next couple of years.
St Kilda fans are likely sick and tired of being told to be patient – if there is one thing they’ve been forced to be, it’s that, but you can see what is growing at this club, and the harvest will be bountiful.
Next Week
St Kilda gets the opportunity to punch up a Bombers team which is riddled with injury and who will also be missing Merrett as well as Shiel next week Friday night at Marvel Stadium.
Why is this a primetime match?
Richmond gets the chance to prove to themselves they are on the rise when they take on fellow cellar dweller North Melbourne in Tassie at Ninja Stadium at the hidden timeslot of 1:10pm Sunday afternoon. Six wins for the years is a massive tick for this club, and there are a few in the media who owe them, and Adem Yze, an apology.
