Tom Stewart subbed out as Saints slip up at their Geelong graveyard

A knee injury to All-Australian defender Tom Stewart will give the Cats some nervous moments after they stretched their winning record over St Kilda at GMHBA Stadium to 13 free of anxiety.

The record, which extends back to round 10, 1999, was never really in doubt after the Cats kicked the first five goals and kept a tight hold on the top four with a 32-point win.

Stewart was subbed out of the match during the third quarter after taking a mark but Cats coach Chris Scott said post-match the veteran was fine.

He said Stewart jarred his knee and the injury was not related to previous issues he has had with his knee when he had scans after being subbed out of the clash against the Saints earlier in the season.

“We think it’s fine,” Scott said. “The strong suggestion is that he will be okay for next week and hopefully that is off the back of chopping him out a bit earlier.”

Geelong’s win also means the Saints have lost nine of their past 10 games with their competitiveness not translating into wins.

Although disappointed, Saints’ coach Ross Lyon was unperturbed by the lack of wins but admitted a victory would be nice with matches against Melbourne, North Melbourne, Richmond and Essendon ahead.

“We want to sing the song,” Lyon said. “In the short term we aim to win and in the long term execute on strategy.”

It took a masterclass on the wing from Ollie Dempsey in his 50th game to keep Geelong’s noses in front throughout as out-of-contract midfielder Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera tried desperately to bring the Saints back into the contest.

Ollie Dempsey and Geelong teammates.Credit: Getty Images

St Kilda rallied momentarily in the second quarter to bring the margin back to nine points, improving their ball use enough to make use of their contested ball and clearance ascendancy. They missed some chances and Lyon admitted they left emerging gun Alix Tauru on Jeremy Cameron in the first half as a learning opportunity.

But it was not enough to suggest they were going to win however as Geelong’s uncharacteristic fumbling and dropped marks were inviting pressure.

Once they cleaned those up in the third quarter they put the foot to the accelerator with four consecutive goals in the third quarter to push the margin out to 39 points and the result beyond doubt. In that period, the Cats owned territory with Lyon saying being trapped in defence had become a common thread when they had lost their grip on a game.

Stewart’s loss was telling as he went off the ground late in the third quarter and the Saints were able to find a few more avenues to goal. They looked as though they could make a charge until Mitch Owens missed his second gettable set shot for the game to kill their momentum.

Tom Stewart of the Cats sits on the bench after being subbed off with a knee injury.Credit: Getty Images

Stewart was walking around with ice on his knee after the game, and it appeared precautionary rather than a major injury.

Dempsey was unstoppable on his wing, patrolling into defence and attack, kicking a goal from the outside of his foot to put a stamp on his game. He finished with 25 touches and provided constant support to those on the inside of the contest.

Cameron didn’t get out of third gear to kick four goals before half-time including a brilliant running goal from an angle after he turned Liam Stocker inside out before drilling the goal from the boundary. He kicked his fifth in the final quarter to bring his tally for the season to 58.

The Cats made the most of their interceptions, constantly building the attack from the back half of the ground in the first half. It was only the second time in the past 10 years Geelong had kicked eight goals in the first half from defensive half-chains.

By contrast the Cats stifled the Saints’ ability to do that when they started Mark Blicavs forward on Callum Wilkie - who was playing his 150th consecutive game from debut – and made life difficult for him. The intercepting marking star finished with just five marks, his second fewest in a game for the season.

Irishman Oisin Mullin is becoming a player in his 35th game just edging out crafting forward Jack Higgins. He is becoming more instinctive in his attacking while Shaun Mannagh has been an excellent pickup from the VFL.

Marcus Windhager played well on both Max Holmes and Bailey Smith while Jack Steele’s pressure was good as usual. Jack Sinclair’s rebounding game was strong. But Wanganeen-Milera was outstanding playing a lone hand ending the game with two goals, 36 disposals and 637 metres gained.

His contract remains unsigned, but Lyon grinned when asked where it was at. “In the fullness of time,” he said.

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