St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt has been unstoppable this season. Riewoldt and Hawthorn small forward Luke Breust are joint leaders of the Coleman Medal after three rounds, each with 10 goals. Eddie Betts (seven) leads Adelaide’s goalkicking.
Riewoldt has been involved in 50 per cent of St Kilda’s scores in 2014. He’s No.1 in the AFL for marks inside 50m and the highest-ranked forward in Champion Data points.
Betts and Mitch Grigg (24.6 per cent) have been involved in nearly a quarter of Adelaide’s scores this season.
The Crows and Saints have met 36 times, with Adelaide holding the overall advantage 20-15. The clubs have played in one draw in Round 14, 1994. This is the only drawn game the Crows have been involved in.
Adelaide has won four of the last five games between the two sides, including a 40-point victory in the most recent meeting in Round Eight, 2013.
Patrick Dangerfield is ranked ninth in the AFL in contested marks (five) level with power forward Riewoldt. Dangerfield is also top 10 in hard-ball gets (18). Despite spending considerable time in attack, the joint-vice captain has won 10 centre clearances – only Brownlow Medallist Jobe Watson (13) and Fremantle star David Mundy (11) have won more.
The Saints like to retain possession of the football – ranked No.3 in short kicks and marks. They’re ranked No.1 in contested marks, averaging 11.7 per game. Riewoldt is ranked No.2 in the League for marks (34), while Beau Maister is fourth in contested marks (seven).
Adelaide is ranked equal-sixth in inside 50ms this season, but only 14th in goals for.
Adelaide’s average age in Round Three was 24.9 years – the sixth youngest in the League. The Crows were the shortest team last weekend, with an average height of 186.7 centimetres.
Farren Ray is a prime mover for the Saints. Ray is ranked No.2 in the AFL for long kicks (Matthew Jaensch is No.3) and sixth in effective kicks.
Clinton Jones is St Kilda’s king of uncontested ball. Jones is ranked seventh in the competition for uncontested possessions (60). He’s also third in handball receives, highlighting his effectiveness as a link-up player, and No.1 in goal assists (six).
Sam Jacobs has collected more possessions (47) than any other ruckmen in the opening three rounds of the 2014 season.
Rory Sloane (seven) is ranked equal-third in the League in forward 50m tackles. West Coast spearhead Josh Kennedy (12) leads the competition.
For the second time this season, Matthew Jaensch recorded a disposal efficiency of above 90 per cent (91.3) in Adelaide’s loss to Sydney. This follows a perfect statistical game (100 per cent) against Geelong in Round One. Jaensch’s only game below 90 per cent was against Port Adelaide in Round Two, where he operated at 88.9 per cent. Jaensch is also working hard defensively, ranked equal-seventh in marks from opposition kicks.
Sean Dempster is St Kilda’s preferred exit man in defence. Dempster is ranked top-10 in the League for rebound 50ms.
Veteran Crow Scott Thompson needs to overcome a corked thigh to line up against St Kilda and keep his streak of 86 consecutive games intact. Thompson last missed an AFL game in Round Eight, 2010. The two-time Crows Club champion amassed 39 touches against the Saints in Round 12, 2012.
