ST KILDA'S multi-faceted forward line is giving the Brisbane Lions some headaches ahead of its crucial clash at the Gabba on Saturday night.
St Kilda (7-7) moved into eighth spot on percentage after thumping Essendon by 71 points last weekend, again showing off an arsenal of scorers, the equal of few in the competition.
In fact, under new coach Scott Watters, the Saints have soared to second place in the points for column after 15 rounds, racking up more than 107 points a contest.
Captain Nick Riewoldt is back near his best with 38 goals to date, while livewire Stephen Milne (32) has been as efficient as ever.
Both lie in the top 10 on the goalkicking list.
Riewoldt's fellow tall Justin Koschitzke (21 goals) has proven to be a more than useful ally, while Aamed Saad (13) and this week's Rising Star nominee Aaryn Siposs are cleaning up the scraps with Milne.
It all adds up to a difficult equation for the 6-8 Lions who are down small defenders Ash McGrath (hamstring) and Mitch Golby (foot).
Half-back turned wingman Pearce Hanley said the Lions had spoken a lot about team defence after Sydney Swan Sam Reid tore them apart with six goals in Saturday's 47-point loss at the SCG.
"Individually I think we tried very hard, but as a team we didn't defend too well," Hanley said.
"We've gone over it in the meetings … and hopefully we improve it on the weekend.
"They've (St Kilda) got a lot of dangerous forwards, [so] our plan is to try and stop it a bit more at the source and not let it get inside 50 as much."
Hanley's fellow Irishman Niall McKeever manned Reid last week, and with Matt Maguire facing a fitness test to overcome an elbow injury, is still a chance to stand alongside Riewoldt on Saturday.
"We're going to do better on not making the ball come down as good," Hanley said.
"We've put things in play that'll help Niall. I'm sure Niall will get up for the game if he's on Riewoldt.
"He was obviously a bit upset about his performance [against Reid] although he didn't get much help, so he couldn't help it too much.
"He's a very good character, he'll bounce back and he'll come back stronger without doubt."
A loss would almost certainly spell the end of any finals aspirations for the Lions, while a victory would put them amongst the six teams currently chasing eighth spot.
After three successive wins at the Gabba, Hanley said they hoped to make it a "cauldron" again.
"The crowds have been getting bigger as the year's gone on. They've been pretty loud ... It definitely helps us."
Michael Whiting covers Brisbane Lions news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_mikewhiting
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL
