In critical moments in the final quarter of their first two matches, the over-hyped Saints have followed a script rather than react to the circumstances of the game.

In opening round, two goals behind with seven minutes remaining in the game, St Kilda folded back hard in defence rather than pushing up to the Collingwood kicker to squeeze the ground and attempt to force a turnover. The Magpies took eight uncontested marks and 45 seconds off the clock.

In round one, Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera kicked a goal with less than 12 minutes left in the game. His kick cut St Kilda’s margin against Melbourne to 12 points. He then spent six minutes and 18 seconds on the bench.

Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera is an elite talent but he can’t do it all.Credit: AFL Photos

Different decisions may not have changed the result but the lack of initiative when the game was on the line is an indication that the club isn’t ready yet, regardless of talent, to compete with the best.

Although Wanganeen-Milera was entitled to a break, the Saints’ on-field leadership and coaching panel are either not ready to get the critical decisions right without the input of the senior coach, or they are so concerned about getting them wrong that they rigidly stick to what was planned out of fear of making a mistake.

By contrast, Collingwood’s Scott Pendlebury and Nick Daicos and Melbourne’s Max Gawn had the nous to take advantage of the situation to secure the four points. Even allowing for costly fumbles and missed shots at goal, the Saints did not.

The problem for the Saints is they needed to learn and win rather than learn and lose in those two games, given the expectation on the club heading into 2026.

Work to do: Saints coach Ross Lyon.Credit: AFL Photos

The early losses only add pressure to a team that looked nervous early in their opening game with so much riding on the outcome.

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