3:55:30 PM Sun 6 June, 2004
David Wiseman
Sportal/Exclusive to afl.com.au
Related Content:
On the 60th anniversary of D-Day, the Sydney Swans stormed the SCG to inflict St Kilda's first defeat of the 2004 Season - 17.10 (112) to 11.10 (76) on Sunday.
In other firsts, the Saints kicked their lowest score of the year, and for the first time this season allowed the opposition to score over 100 points.
Hitting the ground running with a hardness and intensity reminiscent of last year's qualifying final heroics against Port Adelaide, the Swans had all the answers as they snapped the 10-match winning streak of St Kilda.
If the Swans were to have any chance of toppling the Saints they would have to blanket the much vaunted St Kilda forward line and they did that.
Jared Crouch took Stephen Milne out of the game, Paul Bevan shadowed Brent Guerra, while best-on-ground Leo Barry gave Fraser Gehrig an afternoon he'd rather forget.
The three Saints had just one goal and nine touches between them.
When the Swans came out of the blocks and kicked the first goal of the match courtesy of a Barry Hall mark in the goal square after just 90 seconds, it looked as though the Swans had come to play.
The Swans maintained their hard running and went to the first change with a handy 21-point lead, although it could have been more had Michael O'Loughlin converted a reasonably easy chance right on the siren.
St Kilda showed some of their muscle in the second quarter as they kicked the opening three goals to reduce the Swans lead to a solitary point, but just when it looked like the Swans second quarter woes were continuing they goalled via Hall, Jarrad McVeigh and Paul Williams to see St Kilda win the quarter by just one point.
Nick Del Santo kicked the opening goal of the third quarter, but from there it was all the Swans. They kicked seven of the next nine goals to go to the last change with a sizeable 38 point lead.
The Swans kicked the first three goals of the last quarter but St Kilda rallied late to kick the last three.
Barry Hall finished with five goals, while Matthew Nicks kicked four.
Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos will hope that the Swans are capable of producing this type of effort every week.
Next week the Swans travel to Adelaide to take on Port on Sunday while St Kilda faces the Western Bulldogs at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.
Sydney: 4.4 7.7 14.9 17.10 (112)
St Kilda: 1.1 4.5 8.7 11.10 (76)
Goals: Sydney: Hall 5, Nicks 4, James, McVeigh, Williams, O'Loughlin, Mathews, J Bolton, Fosdike, Buchanan
St Kilda: Dal Santo 2, Koschitze 2, Guerra, Maguire, Ball , Harvey, Hamill, Montagna, Riewoldt
Best: Sydney: Barry, Hall, Williams, Goodes,
St Kilda: Ball, Harvey, Dal Santo
Injuries: Sydney: N Davis (ankle) replaced in selected side by H James, J Ball (hamstring), L Barry (ankle)
St Kilda: X.Clarke (thigh) replaced in selected side by Montagna
Umpires: Vozzo, Rowe, Nicholls
Crowd: 36,039 at SCG
Bookmarks