Round 12 opens on Thursday with St Kilda facing Hawthorn, a match that quickly tells the story of both clubs’ seasons. St Kilda goes in at 5-6 after 11 games, while Hawthorn arrives at 7-1-3 after 11, carrying the kind of form that makes every result feel bigger than a single night.
St Kilda has not beaten a team currently sitting above it on the ladder this season, and that is the burden it must try to break at Docklands. The Saints have also been beaten only once for clearances this year, which gives them one clear edge to lean on if they can get the game on their terms. Hawthorn, meanwhile, won against Adelaide in Launceston after three winless games, then kept building with a run that has now given it seven victories in a row at Docklands since being beaten by St Kilda at the venue in 2023.
That history is what gives Thursday’s game its bite. Hawthorn has already shown it can absorb a rough patch and respond, while St Kilda is still searching for proof it can climb above the teams around it. The Saints will again ask a lot of Jack Sinclair, the 31-year-old two-time All-Australian who has been central to their backline since Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera was injured. Sinclair is averaging 29.4 disposals a game and 5.1 rebounds a game this year, numbers that show how much the ball runs through him when St Kilda needs control and calm.
Hawthorn’s own reshaping has been just as telling. Blake Hardwick kicked four goals against Adelaide after moving from defence to attack, a switch that gave the Hawks another look going forward and underlined how flexible they have become. It was the sort of move that matters in a season where Hawthorn is no longer just hanging around the top end of the ladder, but pressing it.
The rest of round 12 keeps the pressure high. Carlton has made it two wins in as many games under interim coach Josh Fraser and will play Geelong on Friday night after scoring its biggest total of the season against Port Adelaide and holding Port Adelaide to its lowest score of the season. Geelong has won four straight victories since its loss to Port Adelaide, scoring an average of 120 points across its last four games and passing triple figures in each of them. Fremantle, which leads the competition for the first time in more than a decade, sits at the center of the ladder picture as the round unfolds.
Adelaide, Gold Coast, North Melbourne and Port Adelaide have the bye in round 12, leaving the Thursday night opener to set the tone for the week. Brisbane plays Fremantle on Saturday in a crunch clash, and Essendon begins a new era on the road against West Coast on Sunday. For St Kilda, the task is immediate and simple: prove it can beat a side above it. For Hawthorn, the assignment is just as clear. Keep the run going, keep the pressure on, and keep the Docklands streak alive.
