ST KILDA has never played finals in AFLW history, but this could be the team to break the duck, following an almighty 22-point upset over Adelaide to open its season.

The Saints were simply ruthless from start to finish to post the 6.5 (41) to 2.7 (19) win - their first over the Crows - in front of a vocal home crowd at RSEA Park.

SAINTS v CROWS Full match coverage and stats

St Kilda's superior fitness was evident right from the start, as the home side ran freely, gaining plenty of ground on their Adelaide opponents. Playing a high-pressure game, they never seemed to lose energy in their legs, moving through the match at breakneck speed.

Adelaide started the game uncharacteristically fumbly and highly susceptible to St Kilda's impressive pressure game. Across the home side's back half veteran Nicola Stevens set the tone, and her fellow defenders came along for the ride.

It was a defensive performance that, although Adelaide lived in its forward half, held last year's preliminary finalist to shots largely from 40 or more metres out. The Crows simply couldn't generate high quality shots on goal despite having Caitlin Gould, Danielle Ponter, and the returning Eloise Jones in the line.

They maintained a really disciplined structure behind the ball, never getting sucked up into the contest, instead owning that space.

The Saints' top draft pick Zoe Besanko kicked her first goal after just 36 seconds, and both Amber Clarke (13 disposals, one goal) and Charlotte Baskaran (19 disposals, six marks) had a big impact on their side's game style in their first outing for the club, after crossing from Essendon and Hawthorn respectively.

Meanwhile the return of Georgia Patrikios (27 disposals, 422 metres gained) and further development of Tyanna Smith (24 disposals, seven clearances) meant St Kilda's midfield was able to take it to the highly-touted Adelaide outfit.

Where St Kilda was at its best was chaining uncontested possession down the wing – something the side has attempted in the past but struggled to maintain the linkage down the ground – but all that work stemmed from an increased ability to win the contested possession and clearance.

Ultimately, they dominated clearances 29-17.

India Rasheed's first career goal on debut added a spark to the Crows, but unfortunately it was on the eve of half-time and they couldn't do any more damage on the scoreboard before the main break. The debutant did remain Adelaide's most dangerous forward for the duration, however, finishing her first game with 15 disposals and five marks.

Ebony Marinoff (27 disposals, nine tackles) never stopped working for Adelaide, nor did Madi Newman (21 disposals, one goal), but they never quite hit their best due to St Kilda's immense pressure.

That's a way to announce yourself
Just 36 seconds into Sunday's clash, St Kilda's first draft selection of 2024 Zoe Besanko nailed the opening goal. Clean ball use out of the middle for the Saints set up opportunity in space for the club's forwards. Jesse Wardlaw won the footy close to goal and neatly handballed it over the top to Besanko, who beautifully navigated the shot under pressure, showing Saints fans why she was the club's first choice back in December.

Piling on the pain
Adelaide goalsneak Hannah Munyard finished 2024 on a high, winning the NAB AFLW Goal of the Year and really announcing herself to the AFLW world, but this season has started off the opposite way. Fighting hard in the face of St Kilda's pressure and control, Munyard had to be carried from the ground late in the third quarter after suffering a left ankle injury. Working to tackle directly in front of the benches, Munyard's foot got caught under Paige Trudgeon and she was in immediate pain. The injury further sours a poor start to the season for Adelaide.

Up next
St Kilda will head down to Casey Fields to face an up-and-about Melbourne outfit on Saturday afternoon, while Adelaide will close the round by hosting Geelong at Thomas Farms Oval on Sunday.

ST KILDA        2.0    3. 2    5.5   6.5 (41)
ADELAIDE       1.1    2.1    2.3   2.7 (19)

GOALS  
St Kilda: Besanko 2, McDonald, Clarke, Richards, Priest
Adelaide: Newman, Rasheed

BEST  
St Kilda: Stevens, Smith, Patrikios, Besanko, Trudgeon, Baskaran
Adelaide: Marinoff, Rasheed, Newman, S.Allan

INJURIES  
St Kilda: Nil
Adelaide: Munyard (left ankle)

Crowd: 1,670 at RSEA Park