AFL: Saints sweat on King fitness

St Kilda and Western Bulldogs are both in need of four points when they clash at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night.

Both teams will have set their sights on the top eight at the start of the campaign, but have just the two wins from five games.

The Bulldogs sit in 11th spot on the ladder, with the Saints one spot below them in 12th.

St Kilda can be backed at 2.65 to make the top eight, while the Bulldogs are 2.75, so there is a lot riding on the game.

There is still a long way to go in the season, but neither side will want to be chasing their tails with a 2-4 win/loss ratio.

. What: St Kilda v Western Bulldogs
. Where: Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
. When: 19:30 (AEST), Thursday 18th April 2024
. How to watch: Kayo, Foxtel, Channel 7
. Odds: St Kilda 1.78, Western Bulldogs 2.05

King boost for Saints

St Kilda have been handed a massive boost with the news that Max King looks to have avoided a serious knee injury.

The forward picked up the knee injury in the one-point loss to Greater Western Sydney, but scans have revealed no structural damage.

Head coach Ross Lyon is even hoping that King will be able to train this week and put his hand up to face the Bulldogs on Thursday night.

St Kilda are already missing new recruit Liam Henry, experienced midfielder Brad Crouch and Mason Wood for the game, and will be hoping King comes through.

If not, then Jack Higgins, who is averaging two goals a game this season, will once again be the main danger in the forward line.

Higgins can be backed at 10.00 to boot the first goal of the game, or 1.09 to score at anytime.

St Kilda had lost two games on the spin against the Bulldogs, but gained revenge last season when romping to a 51-point victory.

A repeat performance and a St Kilda win by 49-60 points is priced at 23.00.

They can certainly take heart from the way they played against GWS at the weekend, when they gave one of the hot fancies for the premiership, a run for their money.

Bulldogs under pressure

Western Bulldogs head into the game on the back of two home defeats and need to bounce back against St Kilda.

Luke Beveridge’s side lost the first game against Geelong by four points, but it was the defeat against Essendon that will have set some alarm bells ringing.

They went down by 31 points and came in for some heavy criticism after the game. The Bulldogs now need to respond and should come out fighting on Thursday night.

Jamarra Ugle-Hagan was one bright spark for the Bulldogs when slotting three goals against the Bombers.

The former No.1 draft pick can be backed at 9.50 to kick the first goal against St Kilda, or 1.08 to score at anytime.

Adam Treloar also came up with 28 disposals in his last game and is priced at 2.15 to produce 30+ on this occasion.

Both he and Ugle-Hagan have key roles to play if the Bulldogs are to leave Marvel with a win.