Near perfect footy weather greeted the Saints and Swans at Varley Oval on Saturday and neither team disappointed with the standard of the game itself when the Saints ran out 34 point winners. It was a game played in good spirits and with good skills as both teams fought to keep their seasons alive.
It was a huge game for both clubs as the Saints looked to hold on to a top 3 spot and the Swans were fighting for their 2011 lives as a loss would all but put them out of finals contention. The Saints started the brighter with two quick goals, however as has been the case this year, they allowed some soft goals to the Swans who were running much harder through the midfield than the Saints were early on in the contest. The teams traded goals throughout the rest of the quarter, with the Saints clinging onto a 1 point quarter time lead.
Kicking with the aid of a slight breeze in the second, the Saints once again got the early running of the quarter and began to control the flow of the game. Mike Gould was marking anything that came near him and he was working in tandem with Captain Chris Whitton who was continuing his rich vein of form with some impressive goals. The quarter belonged to the Saints as they kicked 5 goals to 1 to open up a handy 28 point buffer at the long change.
The third quarters of the Saints this year have generally been their best and that might have been the thinking of the players as they came out of the sheds. However, the Swans were producing the goods, playing some attractive and enterprising footy to cut the lead to just a straight kick midway through the third. However the Saints settled and late goals in the quarter to Whitton and Bruce Wall settled the team and pushed the margin back out 19 points at the final change.
The message for the Saints at three quarter time was to go back to basics and do the team things and that exactly what happened in the first 5 minutes of the last. The Saints played arguably their best footy in 6 years, piling on 5 goals in 5 minutes and hardly allowing the Swans a touch on the footy. They were inspired by veteran Chris Pay who was winning the ball at the ruck contest and providing first use to the on ballers. Gould and Whitton added to their tallies to finish with 5 and 6 goals respectively as the Saints blew the game apart and put the issue beyond doubt with 15 minutes to go. The final margin of 34 points was a welcome result for the Saints being their 4th win in a row and firmly planting them inside the TAFL top 5.
Gould and Whitton were again in the Saints best, while first year players Brendan Simpson, Scott Fermor and Russel Brien had their best games of the year. Pay was brilliant in the ruck whilst Jono Elphick and Sam Kimmince held the backline together all day.
The Saints now have two weeks off the rest and recover from the various injuries, with the bye next week followed by the North v South game in Tamworth. Several Saints are a chance for selection in that match. The Saints next game with be on 30th July at home to the Nomads.
Last Modified on 11/07/2011 18:17