Cornes: Fixture exposes how irrelevant St Kilda are

The 2027 Gather Round fixture is a stark reflection of just how irrelevant St Kilda has become, according to Kane Cornes.

Despite big spending, ambitious statements and fans believing the club was on the up, 2026 was a disappointing season for Ross Lyon’s side who finished 11th on the ladder with 10 wins to their name.

And it’s a mighty switch up for the club after a prime time 2026 Gather Round showdown with Port at Adelaide Oval, 2027 will see them exiled to the Barossa to face the Cats at 2:45pm on the Sunday afternoon.

The only mouth-watering attraction to the clash will be the Saints coming up against Rohan Marshall who departed the club in dramatic fashion earlier this month after refusing to attend the Best and Fairest.

“The biggest loser out of the fixture for me is St Kilda,” Cornes said on SEN. “You go and spend all your money, load up on potential stars, or stars you think are stars that you’re paying $1.7 million a season.

“You have your ruckman leave the club in acrimonious circumstances and he goes to Geelong, and the AFL put that game on Sunday at 2:45 in Barossa Park! How irrelevant have St Kilda become?

“The Saints got to Barossa to take on Geelong and Rohan Marshall after they have got Nasiah, they have spent all their cash, they have Lyon the coach who is a character in himself.

“They are Sunday 2:45pm, that is how the AFL sees St Kilda, as much as the fans and the club want to think they have arrived.

“Other than that it’s hard to complain about the fixture.”

For Cornes’ co-host Sam Edmund, Norwood were short changed in the fixture.

“My biggest loser is Norwood,” he said. “They’ve got West Coast v Richmond into Essendon and North Melbourne.

"I know it’s a small venue and you can have a blockbuster there but that’s four teams you wouldn’t be walking over hot coals to be watching at the moment.

“Maybe the Kangas will come good. But it’s not a pair of blockbusters.”