Key posts
Wanganeen-Milera to continue in midfield
Saints coach Ross Lyon will continue to push Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera into the midfield and he eventually sees him playing there all the time.
Lyon said the Saints had used the long-kicking half-back in burst midfield roles for the past three matches and that will continue tonight.
Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera of the Saints evades Lions star Hugh McCluggage.Credit: AFL Photos
“We’ve been doing it for three weeks,” Lyon told Fox Footy.
“We don’t want to do it too early, they are pretty big physical boys but we like to inject him there
“We know that the sort of player we need to build our midfield with and we eventually see him playing there full time.
“We are letting him adapt and we want to get Jack Sinclair in there and Mattaes Phillipou back in there as well.”
The road to the finals to this point…
Second-half woes for St Kilda
Late change for the Saints; Subs named
UPDATED: The Saints have made a late change with Mattaes Phillipou replaced by Tobie Travaglia.
Fox Footy reported Phillipou had an injury test earlier this evening following an issue with a corked thigh.
He was due to play his first game of 2025 after recovering from a stress fracture to his femur that he suffered last season.
Travaglia will also start as the sub, with Quinton Narkle the sub for the Dockers.
AFL match review matrix ‘outdated now’, says Beveridge
Concussed: Josh Sinn is tackled by Paul Curtis of the Kangaroos.Credit: AFL Photos
Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has called on the AFL to overhaul the existing tribunal guidelines, declaring North Melbourne’s Paul Curtis “extremely unlucky” to be suspended for three matches.
Curtis was banned for rough conduct over a dangerous tackle on Port Adelaide’s Josh Sinn in round seven, prompting a strong rebuke from Kangaroos coach Alastair Clarkson.
Beveridge agrees with his counterpart that Curtis’ tackle was a “football action” and is adamant incidents where players have no intention to hurt opponents do not warrant suspensions.
The Dogs’ 2016 premiership mentor likened the Curtis-Sinn incident to Jackson Archer’s collision with Luke Cleary, which earned Archer a three-match ban.
“The regulatory framework and the matrix that the AFL use is outdated now,” Beveridge said on Friday.
“We need to make sure that we need to look after the players who are playing the game and their intentions are pure.
“I feel like Paul’s were in the action and he’s extremely unlucky.”
Beveridge said he feels the wording and framework of the table of classifiable offences in the Tribunal guidelines aren’t fit for purpose.
“It’s set up as a really clinical way of responding to a situation that happens on the footy field,” he said.
AAP
Interactive: How has your club fared against top eight sides?
The Saints have played five matches against teams in the top eight so far in 2025, which is the most in the AFL, notching a 1-4 [win-loss] record.
The Dockers have played top eight sides three times and have a 2-1 record.
Good evening
G’day everyone. I’m Roy Ward and welcome to tonight’s AFL live blog as St Kilda and Fremantle face off at Marvel Stadium.
The first bounce is set for 7.40pm AEST. Please enjoy the game to come.
