Sydney put “disappointed” St Kilda in the sword at SCG and ran out of 51 points on Saturday night.
Swans now holds only one victory and a percentage of second place in the AFL rankings, thanks to victories 12.11 (83) to 4.8 (32).
It was a depressing night for St Kilda, who recorded his lowest ever total against the Swans and set a new low for Brett Ratten with their lowest score of 32 as coach.
The Saints managed only two goals to three quarters – with one of these goals from a “bad” 50m decision.
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REPORT FOR A QUARTER OF MATCHES
It took almost 10 minutes for Ryan Clarke to score the first goal of the match and Swans soon led.
After a season of slow starts, Clarke’s goal for the home team was a perfect start.
Max King had a chance for the Saints to answer, but he hit his set to the fullest.
Dan Butler made the most of his set and took St Kilda into the lead before Zak Jones pounced on himself and at a time when it would probably attract the attention of a review of the match.
Jones came to run into Swan Luke Parker, but came in contact with his opponent’s head.
“As soon as you hit your head, he’ll watch it,” warned commentator Wayne Carey.
“Did he have a chance not to come across? Probably yes.
“The fact that Parker gets up results in him continuing to play, so he’s probably safe.”
“Parker is the type of guy who is hit by a cement truck and keeps running,” added commentator Hamish McLachlan.
Buddy Franklin collected his fourth liquidation in the opening period and had a great vision to hit teammate Isaac Heeney in the 50’s.
“That kick was extraordinary,” McLachlan said.
“His digging in the field is on a different level,” Luke Darcy praised.
Heeney didn’t make a 20m mistake when the Swans opened a six-point lead.
When Franklin waited for him to fly down instead of flying to the mark, it paid off because he was left behind to hit the Swans’ third goal.
“That’s what he did for a long time, scoring over 1,000 goals for it,” Carey praised.
The Swans increased their lead in the second, as the mood threatened to spill over.
Ryan Clarke was rewarded after it seemed that the ball had passed less than the required meters, but he took full advantage of it and opened an 18-point lead.
“It went about six meters!” commented commentator Jude Bolton.
Clark’s goal celebration sparked a fight because Tom Papley’s “pest” ended up “overturned.”
Carey lamented the forward-looking “predictability” of St Kilda, as they hoped for the finals by only one goal in the middle of the second term.
“Their use of the ball, their inability to hit the target (hurts). When they entered, they were really predictable. “Play right into the hands of Sydney,” he said.
“The Saints just have no fluency in the game.”
“There is no method.” None at all.
“Every time they look up, it’s all Sydney.” They have lost all form of their game. “
Robbie Fox’s big booty deprived Cooper Sharman of a “certain goal” as Sydney continued to push.
But a 50-meter penalty put Tim Membrey within range and he wasn’t wrong with his shot.
“Tim Membrey was robbed of the 50’s here.” It’s a 25-meter penalty! ”Darcy said.
“Something out of nowhere – a happy 50 and that’s big.”
By the half, the Swans had a 16-point lead in the low-score affair.
It took Papley less than two minutes to get on board in the third term before the Saints’ pressure increased.
Seb Ross failed to place their dominance on the scoreboard and broke the stalemate after a 12-minute hand-held match by Heeney.
Heeney’s goal opened the sluice gates when Papley took full advantage of Logan McDonald’s free kick at 50 and hit an open goal.
That was his 200th goal in his career, and just minutes later, Ollie Florent and Will Hayward reached the goal line.
Hayward’s goal meant four goals out of 20 kicks, because the Swans simply rebelled in the SCG.
“The Saints can’t come here humbly, not after losing to the Bombers,” McLachlan said.
“Their leaders must stand up,” Bolton added.
The Saints failed to score in the third period and remained with the lowest score in three quarters since the 2.5 match against Geelong in 2014.
Jack Billings managed to score a late goal, but the match was really over before Tom Hickey ended his big evening with an indisputable mark in the goal field.
“He’s a really popular character in the band,” Bolton said.
“Fourth club, fourth state – it seems to have improved as it continued across the country,” McLachlan praised.
3-2-1 …
3. SWAN FIRE WHEN THE SEASON WILL MANAGE
Both the Swans and the Saints headed to Saturday’s night game knowing it was the turn of the top eight.
Both sides sat on the winnings and were only 1.8 percentage points apart on the leaderboard.
Both Sydney and St Kilda clashed with unsatisfactory losses and had to react.
But the two teams that showed up at SCG had nothing like it.
Sydney was awake and around from the opening reflection, while St Kilda was “predictable” and lacked “fluency.”
The Saints scored just two goals in the first three periods – their lowest score of 2.5 against Geelong in 2014.
At the other end, the swans fired gates and shared their prey.
“Tonight, the Sydney Swans looked really sleek and perfect,” said commentator Luke Darcy.
Darcy said there were “high expectations” on both sides of the SCG, but only Swans appeared.
The Saints narrowly avoided setting a 65-year low by scoring two late goals.
But their total of 32 points is a record low against Sydney and the lowest total for Brett Ratten in his coaching career.
“The swans were impressive tonight, they just didn’t let the Saints sniff,” Nick Riewoldt said.
2. JONES SWEATS TO THE REVIEW OF THE MATCH
Zak Jones did not miss his former teammate Luke Parker as he rushed from the central square.
However, Jones’ blow shook Parker, and records show how the swan’s head returned on impact.
Fox Footy’s Jonathan Brown said he couldn’t “do much” in that fraction of a second.
“He got Luke Parker high,” Brown warned.
“He hit one of the toughest men in the competition.”
Nathan Buckley said it would be interesting to see Match Review looking at Jones’ contact.
“Is Zak Jones characterized as stationary?” he asked.
“It basically stands there.
“Jones had his arms outstretched at first, as if trying to stand up, and then he thought, ‘I’d better turn around and protect myself here.’
“It’s a little risky … such contact is forbidden.”
“But I don’t know what else he could really do but go to the ground and avoid contact altogether.”
1. A “BAD DECISION” THROUGH THE HOLY COMPETITION
Tim Membrey slipped and slithered in the wet grass. His usual rapid runs were nowhere to be seen today.
Membrey managed to return and kick St Kilda’s second goal – bringing the guests within range during the main break with a low score.
Despite being defeated in the first half, the decision to punish Errol Gulden for staying in the protected zone was not well received.
“It’s a protected area,” said Jonathan Brown of Fox Footy.
“We know AFL supports the kick from the inside, but it’s very 10 meters long there.”
Nathan Buckley said the decision to punish Gulden was “not great.”
“We all make mistakes,” he said.
“I think it will be considered a mistake in the end.”
Brown complained about the “expensive” nature of the conversation.
“One of St Kilda’s two goals (in the half) fell from there,” he said.
“When Sydney really controlled the second quarter, it got within range.
“It’s a bad decision.”
The penalty was so controversial that commentators were not sure who was punished.
Several repetitions of this moment were replayed to see if ruckman Tom Hickey was penalized for moving off the mark.
But when he was found to be standing when the referee challenged him, Gulden saw the man clink as he ran past Membrey as he got to the ground from the bench.
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