ID :
17621
Mon, 09/01/2008 - 09:15
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/17621
The shortlink copeid
Saints destroy Bombers 147-39
(AAP) - St Kilda claimed an AFL finals double chance in dramatic style, knocking Adelaide out of fourth spot with a percentage-boosting 21.21 (147) to 5.9 (39) win over Essendon at Telstra Dome.
The Saints' dominance from the outset against the undermanned Bombers meant the result was never in doubt.
But there was still plenty of tension right down to the final minutes, with St Kilda's top-four hopes resting on whether they could win by a large enough margin to close a gap of almost five percentage points on Adelaide.
They made the job harder for themselves with some poor kicking for goal and still
needed to outscore the Bombers by about five goals in the final term to make it
through.
But they poured on 7.6 to 0.1 for the quarter to edge past the Crows and into a
qualifying final against top-placed Geelong next weekend.
The Crows now host a sudden-death final against Collingwood.
Goalsneak Stephen Milne was a hero for the Saints with seven majors, including three
in the final quarter.
The Bombers defence also had no answer for Saints skipper Nick Riewoldt, but the
star key forward made for some nervous moments with some inaccurate kicking,
finishing with 4.5, including a goal after the final siren.
The 108-point belting provided a disappointing send-off for Essendon veterans Jason
Johnson, Adam Ramanauskas, Damien Peverill and Mal Michael, all playing their last
games for the club.
While their farewells would have provided their teammates with some incentive, the
Saints clearly had much more powerful motivation and were also far too talented for
a Bombers side heavily weakened by injury.
Saints big men Steven King and Justin Koschitzke controlled the ruck against Bombers
youngster Tom Bellchambers, and their midfielders took full advantage.
Koschitzke finished with 22 touches and 14 marks, providing him with a promising
warm-up for the finals.
At ground level, Lenny Hayes was superb at driving his team forward, particularly
early in the match.
And fellow midfielder Brendon Goddard was outstanding, with pretty much all of his
20 kicks used smartly.
Jason Gram was also good with his running and long kicking through the midfield, as
well as chipping in with three handy goals.
The Saints' dominance from the outset against the undermanned Bombers meant the result was never in doubt.
But there was still plenty of tension right down to the final minutes, with St Kilda's top-four hopes resting on whether they could win by a large enough margin to close a gap of almost five percentage points on Adelaide.
They made the job harder for themselves with some poor kicking for goal and still
needed to outscore the Bombers by about five goals in the final term to make it
through.
But they poured on 7.6 to 0.1 for the quarter to edge past the Crows and into a
qualifying final against top-placed Geelong next weekend.
The Crows now host a sudden-death final against Collingwood.
Goalsneak Stephen Milne was a hero for the Saints with seven majors, including three
in the final quarter.
The Bombers defence also had no answer for Saints skipper Nick Riewoldt, but the
star key forward made for some nervous moments with some inaccurate kicking,
finishing with 4.5, including a goal after the final siren.
The 108-point belting provided a disappointing send-off for Essendon veterans Jason
Johnson, Adam Ramanauskas, Damien Peverill and Mal Michael, all playing their last
games for the club.
While their farewells would have provided their teammates with some incentive, the
Saints clearly had much more powerful motivation and were also far too talented for
a Bombers side heavily weakened by injury.
Saints big men Steven King and Justin Koschitzke controlled the ruck against Bombers
youngster Tom Bellchambers, and their midfielders took full advantage.
Koschitzke finished with 22 touches and 14 marks, providing him with a promising
warm-up for the finals.
At ground level, Lenny Hayes was superb at driving his team forward, particularly
early in the match.
And fellow midfielder Brendon Goddard was outstanding, with pretty much all of his
20 kicks used smartly.
Jason Gram was also good with his running and long kicking through the midfield, as
well as chipping in with three handy goals.
