Preview - St.Kilda vs Hawthorn -Round 17

St.Kilda vs Hawthorn - Etihad Stadium - Friday Night

St.Kilda - 3rd- 12-4 - 121.31%
Hawthorn - 7th -9-7-108.21%

The crunch games continue for the Hawks this friday night when they take on a St.Kilda side fresh from it's first defeat in two months.

The Hawks could hardly have been more impressive in dismantling the hapless Lions last week in Launceston whilst the Saints suffered the second heaviest defeat in their last 41 matches when they went down to the Pies by 48 points.

Hawthorn had 150 more disposals then the Lions, and a staggering 36 more Inside Fifties.
But St.Kilda at Etihad Stadium presents a far different challenge to the Brisbane Lions in chlly Tasmania just at the moment.

For St.Kilda this week is equally important although for different reasons.
This is not the time to be losing two games in a row, especially to fellow contenders and they will be eager to display the form that carried them to seven straight wins from Rounds 9-15.

St.Kilda were pressured to breaking point by Collingwood who "Out St.Kilda'd, St.Kilda" and the Hawks pressure skills are back near their very best over the last eight or nine weeks and they would have taken plenty out of the Pies performance.

St.Kilda went at a disposal efficiency of 57% last week, their lowest of the season and over the past seven weeks the Hawks have restricted teams to an efficiency of 63% which is the best in the competition, so the tools are there for them to do the same this week.

Hawthorn's forward line showed some very good signs last week, with Jarryd Roughead finding a bit of form in what has been an indifferent season, Osborne and Lewis functioning well accross half forward, and a heavy rotation of on ballers through the front half of the ground.

This week they also welcome back Lance Franklin who has kicked just four goals in his last three games against St.Kilda and eleven in his past six.

Lance however has been in ominous form and will be keen to prey on the vulnerability of his great mate Zac Dawson.

Zac has been firing the first shots in the war with a text message exchange with Buddy this week, but will need to be on his toes.

St.Kilda's main strength is restricting opposition entries inside fifty, and also limiting the quality of those entries.

St.Kilda concede less inside fifties then anyone else in the comp, and also allow teams to retain posession just 40% of the times they go inside which has been the hallmark with which they have built their aura in the last two seasons.

We mentioned the pressure the Pies applied to St.Kilda last week, but pressure skills remain the key for the Saints as well.

Hawthorn in the last six weeks have outscored their opposition by 50 points from stoppage first posessions, ranked number two in the competition, so St.Kilda will need to be sharp here and they have been since about Round 9 so it looms as a fascinating battle.

Josh Gibson has put his hand up to play on underdone skipper Nick Riewoldt and he will most likely get the job.

For Saint Nick it is a case once again of putting some miles in the legs and improving each week.

Jason Gram is a similar story as he looks to be underdone as well, so expect another step forward for him.

Nick Dal Santo should return for the saints, and possibly Ben McEvoy as well.

Dempster and Pattison will probably be the unlucky two to lose their spots in the side, although Pattison hasn't been too bad.

Dawson will get Franklin, and Gwilt or Blake will go with Roughead, Expect Clinton Jones to attempt to put the clamps on the soon to be 2010 Brownlow Medallist Luke Hodge.

Cyril Rioli is the x factor, I'm not sure the saints have a match up quick enough for him at the moment.

Conversely, Schneider and Milne have the power to cause headaches for the Hawks who's defence remains a touch of a concern particularly against the Smalls.
Matthew Stokes was the difference a fortnight ago against the Cats.

Koschitzke should also keep his spot despite poor form as he has the power to stretch the Hawks deep in their defensive 50.

Gilham will probably get him, with big jobs also for Stratton and Murphy down back against the Saints forward line.

Wayde Skipper played his best game for the club last week and will be eager to back up against the Gardiner/McEvoy or Gardiner/Pattison combination.

In the middle Hayes, Goddard, Montagna, Dal Santo, Jones, Ray and Peake will go head to head with Hodge, Mitchell, Burgoyne, Sewell, Lewis, Ellis and Rioli which is a dream match up on paper.

St.Kilda have won seven of their past nine against the Hawks, including the last four at Etihad Stadium so they will enter the match with good confidence but so will the Hawks who with the exception of a two point loss to Geelong have been flawless since early May.

Hawthorn simply have to win this game if they are to finish top four, but St.Kilda on the rebound, and back at Etihad Stadium should just do enough to get the points and steady the ship ahead of the run to September.

But it'll be tight.

St.Kilda by 7 points