SAINTS ON THE MARCH
Saints catch their breath before Cats clash
A stern test against Geelong awaits, but St Kilda coach Brett Ratten is full of praise for his charges after landing inside the top four with a crucial win over Gold Coast. REPORT
ST KILDA coach Brett Ratten says his side took a step forward in maturity in its win over Gold Coast as the secondplaced Saints start a tight turnaround for Monday’s clash against the Cats.
The St Kilda playing group returned to its Noosa hub about 2.30am on Friday after a three-hour bus ride from Metricon Stadium, where the Saints defeated the Suns in a thriller by four points.
Ratten said the players would take a day off on Friday and skip a detailed review of the Gold Coast win because of the four-day turnaround to the Geelong clash.
The Saints will welcome back skipper Jarryn Geary after he was a late withdrawal on Thursday night.
“The players will have (Friday) off, they will do some stretching, probably go for a swim,” Ratten said.
“Very light recovery and then we will have a captain’s run and go into Geelong.”
An electric four goals from recruit Dan Butler lifted the Saints over the line on Thursday night in one of the most entertaining matches of the season.
Ratten said his side was lucky to get away with the win, but holding on in the seesawing clash against the Suns showed they were on the improve mentally.
“It was a step forward with maturity for our group, some of these games we have let slip (in the past) but we found a way,” he said.
“It wasn’t perfect for us (on Thursday), aspects of our game were behind the standard we are after but I thought the guys stuck to it and it was a bit of a grind but we got there in the end.
“We got beaten badly at clearances tonight but that’s an area we have been pretty good at. Usually with Gold Coast if you give them those numbers they usually win the game, so we were probably a little bit lucky.”
Butler’s speed in the final term was crucial for the Saints and he kicked two of his four majors in the last quarter to take his season tally to 21.8.
“It’s very rewarding for a person who is so humble,” Ratten said. “He is a pleasure to coach and just goes about his work quietly, and for him to have another good game, there is no fuss. He will just roll up next week.”