A season-ending knee injury to star recruit Steph Chiocci has tempered St Kilda’s joy at a club record third straight AFLW win, a nine-point home victory over a feisty Hawthorn.
The Saints led by margins of 10, 19 and 27 points, at the end of the first three quarters respectively but had to withstand a significant Hawthorn surge in the last.
Former Collingwood star Chiocci hurt her right knee just a few minutes into the first quarter at RSEA Park, as she tried to get out of a tackle from Kaitlyn Ashmore.
She was later seen on crutches with an ice pack strapped to her right knee and the Saints said scans confirmed an anterior cruciate ligament rupture.
“It’s a big blow for not only Steph, but our whole program to not have her out there with us for the remainder of the season,” Saints' general manager of AFLW Tessie McManus said.
“She’s such an important leader who has the ability to have an immediate impact on the game."
St Kilda gave themselves a fighting chance of a first AFLW finals appearance as they improved to 3-3, while Hawthorn slumped to 1-5 following a fourth straight loss.
Hawthorn notched more disposals, clearances, marks, tackles, and contested possessions and tallied and an equal amount of inside 50s.
But inferior goalkicking accuracy through the first three quarters cost them dearly, as they scored just 2.5 up to three-quarter time
Saints kicked three goals to one in each of the first two quarters and their first seven scores were all goals while.Hawthorn kicked just 2.5 from their first seven.
The only goal of the third came off the boot of St Kilda defender Alice Burke, the first AFLW major for the daughter of Saints legend Nathan Burke.
Kicking with the breeze, Hawthorn kicked 3.1 to 0.1 in the last quarter with Aine McDonagh booting two majors.
Emily Bates had a massive game for the Hawks with 32 disposals 11 tackles and 11 clearances and captain Tilly Lucas-Rodd tallied 26 touches and nine tackles and five clearances, but kicked 0.3.
Hawks coach Bec Goddard pinpointed her team’s lack of attention at defensive 50 stoppages as below AFLW standard and a key factor in their loss.
”We just didn’t care enough, we didn’t value defence enough and they really took their moments when they had them, ‘’Goddard said
Jaimee Lambert was the workhorse for the Saints, gathering 26 disposals, nine tackles, seven clearances.and a goal and Nat Exon booted two majors for the winners.
“Overall pleasing, it's nice to be able to walk away with a result that we’re proud of and for the majority of the game, a style of football that we’re proud of," St Kilda coach Nick Dal Salto said.
"But we’re under no illusions we’ve got work to do."
