Sydney and St Kilda named their teams for a round 13 meeting at the SCG on Sunday, with the Saints welcoming back Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera and Liam Ryan as both sides reshuffled before the 3.20pm AEST start.
The changes matter because this is not just another midseason fixture. Sydney arrive after a 25-goal home win over Richmond and a road loss to Geelong, while St Kilda go in trying to snap a pattern that has defined much of its year against stronger opposition.
Sydney made three changes, with Lewis Melican ruled out because of a hamstring injury and Brodie Grundy’s selection sending Peter Ladhams back to the VFL despite his strong game against Richmond. Tom Hanily and Harry Cunningham also made way for Callum Mills, Matt Roberts and Malcolm Rosas jnr, a sign the Swans are still trimming and tuning as they push toward the top end of the ladder.
St Kilda, meanwhile, made four changes and brought in Wanganeen-Milera after four weeks out and Ryan after five rounds on the sidelines. Liam Stocker, Mitch Owens, Angus Hastie and Campbell Lake were also included, while Sam Flanders was ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, Liam O'Connell was managed and Isaac Keeler, Liam Henry, Jack Carroll and Charlie Banfield were omitted.
That selection mix matters because the Saints have had Sydney’s number lately, beating them twice and narrowly losing once in their past three meetings. But the bigger body of work has been harder to ignore: St Kilda have gone 1-6 against teams currently above them on the ladder in 2024, which is the kind of record that can turn a promising matchup into a brutal test very quickly.
Sydney’s own position adds to the pressure. They are being framed as a high-flying side with the biggest percentage in the competition and a race for a top-two finish still in sight, with St Kilda and Port Adelaide on the schedule before the bye. For the Saints, the SCG offers a chance to turn a good recent head-to-head into something more meaningful against a side climbing faster than the rest.
The answer will start arriving at 3.20pm AEST on Sunday. If St Kilda can carry Wanganeen-Milera and Ryan back into the side and make its recent Sydney record count, it changes the tone of its season. If not, the numbers that have dogged them against top sides will keep speaking louder than the matchup history.
