Adelaide’s recent form: WWWWW

Recent results against St Kilda
Round two, 2009, St Kilda 15.11 (101) d Adelaide 10.9 (69), AAMI Stadium
Round 21, 2008, St Kilda 13.17 (95) d Adelaide 6.11 (47), Docklands Stadium
Round 15, 2007, St Kilda 11.16 (82) d Adelaide 12.8 (80), Docklands Stadium
Round 12, 2006, Adelaide 18.15 (123) d St Kilda 8.12 (60), Docklands Stadium
Qualifying Final, 2005, St Kilda 10.5 (65) d Adelaide 8.9 (57), AAMI Stadium

Medical room          
Adelaide
Trent Hentschel (knee) – test
Jarrhan Jacky (hamstring) – 2 weeks
Nick Gill (ankle) – 4-5 weeks
Shaun McKernan (arm) – 4-6 weeks
Brad Moran (knee) – indefinite
James Moss (hip) – indefinite
Chris Schmidt (shoulder) – season

St Kilda
Max Hudghton (ankle) – TBA
Jarryd Allen (hip) – indefinite
Xavier Clarke (knee) – indefinite

Summary
The stage is set for a blockbuster as two of the league’s in-form sides prepare to do battle under the Docklands roof.

Adelaide also managed to stay with St Kilda until three-quarter-time when these two sides met at AAMI Stadium earlier this season.

But again the Saints’ class came to the fore in the final term and they kicked away to a five-goal victory.

There’s a bit of history between the two clubs dating back to Adelaide’s unlikely grand final win in 1997.

In 2005, St Kilda set the minor premiers up for an early exit after securing an eight-point qualifying final win in front of a hostile AAMI Stadium crowd.

Last year, Adelaide appeared to have secured another top-four berth until the Saints recorded their biggest ever win over Essendon (108 points) in round 22 to snatch back the double chance.

St Kilda will go into Sunday’s twilight clash as short-priced favourites, but the Crows have improved out of sight since the round two encounter and are a genuine chance to cause an upset.

Key match-up
Ben Rutten v Justin Koschitzke
Nathan Bock had the better of Nick Riewoldt (two goals) in round two, but Adelaide had no answer for the other half of St Kilda’s two-pronged attack. Justin Koschitzke proved too big and too strong for Rutten on his way to a match-winning four-goal haul. The miserly Crows will look to limit the Saints’ forays inside 50 but must have a plan for Kosi when the ball comes in long to the square.

Kick it to me
It wasn’t hard to get a kick in the Adelaide forward line last week, but Jason Porplyzia deserved some easy goals. The straight-shooting forward has been in sublime form this season and was rewarded with another five-goal bag in the rout of Fremantle. Porplyzia was the Crows’ leading goalkicker (three goals) against St Kilda earlier this year and is an integral part of the side’s developing forward line.

Somebody stop me
Tagger Rob Shirley didn’t play against St Kilda in round two, but is likely to have an important job on Sunday afternoon. Star onballer Nick Dal Santo racked up 35 possessions in his side’s 32-point win over Adelaide, but Leigh Montagna also showcased his potential last week finishing with 43 possessions, 12 inside 50s, 10 clearances and nine tackles. Coach Neil Craig rarely assigns two tagging roles in the same game so Adelaide, through the likes of Scott Thompson, Bernie Vince, Tyson Edwards and David Mackay, will have to combat the rest of the St Kilda midfield head-on.

At the selection table
Brett Burton’s name will again be tossed up at selection, but it’s likely he’ll spend another week in the SANFL. Ruckman Jon Griffin has recovered from a calf injury, but will also play in the local league. Rookie Brodie Martin continues to push his case for elevation and North Adelaide trio Tony Armstrong, Phil Davis and Rory Sloane remain on the fringe.

It’s not generally known that...
St Kilda laid 32 more tackles (88 to 56) when these two sides met in round two.

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.