Saints survive late Port charge to steady the season in Gather Round finale
Rain was falling, the Adelaide Oval looked heavy, and the Saints still had to earn it.
St Kilda ultimately got the job done in Gather Round’s finale, surviving a late scare from Port Adelaide to secure a season-steadying 14-point triumph. The final score read 12.9 (81) to 9.13 (67) in a match that swung more than once, and kept both sets of fans on edge.
The Saints didn’t just start fast — they buried Port early. They powered to four straight goals to open the game, and when Mattias Phillipou converted, St Kilda were suddenly up 27-0. At first glance, this feels like a routine blowout. But it wasn’t.
What really stands out is how large St Kilda’s buffer stayed — until it didn’t. They stretched to a match-high 32-point break in the second term on Sunday night, and were 31 points ahead midway through the third. The pressure then shifted. The Power, driven by Zak Butters’ heavy involvement across the night, sparked a comeback.
Butters finished with 30 disposals and was acting captain with Connor Rozee sidelined by a hamstring. Still, the turning point came in the middle phases where Port found a run and St Kilda had to absorb it. Port trailed by nine points at three-quarter time, then slipped back into a dangerous window early in the last quarter, getting within eight points.
Then came the moment that bought the Saints real space. A rare goal from recruit Jack Silvagni — awarded after a 50m “stand” penalty against Jason Horne-Francis — shifted the momentum again. A Mattias Phillipou long bomb followed, and the match started to feel sealed.
Nasiah Wangeen-Milera was a trump card for the Saints, delivering two goals along with 28 disposals, nine tackles and eight clearances. Mitch Owens and Phillipou also kicked two majors each. Jack Sinclair gathered 23 disposals, while Hugo Garcia finished with 26 possessions and kicked one goal.
Still, Port’s fight couldn’t be dismissed. Butters led the way, while Horne-Francis backed up a big game with two goals and 26 touches. Darcy Byrne-Jones had 21 touches and one goal, Ollie Wines recorded 26 possessions, and both Mitch Georgiades and Corey Durdin kicked two apiece in the wet.
St Kilda’s win lifts them to a 2-3 record — the same as Port’s 2-3 — and sets up the uncomfortable truth for both teams: a season can be steadied, but not without surviving the moments where it nearly slips away.