The St Kilda Saints have suffered another major injury set to their attacking lineup just days before a high-stakes away clash against the red-hot Fremantle Dockers in Perth, with three-time club leading goalkicker Jack Higgins ruled out of the fixture due to a swollen knee injury.
Higgins picked up the inflammatory knee issue during last weekend’s victory against Richmond, and the club confirmed he would not make the cross-country trip west to face a Fremantle side that has been climbing the AFL ladder in recent weeks. His absence adds to a growing injury crisis for the Saints, who already have key players including Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, Max King, Mitch Owens and Liam Owen sidelined with different long and short-term injuries.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, St Kilda head coach Ross Lyon confirmed the decision to hold Higgins out of the match, noting the knee had flared up unexpectedly after the Richmond win. “(Higgins) won’t play, it’s sort of just flared up a bit, it’s just a bit swollen in the knee… he won’t play,” Lyon said.
For the club’s other high-profile injured star, Wanganeen-Milera, Lyon confirmed the club is taking a cautious approach to his calf injury, despite the player saying he feels fit enough to return. Wanganeen-Milera is currently listed as a two-week outs, and Lyon said the club would not risk rushing him back to avoid long-term chronic injury, pointing to a string of high-profile examples across the league where early returns from calf injuries derailed entire careers.
“As far as I know, he’s on track, pretty bubbly, he’d like to be playing, he says, ‘I feel a million dollars’,” Lyon said. “But sports science takes over and calves, you know, there’s been players if you get a chronic calf you’re gone. Like Dan Hannebery, Harley Bennell and Eric Mackenzie here, there’s probably a few others around the league. You’ve got to be cautious with them, which we will be.”
Heading into the Perth clash, St Kilda will look to replicate a dominant win they recorded against Fremantle last year at Marvel Stadium, when they ran out 10-goal winners thanks to a crushing midfield performance led by Jack Macrae. That day, the Saints won the clearance count 50-22 and dominated contested possessions 151-103 in one of their most complete performances of the 2023 season.
Lyon said that midfield battle will once again be the defining factor of this weekend’s clash, particularly when it comes to containing Fremantle’s star dynamic ruckman Luke Jackson, who Lyon labeled a “unicorn” for his unique mix of size and skill. Fremantle’s midfield also features star talents including two-time MVP contenders Andy Brayshaw and Caleb Serong, plus dangerous forward-midfielder Shai Bolton, making the Dockers one of the most well-rounded lineups in the competition this season.
“Our stoppage work is pretty good and clearly Rowan (Marshall) and TDK (Tom De Koning) as a combination are important to that,” Lyon said. “But we come up against the unicorn, right? You look at their midfield, they’re very good either end and well-led by their captain when he’s there. If you want to be the best, then you’ve got to beat the best… it’s an opportunity.”