Hawks do enough to see off battling Saints in Marvel grind

Massimo D'Ambrosio celebrates a goal during the round 17 match between Hawthorn and St Kilda at Marvel Stadium on July 5, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

IT WAS more a case of 'just win' rather than 'must win' for Hawthorn.

There was nothing remarkable about the side's 20-point victory over St Kilda. For the most part, it passed by without incident. But with bigger and more stern tests lying in wait, starting next week with a trip to Perth to face a fellow finals wannabe in Fremantle, Sam Mitchell's side simply had to bank the points and move on at Marvel Stadium.

SAINTS v HAWKS Full match coverage and stats

Indeed, the Hawks did just that. While at times it might have been a grind, they hardly had to break second gear to ultimately overcome a struggling Saints outfit and cruise to a relatively comfortable 14.10 (94) to 10.14 (74) win.

Josh Battle (23 disposals, seven marks) defied some early Saints boos to help keep his former side at arm's length throughout the contest, while Lloyd Meek (20 disposals, 59 hitouts) and Jai Newcombe (22 disposals, seven clearances, seven tackles, one goal) were the game's most influential players at the coal face.

ALL THE HIGHLIGHTS Previous Next 01:35 Leather poisoning for Saint Nas with 43 of the best Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera continues to impress the footy world with another gut-running performance to amass a career-best 43 disposals against the Hawks

08:44 Mitchell post-match, R17: 'We scouted him, we tried so many things, but we just couldn't stop him' Watch Hawthorn’s press conference after round 17’s match against St Kilda

07:33 Lyon post-match, R17: 'The ability to connect was really disappointing' Watch St Kilda’s press conference after round 17’s match against Hawthorn

08:12 Highlights: St Kilda v Hawthorn The Saints and Hawks clash in round 17 of the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season

00:27 Chol charges through to hit one home Mabior Chol reads it perfectly off the pack to slam home a terrific goal

00:33 Owens all class to bring Saints right back Mitch Owens sums it up perfectly to kick an important major in the third term

00:30 No love lost as Battle brings the heat on Wood There was plenty of feeling between the Saints and Hawks after this fierce tackle from Josh Battle on Mason Wood

00:24 'The Flying Viking' shows his hops with this spectacular mark Alixzander Tauru sets the crowd alight with a brilliant contested grab for St Kilda

00:38 Hall evades all to sneak home a pearler Max Hall squeezes home a brilliant goal for St Kilda in tight congestion

Collectively, such performances helped ensure Hawthorn would end the night inside the AFL's top four – and guaranteed the Hawks would end the weekend inside the League's top eight – following a match where the side's strength in depth showed, even if its best footy wasn't always at a premium.

St Kilda, likewise, traded in moments rather than prolonged periods of dominance across the course of the night. There was a flash in the first term, when Max Hall converted a smart, improvised snap that helped limit the deficit to just nine points at the opening change.

There were a couple more in the second quarter, like when Alix Tauru floated over a pack to take a superb leaping grab, or when Marcus Windhager spun out of trouble and snapped truly. But all they did were keep Hawthorn within touching distance, with the Hawks' lead slowly growing to 18 points by the main break.

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Whenever the Saints did exert some control – like a brief, yet impressive 10-minute period after half-time – they were profligate, kicking four consecutive behinds before Max Ramsden and Harry Morrison went bang-bang and helped kick the Hawks' advantage towards something resembling unassailable.

However, while St Kilda wasn't necessarily ever a threat, it was proving to be a pain. Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (43 disposals, six marks) was fantastic, Windhager (27 disposals, one goal) was consistently strong in the contest, while youngster Hall (27 disposals, five clearances, three goals) was perhaps the side's best player.

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But, every time St Kilda did strike, Hawthorn's superior quality had the answers. Those type of necessary responses were required once more late in the third quarter, when the Hawks countered a mini Saints fightback with two timely goals from Mabior Chol in his 100th AFL match and another from Jack Gunston.

It enabled a comfortable final quarter. While the Saints had seemed unlikely to overturn the 26-point deficit at three-quarter time as it was, a clever mark and finish from Dylan Moore and a long-range bomb from Massimo D'Ambrosio ensured the Hawks' lead would always be out of reach.

And so it proved, with the win punctuated by Gunston's third goal after he pinched a wayward Rowan Marshall kick out of defensive 50 and converted on the run. Another test down, more pressing challenges to come for Mitchell's men.

Add another 0 to the NWM contract

St Kilda simply must keep its quarterback. That's how important Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera has become for this club. The uncontracted Saints star has shown his quality in silencing the noise around his future and playing some superb football. That continued on Saturday night, where Wanganeen-Milera continued to orchestrate the play from behind the ball to finish with 43 disposals, seven intercepts and 11 score involvements. In his role, Wanganeen-Milera is the key in setting everything up for St Kilda. Ross Lyon has built a gameplan around his ball use. Now, the Saints must deliver in pay him a pretty penny. He's worth every cent.

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Raising the Battle boos

In his first match against his former side since a blockbuster free agency move last October, Josh Battle was the subject of heavy booing from the St Kilda faithful throughout Saturday night's clash. Those boos became fiercer after Battle dumped ex-teammate Mason Wood in a heavy tackle over the boundary line midway through the second quarter, sparking a melee right in front of the two sides' benches. Battle had otherwise kept his composure throughout the evening, proving arguably Hawthorn's best player to finish with 23 disposals, nine intercepts and seven marks.

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Saints go all-out for 'Flying Viking'

The hype for Alix Tauru is building. If the 14 spoils in his second game last week wasn't enough, the soaring mark he took midway through the second quarter on Saturday night sent it into overdrive. Already, a series of bright fluoro Viking helmets were littered throughout St Kilda's cheer squad to recognise the 'Flying Viking'. The nickname, coined by AFL.com.au's Gettable last year, has caught on quick. It helps when Tauru is as talented as he is. The 193cm defender produced yet another eye-catching performance at Marvel Stadium, finishing with 13 disposals, seven intercepts and four marks. A big tackle on James Worpel early in the contest set the tone for another exciting evening, while the leaping grab was all Saints fans needed to validate the excitement around his potential.

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ST KILDA 1.2 3.6 6.10 10.14 (74)

HAWTHORN 2.5 6.6 11.6 14.10 (94)

GOALS

St Kilda: Hall 3, Higgins 2, Windhager, Macrae, Owens, Sharman, Marshall

Hawthorn: Gunston 3, Watson 2, Chol 2, Ginnivan, Macdonald, Newcombe, Ramsden, Morrison, Moore, D'Ambrosio

BEST

St Kilda: Hall, Wanganeen-Milera, Windhager, Steele, Garcia, Macrae

Hawthorn: Meek, Battle, Newcombe, Barrass, Impey, Morrison

INJURIES

St Kilda: Webster (calf)

Hawthorn: Nil

SUBSTITUTES

St Kilda: Bradley Hill (replaced Jimmy Webster in the second quarter)

Hawthorn: Seamus Mitchell (replaced Max Ramsden in the third quarter)

Crowd: 36,035 at Marvel Stadium

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