A guide to the AFL elimination final between St Kilda and Greater Western Sydney at the MCG.
* Saturday, 3.20pm AEST, MCG
Current form:Â
St Kilda (sixth, 13 wins, 10 losses). The Saints defied a huge early season injury list to win five of their first six matches. A strong finish to the year ensured they snared a home final.
GWS (seventh, 13 wins, 10 losses). A club-record seven-match winning run at the back-end of the year combined with an upset victory over Carlton in the final round earned the Giants a surprise finals berth.
Head-to-head:
Overall: GWS five wins, St Kilda eight wins, one draw
In Finals: Never met
Last time: Round 10, 2023: St Kilda 13.14 (92) beat GWS 12.8 (80) at Giants Stadium
The coaches
Ross Lyon has rebranded himself as ‘cuddly Ross’ in his second coming at St Kilda. The veteran coach has still retained his hard edge behind closed doors, though, and has worked wonders to get an under-rated St Kilda list into the finals.
Adam Kingsley has enjoyed a dream debut season at the helm of GWS. The Giants were tipped to finish near the bottom after losing a host of key players last year, but Kingsley’s ‘why not us?’ mantra has resonated well with the player group.
The key players
Toby Greene (GWS)
The skipper is the Giants’ ultimate barometer, with his hot form and inspirational leadership earning him the captaincy nod for this year’s All-Australian team. His return of 60 goals in 2023 is top class.
Max King (St Kilda)
The star spearhead kicked 4.1 in his team’s win over GWS in round 10, and he again looms as a match-winner for the Saints. The Giants will be relying heavily on fit-again defender Sam Taylor to shut King down.
Rowan Marshall (St Kilda)
The star ruckman has averaged 27 hitouts, 20 possessions and 4.9 clearances a game this season in his finest campaign to date. His mobility around the ground and ability to win the ball makes him a massive weapon.
The stats
Ross Lyon’s teams have become renowned for their miserly defence, and his Saints have been no different this year – conceding a competition-low 71.6 points per game this season.
