Live: Pies coach confirms major injury blow, as Saints host the Lions

The Lions extend their lead quarter time lead by 16 points and look like the better group across the ground.

Dayne Zorko leads the field with 20 touches, but there are winners all over the ground for the Lions, with important contributions from Lachie Neale and Will Ashcroft in the guts, while Eric Hipwood and Logan Morris have shown flashes of brilliance up forward.

The Saints have made their tactical sub early to get Zak Jones into the game, and he’s looked like their best player since coming on.

Kai Lohmann has his shoulder strapped and should start the second half, but any more contact to that shoulder and they could pull him from the game.

The arsenal for the Lions up forward just keeps growing, even without Joe Daniher.

Lachie Neale picks a loose Logan Morris out the back in the pocket. He takes the grab and kicks the set shot truly. It’s a game high lead.

And it looks  like Lohmann is back up from the rooms.

After that hit in the first quarter from Liam Stocker, Lohmann has now gone down into the rooms cradling his shoulder.

He made a marking contest early in the second quarter where he looked OK, but has struggled since then.

He can’t catch a break Lohmann. He’s been subbed out injured from every game he’s played this season.

No sub yet but he looks like a candidate.

Seems like a statement sub from Ross Lyon, with Garcia coming out of the game with four touches and one tackle.

Saints confirm the sub is ‘tactical’.

It’s out to a five goal lead as Lachie Neale kicks truly from the set shot about 35m out.

It comes after Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera is pinged for a 50m penalty after knocking the ball out of Neale’s hands – and it’s definitely there. He didn’t hit it hard but he got it hard enough that Neale allowed it to drop out of his hands.

Bad blue from the Saints star.

He’s all over the place at the moment Eric Hipwood.

This time he gets on the end of a Hugh McCluggage pass that appears to be directed at Oscar McInerney, but it goes over the top to a diving Hipwood.

It almost looks deliberate. But surely not.

Hipwood is killing them.

And the Lions answer straight back.

Kai Lohmann – who appears fine by the way – has his marking attempt spoiled and it’s Logan Morris that roves it perfectly and snaps truly.

It’s a game of roving snaps at the moment and I’m here for it.

Higgins and Mason Wood are proving headaches for the Lions at the moment.

Wood is the man that takes the mark outside 50 and drives the kick in to a contest. The pill spills forward and Higgins roves it perfectly, and snaps the goal!

Cam Rayner and Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera both have 11 touches, but Rayner’s have looked more damaging so far.

Eric Hipwood has been the most dangerous forward and should have had three had he not missed an easy set shot.

We’re underway in the second quarter.

The quarter ends just after a free kick given away by Liam Stocker after a bump on Kai Lohmann.

The hit locked dramatic as Lohmann spun in the air, but I can’t see how it’s a free kick. He doesn’t get him high, and it looks like a case of the umpire reacting to the aftermath rather than the action.

Lohmann is hurt too, as he holds his arms. We’ll keep an eye on it.

Overall an ugly quarter for the Saints as the Lions dominated territory throughout, and should have had a much bigger lead if not for poor kicking and some spilled marks.

After ages of virtually nothing happening in the attacking sense, we’re going end to end now!

This time Hipwood takes the unopposed mark from the kick from the centre circle after his opponent slipped over.

Lions out by 18 and Hipwood is looking dangerous.

This time it’s a nice bit of attacking work from Max Hall that sees the ball end up with Jack Higgins in a marking contest.

Higgins decides to play on and snaps truly.

Lions by 12.

Disappointing for the Saints that.

Hipwood roves a chaos ball inside the F50 and hooks a beauty on the run, having just missed a pretty simple set shot.

Lions back out to 18 points.

They’ve played incredibly ugly footy so far, but St Kilda’s first goal comes from a beautiful string of footy.

Mason Wood spoils in a marking contest on the defensive side of the wing and roves his own work, before hitting up Lance Collard on a lovely long pass. Collard is wide open, and he kicks long to Rowan Marshall in the goal square who dribbles it through.

Beautiful footy.

I am still here, we’ve just gone a looooong time without a major.

A lovely bit of roving from Zac Bailey in the forward pocket sees him handball to a free Kai Lohmann, who gets it back to Bailey, who snaps truly on the run.

It’s been messy so far and the Lions have all the territory.

Brisbane by 17 points.

It’s taken six and half minutes but we’re finally on the board.

It comes from a really risky kick from Rohan Marshall out of the ruck that goes backwards from about 20m out directly in front. Two Saints defenders then clash in the air, as Lachie Neale stayed down and collected the crumbs.

Lions lead by 7.

Mitch Owens has taken a beauty on the wing and held it to the ground, but the umpire called touched off the boot so the mark doesn’t count.

It’s disappointing because it’d be a contender in a year that so far doesn’t have any stand out grabs.

Still no majors six minutes in but the Lions are winning the geography battle.

If you’ve missed it, Jack Payne is out of this game with illness and has been replaced by Darcy Gardiner.

Like-for-like but that’s a tough start for the Lions.

Here’s how they’re lining up today.

The Anzac Day ceremony has been acknowledged and we’re good to go at Docklands.