Match

Melbourne vs St Kilda

Commentary / 01 Jun 2025

Pre Game

00:00
St Kilda has taken a mark from 26.8% of Jack Sinclair’s inside 50s, ranked No.1 of the top-10 kicks at the club into that zone.

Quarter 1

00:00
Q1 is now underway.
03:23
SCORE GOAL - Demons (Bayley Fritsch)
05:04
Saints Interchange - Mattaes Phillipou off due to an injury.
05:47
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Jake Melksham)
08:26
St Kilda has been more efficient with ball use so far, boasting a kicking efficiency of 87% compared to Melbourne's 82%. The Saints are also proving more effective inside the forward half, operating at 60% efficiency, ahead of the Demons’ 50% in that area.
11:12
St Kilda is applying greater forward-half pressure than Melbourne, with a pressure rating of 161 to 144 in that area.
12:11
SCORE GOAL - Saints (Max Hall)
13:47
SCORE GOAL - Saints (Isaac Keeler)
16:22
SCORE BEHIND - Saints (Isaac Keeler)
17:29
Melbourne's ball movement out of the defensive 50 has been impressive this afternoon, with 40% of their chains from that zone resulting in an inside 50. In comparison, St Kilda is going at 33%.
17:30
SCORE GOAL - Saints (Dan Butler)
20:50
SCORE BEHIND - Saints (Hunter Clark)
22:43
SCORE GOAL - Saints (Isaac Keeler)
24:37
St Kilda has moved the ball far quicker than Melbourne through the corridor, playing on 42% of the time from 12 marks. In contrast, the Demons are yet to play on from any of their 3 marks in that area.
25:13
SCORE GOAL - Saints (Tobie Travaglia)
26:31
SCORE GOAL - Saints (Max Hall)
29:03
St.Kilda has enjoyed a well-balanced spread of scores this afternoon, registering at least one goal from every zone. They’ve kicked two goals apiece from the defensive 50, and centre bounces – their equal most productive areas.
29:39
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Christian Petracca)
31:39
SCORE GOAL - Demons (Jake Melksham)
31:44
Bayley Fritsch is shaping as a real threat in attack for the Demons this quarter. He picked up eight disposals at an impressive 88% efficiency, contributed two score involvements and racked up 157 metres gained — underlining his influence in generating forward movement and creating scoring chances for Melbourne.

Quarter 2

00:00
Q2 is now underway.
02:09
SCORE BEHIND - Saints (Cooper Sharman)
03:14
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Aidan Johnson)
04:10
SCORE BEHIND - Saints (Jack Higgins)
05:37
SCORE GOAL - Saints (Hunter Clark)
09:10
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Xavier Lindsay)
09:40
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Rushed)
11:16
SCORE GOAL - Demons (Christian Petracca)
13:09
Saints Interchange - Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera off due to an injury.
13:11
After managing a pressure factor of just 159 in the first term, Melbourne’s pressure has jumped significantly to start the second term, up to 185. Tackling throughout the match is slightly in the Demons’ favour, 24-16, with Trent Rivers leading the way with four tackles.
14:44
SCORE GOAL - Demons (Kade Chandler)
16:33
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Rushed)
17:27
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Kade Chandler)
18:43
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Max Gawn)
19:32
Melbourne’s forward-half pressure has been immense this quarter — they’re dominating the tackle count 7-1, building on the strong pressure they applied in the first quarter when they won this area 9-7. Trent Rivers is leading the way with three tackles.
19:50
SCORE GOAL - Saints (Dan Butler)
21:24
It’s been an intriguing contest in the ruck this afternoon between Max Gawn and Rowan Marshall, with the Demons leading 11-8 in hitouts when rucking against their opponents. Gawn has had two more hitouts-to-advantage from their 28 ruck contests.
23:37
Saints Interchange - Max Hall off due to an injury.
23:47
SCORE GOAL - Saints (Dan Butler)
24:12
St.Kilda have outscored the Demons on turnovers 6.2 (38) to 3.6 (24). St.Kilda rank 12th in the competition for scoring from turnovers, averaging 44.3 points per game; the league average is 47.1.
25:16
SCORE GOAL - Demons (Christian Petracca)
26:45
Trent Rivers has applied a game-high 12 pressure acts so far in this match, with 8 of these coming in the defensive half of the ground. His also has a tackle efficiency of 83% (5 tackles from 6 attempts).
27:18
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Harry Sharp)
29:50
SCORE GOAL - Demons (Aidan Johnson)
32:03
Melbourne has been making the most of their forward-half pressure this afternoon, launching more than half of their scores from that area. They’ve posted 3.6 (24) from forward-half chains, comfortably ahead of St Kilda’s 2.0 (12) — a telling difference in territory and intent.

Quarter 3

00:00
Q3 is now underway.
05:22
SCORE BEHIND - Saints (Mitch Owens)
06:02
The first possession battle has been close - with St Kilda edging the Demons 23-15, and clearances are in its favour 17-16. The Saints have scored 2.2 (14) at stoppages whilst Melbourne 2.1 (13).
07:37
The Saints' attack from defensive midfield game has been on full display this afternoon - having scored 5.5 (35) from that source compared to 2.3 (15).
08:38
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Judd McVee)
09:19
Harrison Petty has been the forward 50 target on seven occasions in the match so far without much luck, failing to take a mark inside the forward half he has been kicked to. As well as failing to impact the scoreboard in the match.
09:46
SCORE BEHIND - Saints (Rushed)
10:55
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Rushed)
11:57
Brad Hill is showcasing his trademark run and rebound at its finest tonight. With six rebound 50s and a remarkable 486 metres gained from just 15 disposals, he’s proving to be a real asset off half-back. Adding to his impact, Hill is going at over 70% disposal efficiency, making every touch count. It’s a classic display of line-breaking footy from the seasoned campaigner.
13:40
SCORE GOAL - Saints (Bradley Hill)
15:39
The Demons' forward half pressure has been on show today, clearly getting the better of the contest in that area. They've won 16 forward half intercepts compared to the Saints' 10, and have made the most of their chances, converting those into 2.6 (18) to 2.0 (12).
17:36
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Harrison Petty)
19:11
Saints Interchange - Hugh Boxshall off due to an injury.
19:25
SCORE GOAL - Demons (Harrison Petty)
20:50
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Xavier Lindsay)
24:08
SCORE GOAL - Saints (Dan Butler)
28:17
Max Gawn led from the front that quarter, racking up a team-high seven disposals, including six contested possessions. He also added nine hitouts – two of those to advantage – along with three hardball gets. A strong and influential term from the skipper.

Quarter 4

00:00
Q4 is now underway.
00:41
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Daniel Turner)
02:28
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Jake Melksham)
04:13
SCORE GOAL - Saints (Mitch Owens)
08:02
SCORE BEHIND - Saints (Cooper Sharman)
10:18
Melbourne's defensive 50-ball movement from kick-ins has been excellent this afternoon, with 43% of its defensive 50 chains resulting in an inside 50 compared to just 20% for St.Kilda.
13:00
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Xavier Lindsay)
13:12
Defenders Anthony Caminiti and Callum Wilkie are the only players on the field who have both played 100% of the match so far.
13:45
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Bailey Laurie)
15:04
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Rushed)
18:28
St Kilda’s spread without the ball is proving too much for Melbourne to handle. They're currently ahead by 63 in uncontested possessions – their second-best differential in a game this season. Their best came in Round 2 against Geelong, with a margin of 70.
18:37
SCORE GOAL - Saints (Isaac Keeler)
19:03
St Kilda has generated over a third of their score from the defensive 50 this afternoon, kicking 5.3 (33) from that zone. In contrast, Melbourne’s most productive area has been the attacking midfield, where they’ve managed 2.7 (19).
20:13
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Judd McVee)
22:09
Melbourne has had the better of the ruck battle - winning the hitouts 29-23 with hitouts-to-advantage an even 8-8. However, the Saints have had 36-27 first possessions and are on top in the clearances 30-27.
22:56
SCORE GOAL - Saints (Jack Higgins)
25:03
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Christian Salem)
26:58
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Rushed)
28:51
Cal Wilkie has notched up a career-high 31 disposals in this afternoon’s match, going at an elite 90% efficiency. His previous best was 28 disposals, a mark he had reached on two occasions prior to today.