AFL 2023 round 13 LIVE updates: Lance Franklin plays game 350 as Sydney Swans, St Kilda Saints take the field at SCG
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Key posts
- Mid-season report: The three players behind St Kilda’s resurrection
- Listen: Real Footy podcast
- Mid-season report: Sydney take a swan dive down the ladder
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No late changes for tonight’s match
There are no late changes for tonight’s Sydney v St Kilda clash.
Substitutes:
- Joel Amartey for Sydney
- Cooper Sharman for St Kilda
Nowhere to hide for The Age’s footy experts with new tipping features
The Age’s AFL experts take their tipping seriously, which is why we are launching a new home for their weekly prognostications.
The revamped tipping page has a range of new features, which offer greater insights for you, the reader, as you plan your own tipping for the weekend.
See how our experts tipped this weekend.
Mid-season report: The three players behind St Kilda’s resurrection
It’s been a remarkable start in the second coming of coach Ross Lyon at the Saints after a tumultuous end to the previous year.
He restumped, rewired and replumbed over summer to teach a defensive structure that makes St Kilda hard to play against.
The Age’s Peter Ryan has given the Saints a 7/10 report card as they sit on seven wins and four losses mid-way through the season.
Jack Sinclair (right) is arguably St Kilda’s best player now, or at least equal with Jack Steele (left).Credit: AFL Photos
The wheels have become a bit wobbly lately with the Saints’ win-loss-win-loss-win-loss over the past six games, and they are in a fight to keep levitating for long enough to make finals. Their draw, however, is relatively kind and they have fewer injuries, so should be able to reach that destination from this position. But, as every Saints fan knows, the same prediction would have been made this time last season.
Read the full report here.
Listen: Real Footy podcast
Carlton will meet arch-rivals Essendon in round 13. A win for the Bombers would put them in a great position to make finals, and potentially end the Blues’ season.
This week on the Real Footy podcast, Michael Gleeson, Jake Niall and Sam McClure discuss the symbolism of the upcoming clash between a team that has gone backwards since last year and a team that is moving forward under a new coach.
Essendon are performing despite missing some exiting talent. On the other hand, Carlton are not performing at the level they can with the talent they’ve got. The team’s ball movement has been terrible – is that down to a lack of skill or a lack of confidence and purpose? The Blues fans are already restless, and they can cause havoc. What does the future hold for coach Michael Voss? How will the Blues’ culture of changing coaches affect the outcome? Is it the set-up around Voss that needs to change?
Mid-season report: Sydney take a swan dive down the ladder
The Swans have been one of the major disappointments this year. Injuries have hit them hard, particularly to their key position ranks, but do not fully explain their drop down the ladder.
Chad Warner has been a shining light, but the Swans have struggled to recapture their form of last year.Credit: Getty
The Age’s Andrew Wu gives them a report card of 4/10, as they sit with just five wins and six losses mid-way through the season, after coming into it as last year’s grand finalists and with big expectations.
Their woes started in round three when Tom McCartin, Paddy McCartin and Dane Rampe – their three best tall defenders – were injured in a game they squandered a 16-point lead in the last term. Only Tom McCartin, since injured, has come back, while Paddy’s season is over, and possibly his career, after another concussion.
A game out of the eight, the Swans remain in the finals hunt but need to lift. They play almost every team around them on the ladder in the run home, so their destiny is still in their hands.
Take a read of full report here.
Welcome
Good evening and welcome to our AFL live blog as Sydney Swans take on St Kilda Saints in Lance Franklin’s 350th game.
Please feel free to leave a comment on the blog at any time. For starters, who are you tipping to take home the chocolates tonight?
First bounce is schedule for 7.10pm AEST.
Enjoy the evening to come.
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