ST KILDA 3.4 Â 9.9 Â 17.11 Â 20.15 (135)Â MELBOURNE 5.3 Â 8.3 Â 11.5 Â 15.6 (96)
Goals: St Kilda: T Membrey 5 J Bruce 3 N Riewoldt 3 B Acres 2 J Sinclair 2 D Armitage J Gresham J Newnes L Dunstan M Weller. Melbourne: J Hogan 7 J Watts 2 S Frost 2 D Kent D Tyson N Jones T Bugg.
Best – St Kilda: Riewoldt, Acres, Membrey, Steven, Sinclair, Dunstan, Hickey. Melbourne: Hogan, Viney, Jones, Bugg, Vince.
Injuries: St Kilda: D Armitage (groin), S Ross (shoulder). Melbourne: C Salem (concussion).
Umpires: Simon Meredith, Robert Findlay, Nick Brown.
Official Crowd: 27,260 at Etihad Stadium.
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Saints humble Demons
An inspirational performance from Nick Riewoldt led St Kilda to a crushing 39-point win over an insipid Melbourne.
Form suggested Melbourne should beat St Kilda on Saturday. Two variables suggested otherwise, one, the venue, and two, the opponent. By the end of this game, it would be the latter factors that would prevail, comprehensively. And the Demons lamenting how painful it can be being on the wrong end of history regardless of how well you've been playing.
Etihad Stadium has been a graveyard for Melbourne, whose previous appearance there produced the Demons' first win at the ground in 23 attempts. St Kilda have been a consistent nemesis, racking up a dozen consecutive wins over the Demons since the 2006 elimination final.
Those numbers are now one win in 24 attempts, and 13 straight wins to the Saints, who should this week be the subject of some of the same bouquets that have been lavished upon Melbourne lately.
Melbourne had the better of the first five minutes of this game, and another little spell midway through the first term, but beyond that it was St Kilda making the running.
They tackled fiercely. They ran hard. They pulled back a three-goal deficit to lead by at least as much within half a quarter. And they put the issue beyond doubt with an explosive eight-goal third term.
Things couldn't have started any better for the Demons, nor their prize spearhead Jesse Hogan, who had his side's first two goals of the game on the board within three-and-a-half minutes, the first a "gimme" from teammate Dean Kent, the next from a lovely pass from Tom Bugg.
Indeed, after more than five minutes of this game, St Kilda had had the ball past the centreline just once, fleetingly. It was something of a surprise when the Saints finally conjured one. But the way they did so was telling, too.
Jack Steven got the ball to Nick Riewoldt, who spotted Tim Membrey in more open space than you might expect to find in the entire Docklands precinct, let alone inside Etihad Stadium.
He duly strolled in for the first, and a few minutes later Riewoldt himself added the second with a nice snap, Membrey returning the favour by creating a contest and the resultant crumbs.
This was shaping as an entertaining spectacle, but certainly not one for those who like their football close and tight, with both team's forward set-ups given space time and time again.
Riewoldt was one obvious beneficiary, and the other was Hogan for the Demons. By half-time, the former had racked up 10 marks, 3.2, 16 disposals and three score assists. Hogan had five of Melbourne's eight goals. Both must have been wishing they could have this amount of latitude every week.
In the end, Hogan finished with seven of Melbourne's 15 goals, Riewoldt only with those three first-half goals. But the veteran had so many more teammates putting up their hands to help.
Membrey, for starters, who finished a career-best five goals. Blake Acres, who had 28 disposals, kicked a couple of goals and racked up four score assists. Jack Sinclair, who kicked a couple of goals at important moments and oozed class. Luke Dunstan. Jack Steven. And ruckman Tom Hickey, who at least broke even with man-of-the-moment Max Gawn.
Melbourne had their last period of control late in the opening term with a run of three goals, two of them to Sam Frost. But St Kilda's burst of four in a row to start the second was even more impressive, all within the first nine minutes.
From then, the Demons did no better than break even. Until the Saints put the foot to the floor when it mattered.
Membrey had a third-term picnic with three of his goals coming in the eight-goals-to-three quarter. Josh Bruce began to exert more of an influence up forward. And the Demons continued to offer their opponents just far too much room in which to work.
The margin got out as far as eight goals late in the third term, before a pretty redundant exercise saw both teams swap scores in the last.
That, however, didn't detract from the atmosphere which greeted St Kilda as they left the ground. The Saints have deserved more than their 1-4 record before this important win. Now they have a scoreline more in keeping with their efforts.
They'll have a score of future opponents pretty wary about the dangers of not bringing your A-game when you take on Alan Richardson's team.Â
And they'll have a few Melbourne people once again wondering just when they might get the better of the Saints. And when playing at Docklands will stop seeming some sort of Bermuda triangle for the Demons.
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