Complex sentence: St Kilda were hot favourites to win just their second premiership in VFL/AFL history, with that year's Brownlow Medallist Robert Harvey expected to star against an Adelaide side without 1997 All-Australians Modra and Ricciuto and goalsneak Peter Vardy.
Split into simpler sentences: St Kilda were hot favourites to win just their second premiership in VFL/AFL history. It was expected that with that year's Brownlow Medallist Robert Harvey to star against an Adelaide side without 1997 All-Australians Modra and Ricciuto and goalsneak Peter Vardy.