Source : the age
Jack Gunston is on the phone to someone while on the bench. Maybe he’s ordering a post-game pizza!
But as he does that, his replacement, Blake Hardwick, has just booted his second goal following a turnover.
Sam Mitchell also gave Gunston a playful hug after that goal, as if to say, “Sorry you are not out there feasting on the Saints, mate”.
Hawks 101, Saints 59 with eight mins to go.
It appears the Hawks have put full-forward Jack Gunston on ice for this game.
He has started the final quarter on the bench and doesn’t look like moving.
You can’t say he hasn’t done his job, booting five goals across the opening three terms.
It makes good sense to wrap him in cotton wool after he missed the past two weeks with a foot injury. And, Sam Mitchell has a ready-made back-up.
He has sent Blake Hardwick forward with instant success. Again.
Hardwick has already kicked a goal in this final term. It follows his four goals in Launceston last week against Adelaide.
Blake Hardwick has snapped a goal for the Hawks. Gee he does a good job of replacing Jack Gunston when needed.
Hawks 95, Saints 52 with 14 mins to go in.
Tom De Koning received a free kick after he was taken to ground by Lloyd Meek, but the Hawks were not happy with the call and those remonstrations led to a 50-metre penalty, which took the Saint to the goal line, where he kicked truly.
Hawks 89, Saints 49 with 17 mins left to play.
The Saints have confirmed that Sam Flanders has injured his Achilles. We can only hope its not a rupture, but the vision looked horrible.
The Saints turned things around in that third term with six goals and a much more spirited display while the Hawks still kicked some goals but hardly had the best of the play.
Sam Mitchell looks a little angry with his men while Ross Lyon will be demanding his side find this level of play for four quarters, not when the game is all but gone.
Let’s see which club does best in the last term.
“This is one of the great frustrations. Where was this in the first half?” David King asked on Kayo Sports.
The Saints have kicked six goals this quarter and they are going right with the Hawks now.
The Hawks still lead by a comfortable margin but the Saints are making a much greater fist of this match.
Hawks 84, Saints 43 with two mins to go in Q3.
When St Kilda plucked Jack Silvagni and Tom De Koning from Carlton last year they thought they were recruiting an intercept defender and a high-leaping ruckman.
Suddenly, they have become key forwards.
After a goalless opening half, St Kilda managed three goals in the opening 10 minutes of the third term – and two of them came from Silvagni and De Koning.
The Saints are moving the ball now, but so are the Hawks.
A long kick from Jack Sinclair found Jack Silvagni free at the back of the pack, and he marked before going back and kicked his second goal.
Hawks 75, Saints 30 with eight mins to go in Q3.
