The red-hot GIANTS and Saints will meet in a mouthwatering clash at Norwood Oval as part of Gather Round.
Saints v GIANTS
Sunday, April 13 at 3:20pm AEST/ 2:50pm ACST
Norwood Oval | Kaurna Country
What It Means For The GIANTS
The GIANTS will be looking to make it four wins from their first five games to start the season when they head to Adelaide for their first of back-to-back games in the City of Churches, as they take on the Saints this weekend then the Crows in round six.
Sitting inside the top four after a 3-1 start to the season, the GIANTS will enter Sunday’s match firing on all cylinders following their massive 81-point win over the Eagles at ENGIE Stadium over the weekend.
Led against the Eagles by superstar full forward Jesse Hogan and his nine-goal haul, the GIANTS will be hoping the reigning Coleman Medallist and a number of his teammates can continue their impressive form against the Saints, with Tom Green (37 touches, two goals), Lachie Whitfield (35 touches), and Josh Kelly (29 touches) all starring in the win over West Coast.
Currently tied with four other sides on three wins apiece - including St Kilda – the GIANTS will be hoping the orange tsunami can surge over St Kilda on Sunday to continue to cement themselves inside the top four early in the season.
The Opposition
The Saints will also enter Gather Round in cracking form and with strong familiarity of their surroundings, having just beaten Port Adelaide by 17 points at Adelaide Oval on Sunday to firmly entrench themselves in the top eight.
Ending a run of 14 losses from 15 matches against the Power, the Saints used a six-goal first term to jump out to a five-goal lead before holding off an energized Power outfit with some clutch goals in the dying stages.
After losing to the Crows in round one, St Kilda has now won three on the trot to enter Sunday’s clash playing some of the best football seen from the Saints under Ross Lyon’s second tenure at the club.
Some typical names led the way once again for the Saints in last week’s win and will no doubt be critical to Sunday’s outcome against the GIANTS, with All-Australian defender Jack Sinclair (25 touches, one goal), boom recruit Jack Macrae (28 touches), silky defender Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (25 touches) and Jack Higgins (three goals) all starring.
Recent History
The GIANTS have caused St Kilda some heartache in recent times with two crushing defeats over the last two years.
In their most recent clash - played in Canberra in round five last year – the GIANTS withheld a fast-finish from the Saints to register an epic one-point win at Manuka Oval.
The prior meeting between the sides also resulted in pain for the Saints, with the GIANTS ending St Kilda’s 2023 season after taking down Ross Lyon’s men with a 24-point elimination final win at the MCG.
Prior to those two clashes, the Saints had won three straight against the GIANTS and will enter Sunday’s match holding an 8-7 advantage in the 15 meetings between the clubs.
Key Match-Up: Dashing Defenders
Sunday’s game will feature some of the league’s most damaging rebound defenders in GIANTS half-back duo Lachie Whitfield and Lachie Ash and Saints pair Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera and Jack Sinclair.
Both sides use their dashing defenders to cut teams apart with their ball use and running and both coaches will certainly have plans in place to limit their opposing counterpart’s influence on the game.
With Wanganeen-Milera and Sinclair combining for 50 touches and 1000m gained against the Power, and Ash and Whitfield combining for 66 touches and over 1200m gained in the big win over the Eagles, whichever duo can assert their influence most in Sunday’s game is sure to have a major say on who leaves Gather Round with the four points.
GIANTS Player To Watch:
In a team with so many stars it’s easy to go under the radar and that certainly continues to be the case for Connor Idun.
One of the best and most versatile medium defenders in the competition, Idun often doesn’t get the external recognition of some of his peers but at GIANTS HQ his worth is extremely valued as a key piece of the GIANTS’ stingy defence.
In the club's big win over the Eagles over the weekend, Idun was once again a rock in defence, finishing with 21 touches, eight intercept possessions, nine marks, and five tackles in a fantastic all-around game.
After finishing a career-best fourth in last year’s Kevin Sheedy Medal, Idun has continued to cement himself as a vital piece of Adam Kingsley’s side over the first month of the 2025 season and will be looking to continue his fine form on Sunday against the Saints.
In The Mix
Star duo Stephen Coniglio (glute) and Brent Daniels (abdominal) will both have to prove their fitness in Friday’s main training session to take on the Saints, while the club has several others pushing their case for selection through the VFL.
Toby McMullin, Harvey Thomas, Max Gruzewski, Harry Rowston and Leek Aleer are just some of the players performing extremely well at VFL level as they look to break into the AFL side.
Also pressing their claims for AFL selection is a host of GIANTS youngsters, with James Leake, Cody Angove, Jack Ough, Josaia Delana, and Harry Oliver all performing strongly at VFL level.
Category B rookie Nathan Wardius also put his name on the radar with a brilliant eight-goal haul in the club’s huge VFL win on Sunday
Click here for a recap of Sunday’s VFL win.
Team Selection
The GIANTS will name their squad for Gather Round at 6:20pm on Thursday and their final team at 5pm on Friday at gwsgiants.com.au.
Rehab Report
Get a full injury update ahead of Sunday’s match here.
Where To Watch
The game against the Saints will be shown live and free in NSW and the ACT from 3pm on 7mate and 7plus, as well as nationally on Fox, Kayo, and Binge from 3:15pm AEST.
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