AFTER a sluggish start, St Kilda is marching towards the finals in
winning form, defeating last-placed Melbourne by 47-points at the MCG.

With the Saints already entrenched in top position, the Demons weren’t
able to send off its trio of departing stars – Russell Robertson,
Matthew Whelan and Paul Wheatley - in winning fashion, going down 10.7
(67) to the Saints 17.12 (114).



But the win may have come at a cost for the Saints, with star
midfielder Lenny Hayes leaving the ground late in the final quarter and
spending some time in the rooms with what appeared to be hamstring
tightness.

After a lacklustre first-quarter, Nick Dal Santo and Hayes had 39 and
37 possessions respectively to lead the Saints midfield brilliantly in
front of 36, 748 fans.

Nick Riewoldt returned to sparkling form, kicking six goals while he
was well supported by Justin Koschitzke, who took 10 marks in promising
signs for the Saints.

For Melbourne, the emergence of Cale Morton (36 possessions) and Liam
Jurrah (four goals) will have the Demons fans excited about the future.

Robertson, Whelan and Wheatley struggled in their final game for the
Demons, however Robertson did kick a memorable goal in the last quarter
and was swamped by supporters on the boundary line.

Wheatley also kicked a memorable bomb from outside 50m late in the final quarter and was duly mobbed by teammates.

Playing its first game at the MCG this season, the Saints struggled as
the Demons made them pay with sloppy entries forward and loose checking
down back.

While St Kilda had plenty of the ball through the midfield, the
delivery forward failed to find a target, allowing Morton and Clint
Bartram to rebound from defence.

Colin Sylvia (12-first quarter possessions including eight marks) and
Jurrah provided the spark for the Demons in the first quarter. Jurrah's
two goals gave the Dees a two-goal lead at quarter-time.

But the Saints worked their way back into the contest in the
second-quarter, thanks to Dal Santo’s 16 possessions – including a
classy goal from a standing shot in the forward pocket - and Riewoldt
finally getting his hands on the ball.

Riewoldt kicked three second-quarter goals to hand the Saints a
one-goal lead at the main break, highlighted by a brilliant leap and
pack mark right on the siren, which the captain converted.

The Saints began the third term where they left off, extending the
margin to 27-points and exerting their dominance around the stoppages
and across half-back.

But two goals inside two minutes to Jurrah reduced the deficit to just
16-points at the final break, and Melbourne was still in the contest.

With both sides trading behinds early in the final quarter, St Kilda
ran away with the game, kicking the last five goals of the game to
record a 47-point win.


Melbourne 4.2 6.5 8.6 10.7 (67)
St Kilda 2.2 7.5 10.10 17.12 (114)

GOALS
Melbourne: Jurrah 4, Jamar, Miller, Moloney, Robertson, Sylvia, Wheatley
St Kilda: Riewoldt 6, Koschitzke 2, Milne 2, Dal Santo, Dempster, Gilbert, Gram, McQualter, Montagna, Schneider

BEST
Melbourne: Sylvia, Morton, Jurrah, Dunn, McDonald, Bartram
St Kilda: Riewoldt, Dal Santo, Hayes, Montagna, Goddard, Gram

INJURIES
Melbourne: Whelan (hamstring), Wheatley (calf)
St Kilda: Hayes (hamstring tightness)
Reports: Nil

Umpires: Donlon, Kamolins, Mollison
Official crowd: 36,748 at MCG