It seems like only yesterday that these two sides faced off against each other in the centre of the continent. It was when Melbourne was experiencing a rare period of success with five wins from its previous six matches including victories over both of last year’s grand finalists. 

Well, it wasn’t yesterday but it was early last month and it remains etched clearly in the memory. The Saints were going through a slump and the predicted outcome of their encounter at TIO Traeger Park was a virtual no-brainer. A Melbourne victory and another step closer to a possible rise into finals contention. Something that was unthinkable after opening the season with five straight defeats.

After kicking the first goal of the game and holding St Kilda scoreless for the opening twelve minutes of the game, the dream was still alive but what happened next was nothing short of embarrassing as Melbourne relinquished its focus and conceded six goals in rapid succession before the first bell. To make matters worse, it subsequently squandered chance after chance with some dreadfully poor finishing when kicking for goal, a pattern of self-inflicted setbacks characteristic of the club over the last two seasons. The result; a 28-point defeat despite winning almost everywhere else on the ground but the scoreboard.

The question is whether history will repeat when the teams clash at Marvel Stadium and  I hate to say it in a match preview but your guess is as good as mine. 

Going by Melbourne’s pattern of play in recent times, it’s likely that the Demons will not be able to produce four quarters of top football to assure their fans of a winning result. On the other hand, the Saints have also been unable to string together strong performances. They haven’t won a game since that matchup in the country’s red centre, albeit they seem to have had to contend with some strong opposition during that time. 

In short, what you are about to see if you choose to attend Marvel Stadium on Sunday afternoon into the early evening is two very underwhelming teams. The least underwhelming will probably bring home the four premiership points which (and let’s face it) are of very little importance at this stage of the season.

Where to start? 

Well, Melbourne’s perspective, the two main defensive cornerstones of its successful run earlier this decade in Steven May and Jake Lever will be missing, both possibly for the good part of the remainder of the season. So the time has come for a major defensive reset at the club. This might not be such a bad thing for the club as it will allow Simon Goodwin to experiment with an eye on the future. The Demon defence is no longer as feared as it was three or four years ago and it’s time to work out whether there’s scope for new defensive strategies to add some pressure in the team’s back half.

The midfield is also experiencing a degree of sameness and, aside from the captain’s consistent ruck dominance and the excitement generated by Kozzy when he ventures into stoppage areas, we are not witnessing sufficient match-winning performances from Melbourne’s top-tier midfielders this year. 

Spice the mix up a little Goody. Let’s see what some of the players who knocked on the door at Casey last week can do! Same thing goes with the forwards and please, let’s have something a lot better than the miserable 25% conversion rate that we were treated to last month!

On the St Kilda side, the issue is whether Melbourne can hold the much sought after Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera and the underrated Jack Sinclair from dominating because if it can limit their impact, it will go a long way to winning this contest.  It’s worth noting that the Saints’ two main goal scorers from their Alice Springs victory in Dan Butler and Isaac Keeler who managed to score seven goals one behind between them to equal Demons’ goal tally for the game are sitting out with injury this week. 

I can’t imagine the visitors kicking anywhere near as badly as the deplorable 1.12 after half time. Surely, it’s time for Melbourne to kick with accuracy in windless conditions in a covered stadium.

Melbourne by 5 points.

THE GAME

St Kilda v Melbourne at Marvel Stadium on Sunday 27 July 2025 at 3.15pm

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall St Kilda 95 wins Melbourne 126 wins 1 drawn 

At Marvel Stadium St Kilda 9 wins Melbourne 7 wins  

Past five meetings St Kilda 1 win Melbourne 4 wins 

The Coaches Lyon 1 win Goodwin 2 wins 

THE LAST TIME THEY MET

St Kilda 14.7.91 defeated Melbourne 7.21.63 at TIO Traeger Park in Round 12 2025

The Saints demonstrated in this game that they possessed the system to exploit the weaknesses of the Demons. In what turned out to be a scrappy, hard-fought contest, they seized the initiative early in the game and forced Melbourne into numerous errors, particularly in front of goal where they were absolutely pathetic.

THE TEAMS

ST KILDA

B A. Tauru, C. Wilkie, A. Caminiti

HB L. Stocker, N. Wanganeen-Milera, J. Sinclair 

C M. Windhager, H. Boxshall, A. Hastie

HF B. Hill, M. Hall, J. Higgins 

F M. Owens, M. Wood, C. Sharman 

FOLL R. Marshall, J. Macrae, J. Steele

I/C R. Byrnes, H. Clark,  L. Collard, Z. Jones , A. Schoenmaker

EMG M. Heath, L. Henry, A. McLennan

IN L.Collard, Z. Jones, A. Schoenmaker

OUT M. Heath (omitted), L. Henry (omitted), D. Wilson (concussion)

MELBOURNE

B J. Bowey, T. McDonald, J. McVee

HB C. Windsor, D. Turner, C. Salem

C K. Chandler, C. Petracca, H. Langford

HF J. Viney, B. Fritsch, T. Sparrow

F J. Melksham, J. Van Rooyen, K. Pickett

FOLL M. Gawn, C. Oliver, T. Rivers

I/C B. Howes, E. Langdon, X. Lindsay, H. Petty, C. Spargo

EMG J. Adams, J. Culley, M. Jefferson

IN B.Howes, H. Petty, C. Spargo, T. Sparrow

OUT S. May (concussion), M. Jefferson (omitted), qH. Sharp (omitted), K. Tholstrup (omitted)

Injury and Suspension List: Round 20

Tom Sparrow — concussion / Test

Jack Henderson — groin / 1 week

Steven May — concussion & suspension / 3 weeks 

Oliver Sestan — face / 4 weeks 

Jake Lever — ankle/ TBC

Marty Hore — knee, shoulder / season

Shane McAdam — Achilles / season

Andy Moniz-Wakefield — knee / season

And we have the audacity to call them the Aints.

At present they are closer than us.

It was an embarrassing performance against them last time.

And now it doesn't matter.

Fgs. Jefferson finally started showing some improvement and we drop the poor kid.

Ok, it wasn't leaps and bounds but a start at least.

This club.

2 minutes ago, Previously known as LITD. said:

Fgs. Jefferson finally started showing some improvement and we drop the poor kid.

Ok, it wasn't leaps and bounds but a start at least.

This club.

He made some disastrous mistakes last week and arguably kept halted our own momentum. BUT he got better as the game went on and credit to the kid he kept at it. I've no issue sending him back to VFL to perfect his craft but to do it for Spargo and Petty... it sends a shocking message.

Honestly, and this isn't even MFCSS it's just my genuine opinion, but I think St Kilda will toy with us on Sunday. They have shown glimpses this year as have we but they'll be desperate for a win. Both teams have been ordinary since that NT encounter and St Kilda hasn't won since then. I reckon we'll be lucky to be within 3 goals.

Just now, praha said:

He made some disastrous mistakes last week and arguably kept halted our own momentum. BUT he got better as the game went on and credit to the kid he kept at it. I've no issue sending him back to VFL to perfect his craft but to do it for Spargo and Petty... it sends a shocking message.

Honestly, and this isn't even MFCSS it's just my genuine opinion, but I think St Kilda will toy with us on Sunday. They have shown glimpses this year as have we but they'll be desperate for a win. Both teams have been ordinary since that NT encounter and St Kilda hasn't won since then. I reckon we'll be lucky to be within 3 goals.

The KP factor along with Fritta in finer form may stop them. Also Melky is due for a few .

But surely young Jeffo needs as many games as he can get.

We are certainly not playing finals so what does it matter?

I know Jeffo hasn't been great but his last effort wasn't a total bust and dropping him kills his small amount of confidence for a bloke who clearly struggles in this area. From the Magoo's to the big top is a huge transition for some young players. Given our ladder position we can afford to help him with this. But nup.

It smacks of Simon cooking the books and playing for points instead of the future. Perhaps he can now read the writing on the wall.

He's been a good coach but he certainly has a stubborn streak. Who else would play Petty fwd for so long?

It's not Petty's fault. He is a wonderful player. But he's just one of those players who can't do both.

They are two distinct roles and it's not often you get someone like Tmac who has done it so well and then comeback again in his old role.

So well, that Goody dropped him.

Goody needs to go. I thought maybe at the end of the year he could ceremoniously retire but he's making bad calls now which will impact 2026 .

I know our depth isn't great but let's play all the people we are not sure about so we can be sure about them.

The Saints game and the rest should be used as opportunities to adjust our list . Not a time for Goody to grab a few wins to try and save his job.

Maybe I'm off here but that's what dropping Jeffo looks like to me. And if Petty is played fwd again than I think I will explode. How many contested marks and i50 has poor Petty made as a fwd? How many goals has he kicked?

Surely these two stats are important. Yet In the two whole years now,HP has failed miserably in these two stats. Again Petty is a fine player when he is in his playing his part as a defender. Truth be told he's probably quite annoyed he's had to play as a fwd and I don't enjoy putting him down.

Iits been so long, I think many have forgotten how good a defender he is is. I hope we haven't destroyed his career.

Goodwin was pretty specific (for him) in his presser on trading being part of this year's post season activity, even noting it as as distinct from concentration on the draft in the last few.

Does team selection have anything to do with keeping trade prospects 'on show'?