Where and when: SCG, Saturday, August 1, 7.10pm AEST
Head to head: Sydney Swans 125 wins, St Kilda 74 wins, three draws
Last time: St Kilda 12.8 (80) d Sydney Swans 9.11 (65), round one, 2009, at Docklands

MISSING IN ACTION
Sydney Swans
Daniel O'Keefe (ankle) – test
Nick Malceski (quad) – test
Amon Buchanan (knee) – test
Daniel Currie (foot) – 2-3 weeks
Ted Richards (chest) – 4-5 weeks
Lewis Johnston (foot) – indefinite
Brett Meredith (forearm) – season
Henry Playfair (hamstring) – season
Campbell Heath (knee) – season

St Kilda
Michael Gardiner (calf) – test
Justin Koschitzke (hand) - test
Jarryd Allen (hip) – indefinite
Xavier Clarke (knee) – season
Zac Dawson (suspended) – 1 week

FORM
Sydney Swans: LWLLW
St Kilda: WWWWW

SUMMARY

Then there's the friendly rivalry between the two coaches, Ross Lyon and Paul Roos. Lyon has a good record against his old mate and will be keen to keep it that way.

PLAYER TO WATCH
Raphael Clarke (St Kilda)
For so long the St Kilda whipping boy, Clarke seems settled as a crucial part of the best defence in the competition. He has grown in confidence and while he still makes the occasional error, he is vastly improved. He was impressive in St Kilda’s 2008 finals campaign and will be looking to consolidate his spot for this year’s action. This week marks his 50th game at AFL level.

Darren Jolly (Sydney Swans)
He has been one of the best ruckmen in the competition and if he can get on top of the Saints it will hurt their hungry midfield. Michael Gardiner is no certainty to return from a calf injury so the Saints’ ruck stocks could be depleted. Jolly could be the most important player on the ground.

QUESTION MARKS
Will the Saints adjust their game to the SCG? St Kilda has played most of its games at Docklands and the tiny SCG is a different beast. Their signature has been to shut down opposition’s space so with even less room to move, maybe it is the home team that should be worried.

Are the Swans still chasing a finals spot or is their season over? You’d probably find better odds of Barry Hall being the next Dalai Lama but there is still a mathematical possibility of the Swans making it to September. Everything has to fall into place for them and by this time next week their season will probably be over.

WHO WILL WIN AND WHY
St Kilda has taken on every challenge in recent weeks and it seems like a very real possibility that it will go through the season undefeated. If they do drop one, it won’t be this week.

PREDICTION
St Kilda by 38 points

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.