Saints' malaise shows no sign of easing

The Saints play Geelong on the road next week followed by Greater Western Sydney, Hawthorn and Melbourne, a run of difficult assignments that could finish their finals hopes early.

Right now, the rebuild that occurred after Ross Lyon’s shock departure as coach at the end of 2011 appears to have failed. They have not even left their home track as yet, and they have no glut of injuries to blame for the malaise.

For Adelaide, it was the win that they needed to have, on the road and against an opposition that was certainly up and about from the start and ready to compete.

But it was not a pretty game, more a comedic routine for the most part, full of butchered kicks and lost connections between players trying to move the ball forward. The Crows were merely slightly less haphazard in their execution than St Kilda.

The Crows blew the game apart in the last 15 minutes of the third quarter, having stuttered along with a single-figure lead to that point. In those few sequences they booted five consecutive goals including two each to captain Taylor Walker and brilliant forward Eddie Betts, who had earlier kicked his first major of an unusually slow season.

It took Adelaide out to a 40-point lead from which St Kilda, dispirited by their failure to get value for effort to that point, were never going to come back. They fought it out but ultimately lost by 49 points.

St Kilda were dogged by inaccuracy in front of goal but wayward kicking was just one of their problems. They had more inside 50 entries and more contested possession, but their skill execution was dreadful. They could manage just seven goals from four quarters of fatal disconnect, and 54 inside 50 entries.

At the other end they made crushing errors, such as Jimmy Webster dropping a mark in the goalsquare that allowed Walker to gather the football and kick a gifted goal; or Seb Ross overrunning a loose ball as he tried to rush it through for a behind only to see it soccered through for another goal by Walker.

One of the few positives was the debut of 18-year-old Nick Coffield, who gathered plenty of the football and showed up nicely having been picked up at No 8 in last year’s national draft. But Paddy McCartin again could not manage a goal and struggled to make an impact, albeit standing in front of a team that used the ball appallingly.

The Saints lost Tim Membrey (knee soreness) before the game, replaced by Nathan Wright in what amounted to five changes from the team that lost so badly to North Melbourne in round two. But the changes rung by coach Richardson only introduced more of the same.

Adelaide drew fine performances from the likes of import Bryce Gibbs, whose bullocking at stoppages was impressive, and whose disposal never suffered from the infection that had struck down virtually everyone else on the ground. Ruckman Sam Jacobs was dominated and utility Paul Seedsman was dangerous, while sweeper Rory Laird’s little legs never stopped turning and he had the highest work rate on the ground, as is his wont.

Betts (3 goals) finally found some form after a good battle with St Kilda’s captain Jarryn Geary.

For Adelaide, there are bigger battles to have. For St Kilda, the challenge is right here and now.

ADELAIDE
3.2 5.7 11.10 15.14 (104)
ST KILDA
2.6 3.9 4.12 7.13 (55)

GOALS
Adelaide: Betts 3, Walker 3, McGovern 2, Seedsman 2, Atkins 2, Gibbs, Jenkins, Douglas.
St Kilda: Acres, Armitage, Bruce, Geary, Gresham, Sinclair, Coffield

BEST
Adelaide: Gibbs, Jacobs, Laird, Seedsman, Talia, Douglas
St Kilda: Savage, Ross, Sinclair, Newnes.

CROWD: 19,324 at Etihad Stadium
UMPIRES: Findlay, Brown, Ryan.

VOTES
Bryce Gibbs (Adelaide) 8
Rory Laird (Adelaide) 7
Sam Jacobs (Adelaide) 7
Paul Seedsman (Adelaide) 7
Shane Savage (St Kilda) 6