St Kilda have lost their second game in as many years in their newest adopted home of Cairns.
A Robbie Gray behind in the dying embers of the low-scoring contest saw the Saints suffer a one-point loss to Port Adelaide and bring the red, white and black crashing back to earth after five straight wins.
It's a loss that arguably wouldn't have happened had the Saints played their home game at Marvel Stadium as opposed to selling the game and heading up North. And it's not the first time this trip has cost them four points.
Last year they were also upset by Adelaide in another game you'd very much expect them to comfortably win under the roof at Marvel.
Former Port Adelaide star Kane Cornes has called into question the value of selling a home game when there is such little separating teams vying for a finals spot in 2022.
โWhat are they doing?โ Cornes said onย AFL.com.auโs The Round So Far.
โTheyโre not kicking four goals 18 (behinds) at Marvel are they?
โWhen you miss the finals by one game last year, when youโre 5-1 heading into this game and you havenโt won a premiership in 56 years, why are you selling home games and going to Cairns of all places?
The decision to sell games has been one fraught with danger for the Saints over the years with their trips around the globe only yielding a 5-8 record.
Cornes went on to say that while he understands that clubs may be facing tougher than usual financial times post-pandemic, there isn't a price he believes you can put on a win and ultimately playing in finals.
โIf that comes back to haunt them later in the year when your fans are that starved of success, no amount of money can make up for missing the big stage of the finals, which you just shouldnโt miss from 5-1," Cornes said.
โI think they need to have a really hard look at their strategy about going up and playing in that part of Australia.โ
