Match

GWS Giants vs St Kilda

Commentary / 21 May 2023

Pre Game

00:00
Despite losing their most recent match at this venue, GWS Giants have had a strong recent win percentage at Giants Stadium. Before their loss to Carlton in Round 3, the Giants had won eight of their last 10 matches at this venue.

Quarter 1

00:00
Q1 is now underway.
02:23
SCORE GOAL - Giants (Brent Daniels)
04:24
SCORE GOAL - Saints (Max King)
06:00
Max King has scored his first goal of the season after returning today from injury. King scored a team-high 52 goals last season and was St Kilda's most targeted forward inside 50 averaging 7.9 targets per game.
06:41
SCORE GOAL - Giants (Toby Greene)
08:16
Brent Daniels and Toby Greene have combined for the first two goals for the Giants. Daniels scored first following a goal assist from Greene and then the roles reversed, with Daniels assisting in Greene's goal. Daniels has won 20 crumbs this season, the most at the Giants.
09:29
SCORE GOAL - Giants (Josh Kelly)
11:07
SCORE BEHIND - Giants (Toby Greene)
11:17
The Giants have won 33 uncontested possessions compared to 12 for St Kilda. Over the first nine rounds of the season, 64.4% of the possessions won by the Giants had been won in an uncontested manner - the highest percentage in the AFL.
13:17
SCORE GOAL - Saints (Jade Gresham)
15:10
SCORE GOAL - Saints (Dan Butler)
15:52
It has been an efficient start to the match by both sides, with the Giants converting 50% of their inside 50s into goals whilst St Kilda is at 60%. The Giants and the Saints rank 12th and 13th respectively for goals per inside 50 this season, both averaging just below 22%.
18:09
SCORE BEHIND - Saints (Max King)
20:41
St Kilda is controlling territory over the last 10 minutes, generating the last six inside 50s. The Saints have only lost the inside 50 count in three matches this season, including in their match last round against the Crows.
22:47
SCORE BEHIND - Saints (Mitch Owens)
25:18
The Giants have applied a pressure factor of 217 so far this quarter. Their greatest result in any quarter this season came in the final quarter of Round 8 against the Bulldogs with a pressure factor of 216.
25:57
SCORE BEHIND - Saints (Jade Gresham)
28:32
Giants Interchange - Lachie Whitfield off due to an injury.
29:23
SCORE GOAL - Giants (Jesse Hogan)
30:36
The Giants scored 4.1 (25) in the opening quarter - their equal second-highest scoring first quarter of the season and the second consecutive game that the Saints have conceded four or more goals in the first term. The Saints had not conceded more than three goals in any of their opening quarters in their first eight matches of the season.

Quarter 2

00:00
Q2 is now underway.
01:58
SCORE GOAL - Saints (Max King)
03:35
St Kilda leads in forward half intercepts 10 to 3, with all 10 of these intercepts being won in the first quarter. This is just the fourth quarter for the season where the Saints have won at least 10 of these intercepts in their attacking half.
05:30
Giants Interchange - Nick Haynes off due to an injury.
05:36
SCORE GOAL - Giants (Xavier O'Halloran)
06:16
Xavier O'Halloran has scored his first goal of the match - his second score involvement tonight. O'Halloran recorded an equal team-high eight score involvements for the Giants last round - his equal-most in any match in his career.
07:48
SCORE GOAL - Giants (Stephen Coniglio)
10:30
SCORE GOAL - Saints (Jack Higgins)
10:48
The Saints have taken two marks inside 50 this quarter resulting in two goals. The Saints grabbed five marks inside 50 in the first quarter - one mark behind their best result in a quarter this season. The Giants took seven marks inside 50 in the opening term - their most in any quarter this season.
12:03
SCORE GOAL - Saints (Max King)
13:18
Max King has now scored three goals, a more desirable result than the last time he played the Giants when he scored a wasteful one goal and seven behinds. King had only ever scored two career goal against the Giants before tonight's efforts.
14:39
SCORE GOAL - Giants (Toby Greene)
19:16
SCORE GOAL - Saints (Jack Higgins)
21:11
Jack Sinclair has won a team-high 13 disposals at 100% efficiency and leads the match in metres gained with 247. Sinclair ranks No.1 at the club for metres gained per game (493) and assisted metres gained per game (382).
22:19
Saints Interchange - Jack Higgins off due to an injury.
22:31
Giants Interchange - Harry Himmelberg and is possibly out for the game.
24:54
It has been a high-scoring game so far, with a combined 14 goals being scored midway through the second quarter. The Saints have been involved in the lowest-scoring games of any side this season with an average of 146 points in their matches.
30:42
SCORE BEHIND - Giants (Harry Perryman)
33:27
St Kilda has won nine centre clearances - four more than the Giants. St Kilda has been one of the best centre clearance teams this season, winning the differential in six of their nine matches.
34:00
SCORE BEHIND - Giants (Jesse Hogan)
36:28
SCORE GOAL - Giants (Toby Bedford)
37:46
SCORE GOAL - Saints (Dan Butler)
39:52
The Giants scored 2.1 (13) from defensive 50 in the first half, already surpassing their 2023 average of 12.8 points per game from this zone. St Kilda's advantage has come from centre bounces, scoring two goals to none from this source in the first half.

Quarter 3

00:00
Q3 is now underway.
04:11
St Kilda applied a pressure factor of 225 in the second quarter – their best pressure result in any quarter this season.
06:48
SCORE BEHIND - Saints (Rushed)
08:04
SCORE BEHIND - Saints (Rushed)
08:12
St Kilda has generated eight of the first nine inside 50s for the quarter, however, they have only scored two behinds from these eight entries. St Kilda averages a score from just over 40% of their inside 50s this season - the third-worst conversion in the AFL.
10:03
SCORE BEHIND - Saints (Dan Butler)
11:20
SCORE GOAL - Giants (Jesse Hogan)
11:28
Despite St Kilda recording 11 of the first 12 inside 50s of the quarter, it is the Giants who have scored the opening goal of the second half through Jesse Hogan. Hogan has finished goalless just once from eight career games against St Kilda which was when he last faced them in Round 3, 2019.
12:50
SCORE GOAL - Giants (Aaron Cadman)
14:14
The Giants have now scored 10 goals from their 30 inside 50s - a conversion of 33%. St Kilda conceded a goal from 35.8% of Adelaide’s inside 50s last round – ranked last for the round and its worst percentage this year.
14:40
SCORE GOAL - Saints (Jade Gresham)
16:12
SCORE GOAL - Saints (Jack Higgins)
16:43
St Kilda has scored their first goal from an intercept possession won in their attacking midfield zone. The Saints average 21 points per game from attacking midfield launches - the second-fewest in the AFL.
19:12
St Kilda's intercept marking has really improved in the third quarter. The Saints and Giants won five intercept marks each in the first half, but St Kilda has won a further seven more of these marks in the third quarter whilst the Giants are yet to take their first.
19:59
SCORE BEHIND - Giants (Rushed)
21:36
SCORE BEHIND - Saints (Rushed)
22:04
SCORE GOAL - Saints (Jack Sinclair)
24:38
St Kilda has now taken 39 marks for the quarter, 26 more than the Giants. The Saints rank No. 1 for uncontested marks this season, averaging 93 per match.
27:54
SCORE GOAL - Giants (Brent Daniels)
30:03
A tight third quarter with the Saints winning the territory contest with six more inside 50s, whilst the Giants got on top at stoppages winning eight more clearances. The Saints won nine intercept marks for the quarter - the most intercept marks the Giants have conceded in any quarter this season.

Quarter 4

00:00
Q4 is now underway.
00:52
SCORE BEHIND - Giants (Kieren Briggs)
01:55
SCORE GOAL - Giants (Kieren Briggs)
02:32
The Giants have scored the important first goal of the final quarter - their third goal of the match from defensive 50. St Kilda has won six final quarters this season. Only Melbourne had won more final quarters over the first nine rounds of the season.
03:59
SCORE GOAL - Saints (Max King)
05:17
SCORE BEHIND - Saints (Rushed)
06:05
SCORE GOAL - Saints (Jack Sinclair)
06:37
Max King has scored four goals tonight from his eight shots at goal and taken five marks inside 50 from 10 targets - both game-highs. No St Kilda player has taken more marks inside 50 in a game this season.
10:10
SCORE BEHIND - Giants (Rushed)
10:42
Toby Greene has recorded five score assists tonight including four goal assists. Only once has a Giant recorded more than four goal assists in a match which coincidentally happened to be Toby Greene against St Kilda in 2016.
12:06
SCORE BEHIND - Saints (Jade Gresham)
13:22
SCORE BEHIND - Saints (Rushed)
13:34
St Kilda has kicked the ball short 93 times tonight - 41 more than the Giants. St Kilda is the No.1 team for short kicks this season, averaging 96 per game.
15:04
SCORE BEHIND - Saints (Rushed)
17:08
The Giants have laid five more tackles than the Saints this quarter and are now leading this stat 62 to 53 for the match. GWS Giants were out-tackled by 34 last week by Collingwood – their worst differential since 2019.
18:55
SCORE BEHIND - Saints (Hunter Clark)
20:01
The Saints are controlling possession in the final term, winning eight more contested possessions and 12 more uncontested possessions. The Giants are a high-accumulating uncontested team, winning the uncontested possession count by 27 per game this season – ranked No.1.
20:28
SCORE BEHIND - Giants (Jesse Hogan)
21:25
SCORE BEHIND - Saints (Mattaes Phillipou)
22:58
St Kilda has been involved in two matches this season decided by less than 10 points, losing both of these encounters. The Giants have won two of their three matches this season that have been decided by less than 10 points.
28:43
SCORE BEHIND - Saints (Ryan Byrnes)
28:50
St Kilda won 16 more contested possessions than the Giants tonight, their second-best differential of the season. The Saints lost the clearances by 11 but were able to outscore the Giants by 12 points from this source.