St Kilda squandered a golden opportunity to move into the top eight, losing to an understrength Port Adelaide by 13 points at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.
The Saints hit the front in the final quarter but were left to rue some costly turnovers and inaccurate goalkicking, as late goals from Sam Mayes and Charlie Dixon sealed a crucial win for the Power.
Brett Ratten’s side finished with 10 more inside 50s but weren’t able to capitalise on the scoreboard, missing several gettable set shots.
A poor inside 50 entry from forward Dan Butler with the Saints trailing by seven points in the last quarter drew criticism from Port Adelaide champion Kane Cornes.
“No pressure, he’s got an eternity to make a decision and he tries to kick it on the outside of his boot running at full pace with a player coming across his leg,” Cornes told AFL Media’s The Round So Far.
“Never going to work – he played like a millionaire tonight, Butler.
“He’s got to be better than what he was, and St Kilda must be better going forward.
“What an opportunity missed for them. It’s been the story of their last two to three years (inaccurate goalkicking).”
Butler, who was named in last year’s All-Australian squad of 40, has kicked 14 goals in 17 games this season while averaging 3.5 tackles per match.
The loss ended St Kilda’s run of three straight wins leaving them in 10th spot on the ladder with a percentage of just 86.6.
Next up for the Saints is a trip to Perth to take on West Coast in what looms as a must-win match.
