St Kilda moved to 5-1 for the first time since 2010 thanks to a gritty 17-point win over GWS at Manuka Oval in Canberra on Friday night.
The key to the Saints’ impressive start to 2022 is their selfless attitude, something that has caught the eye of four-time premiership Hawk Luke Hodge.
Hodge says the hard running of St Kilda’s half-forwards is giving them good looks going inside attacking 50.
“I sat back last night (Friday) and I was blown away by the selfless running of the St Kilda high half-forwards,” Hodge told SEN’s Crunch Time.
“Everyone knew what they had to do. Whenever they had a switch on the back flank, you would see Bradley Hill running out to the wing to try and stretch the ground so if the defender goes with him, there’s free spots in the middle (of the ground) and if they stay to clog up the corridor, Hill’s open on the fat side.
“But it wasn’t just him. I saw (Rowan) Marshall when he came back on from that corkie, he was still trying to do it. He looked like a 70-year-old man trying to run, but he knew his role was to stretch the ground when it was his turn.
“It’s no surprise why (Jack) Higgins and (Dan) Butler are getting more impact forward, but it’s also why blokes like (Tim) Membrey and (Max) King are getting so many shots on goal because their teammates up the ground are doing all that selfless work to make that ball movement easier going inside 50.”
It’s the first time the Saints have won five straight games since 2011.
Brett Ratten’s side travel to Cairns to take on Port Adelaide (1-5) at Cazalys Stadium next Saturday night.