ausfatcat wrote: ↑Mon 05 Oct 2020 9:45am
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/ ... b4fb781104
St Kilda defender Jake Carlisle will miss Friday night’s semi-final blockbuster with Richmond after leaving the Saints’ hub.
Carlisle departed the club’s Noosa hub on Monday morning to return to Melbourne to be at the birth of his third child.
Saints chief operating officer Simon Lethlean said the club was fully supportive of Carlisle’s decision.
“We thank Jake for staying as long as he possibly could before heading to NSW to be with Mel for the birth,” Lethlean said.
“He has been away from his young family for a number of months now and we thank him for making that sacrifice. We support him in this decision and wish Jake, Mel, Nash and Layker all the best for the coming weeks.
Here is the rest of that article.
"We gathered the players on Sunday night to thank both Jake and Paddy who will return to Melbourne for assessment on his hamstring.
“Both guys have had a big influence on our year and we wanted them to know how appreciative we are of their efforts.”
It is a triple blow for the Saints, who will already be without Paddy Ryder (hamstring) and Ben Long (suspended) for the Tigers’ showdown.
Although, the Saints will challenge the charge.
Long’s rough conduct charge against Jack Macrae was graded as careless conduct, high contact and medium impact.
Josh Battle (foot) is certain to return in Friday night’s semi-final if declared fit and would probably be used in the backline as the Saints prepare for a mini reshuffle without Carlisle.
It is expected that full-back Dougal Howard will play on Tom Lynch and perhaps Nick Coffield and Battle share duties on Jack Riewoldt.
Lynch has overcome his first hamstring injury and will train fully this week, compounding the expected loss of Carlisle.
Josh Battle (foot) is certain to return in Friday night’s semi-final if declared fit and would probably be used in the backline as the Saints prepare for a mini reshuffle without Carlisle.
Journeyman Jon Marsh is in line for selection, adding another burst of power to the Saints’ dynamic forward line.
Dylan Roberton’s hopes of a fairytale comeback to play on Riewoldt could hinge on Battle’s fitness.
Roberton, 29, has not played since Round 1, but could take to the field for a semi-final with a defibrillator installed inside his chest and with a wire connected to his heart.
St Kilda stalwart and Fox Footy analyst Leigh Montagna told the Herald Sun Carlisle’s potential absence would cause serious match-up recalibrating.
“If Carlisle goes home it’s a big dilemma. Cal Wilkie hasn’t been outmarked in a one-on-one contest all year, so he’s a great match-up for Dusty,” Montagna said.
“It’s a flow-on effect from there without Carlisle. Whoever you choose to send Wilkie to, a young defender like Ben Paton or Coffield has to step up and play on a big name. So that’s the dilemma.
“They have (emergency) Dylan Roberton and Logan Austin as two other talls in the system or potentially even Jarryn Geary could go back into the backline and take someone.”