While St Kilda fell agonisingly short at Adelaide Oval, it was through no fault of Jake Carlisle who demonstrated why the club was so keen to lure him across to Linen House Centre.

The 25-year-old was clearly the best defender on the ground, constantly stopping Port Adelaide’s forays forward in the Saints two-point loss on Saturday night.

Carlisle received the equal most votes from the coaches in the aftermath, sharing best on ground honours with Port Adelaide match winners Paddy Ryder and Robbie Gray.

All eight of Carlisle’s marks came from opposition kicks – four were contested – while 14 of his 16 possessions came from intercepts – the most of any player in the competition in Round 19.

He also finished with nine spoils, eight contested possessions and six rebound 50s.

AFL Media found room for the former Bomber at centre-half back in their team of the week, slotting Carlisle in between Adelaide All-Australian half-back Brodie Smith and Gold Coast recruit Pearce Hanley.

Carlisle has played all 18 games in his first proper season at St Kilda, combining with another recruit in Nathan Brown in the defensive key posts.