The Western Bulldogs have finally found themselves back on the winners list after a horror month of football, overcoming a woeful St Kilda outfit by 35 points at Etihad Stadium thanks to a stunning third quarter display.
St Kilda looked set to steamroll their opposition in the game's opening stages, keeping the Dogs goalless in the first term while putting through five of their own.
But the Bulldogs managed to completely blow their opposition out of the water, booting six goals in the second before piecing together a commanding eight-goal effort in the third as the Saints completely faded out of the contest.
Jason Johannisen was prolific with a career-best 42 possessions across half-back, while Marcus Bontempelli topped the goalscorers list with four goals, all of which were kicked in the Dogs' third quarter blitz.
The much-anticipated debut of Nathan Freeman, although not living up to the impossibly high standards, was one of the few highlights for the Saints, with his 19-disposal debut a sound beginning to his AFL career.
A non-competitive effort post half-time will leave Alan Richardson's men with a lot to think about, with the Saints at risk ofdropping to 16th position on the ladder should Gold Coast defeat Melbourne tomorrow.
With all four games proceeding tonight's clash determined by less than a goal, the Saints looked set to diverge from the norm of Round 20 with four unanswered goals in the opening term.
Although both sides adopted an attacking mindset from the get-go, with aggressive run off half-back and smooth transitional play at the forefront of their game, hitting targets up forward proved problematic.
While the Dogs managed to eventually hit up their key forwards, terrible inaccuracy plagued their ability to stamp themselves on the contest, with five behinds the only result of their 11 inside 50s.
Their field kicking fared no better, with Brad Lynch's overshot kick-out gifting Seb Ross with the first goal of the game - and his first of the season - as the Saints put the foot down with follow-up goals the Jack Newnes and Jack Lonie.
It only appeared to get uglier for the Dogs, with Roarke Smith ruled out with concussion following a Newnes tackle, while for the Saints, Josh Battle was similarly sidelined after a clash with Dale Morris.
Despite the one man down, the Saints were exceptionally clean when moving the ball out of defence, finding switches without resistance (up 33 in the uncontested possessions) thanks to Jake Carlisle, who was prolific in the opening term with 12 touches and seven marks.
While the Dogs seemed to lack urgency in their run, the Saints nevertheless coughed up numerous opportunities forward, until Tim Membrey covered up the cracks with St Kilda's fourth to gift them a 21-point lead at quarter-time.
But the Dogs managed to completely turn the tables in the second term, piling on six goals to three to obliterate the Saints' early lead and inject themselves back in the contest.
Alan Richardon's men carried on their opening form however, with Jade Gresham impossibly everywhere, winning the first centre clearance before marking inside 50 just seconds later.
Although his shot went awry, Ross doubled his seasonal goalkicking tally moments later, extending the margin to a game-high 28 points.
As the Bulldogs appeared stagnant in front of the fast-moving Saints, a bit of composure came in handy,with Fergus Greene finally registering his side's first.
While the major saved the Dogs some face, St Kilda's fluency became far more prominent as the quarter progressed, recording the one goal through Lonie as their opposition continued to bungle their opportunities in front of the big sticks altogether.
But as the visitors started to use the corridor more frequently and to greater effect, Lin Jong at last converted at the 14-minute mark of the term.
With Tom Hickey the latest casualty with a hamstring niggle, the Dogs took full advantage of the Saints' lack of talls - and Blake Acres in the ruck - by gaining the ascendancy in the clearances and piling on goals to Jack Macrae and Josh Schache.
St Kilda found themselves under the pump for the first time, yet Hickey's return a few minutes later steadied the ship, with Ross capping off the passage of play with his third goal.
It was only a temporary reprieve however, with Lachie Hunter and the returning Tory Dickson booting crucial majors in the shadows of the second term - the latter coming from som Jason Johannisen dash from half-back - to see the Dogs trail by just four points at half-time.
The Bulldogs extraordinary form was even more evident in the third term, booting eight unanswered majors - four of which were kicked by Marcus Bontempelli - to see an incredible 73-point turnaround.
In a role reversal eerily similar to the first term, St Kilda were kept to just five behinds for the term, yet the Dogs doubled the dosage of St Kilda's opening term with their impressive with their eight goals.
Patrick Lipinski wasted no time getting proceedings underway, slotting his first of the evening from a set shot to kickstart the Bulldogs' impressive run.
St Kilda had their chances with four straight behinds - including a poster from Jack Steven from 15m out - but as the Dogs' ability to move quickly and score from the back half came to the fore, the Saints' intensity totally dissipated.
The issue was further compounded by Hickey's absence throughout the third term - again the result of hamstring troubles - with Carlisle forced to come from defence and cover the rucking duties.
His move out of the back half left a massive defensive void, and as Johannisen (29 touches) continued to carve up the St Kilda midfield, the Saints' dream start to the game quickly turned into a nightmare.
As the Dogs found themselves virtually unopposed in their attacking 50, their forwards took full advantage, with Bontempelli booting three more majors, while Mitch Wallis, Hayden Crozier and Schache similarly put their names down on the scoresheet.
The situation did little to improve for the Saints, with the only positive coming from the fact they won the term two goals to one.
Jack Billings managed to squeeze through the first of the term through unconventional means, before Newnes put through his second after an exceptionally quiet night.
As the game fizzled out and the scoring dried up as the contest descended into a scrap, Schache's third goal well and truly iced the game at the 20-minute mark, with the final margin resting at 35 points.
St Kilda will have six days to rectify their form before they face Essendon at Etihad Stadium, while the Western Bulldogs will be desperate to exact revenge against North Melbourne next Sunday at the same venue.
ST KILDA 4.2 7.4 7.9 9.14 (68)
WESTERN BULLDOGS 0.5 6.6 14.12 15.13 (103)
GOALS
St Kilda: Ross 3, Lonie 2, Newnes 2, Billings, Membrey
Western Bulldogs: Bontempelli 4, Schache 3, Greene, Wallis, Crozier, Dickson, Hunter, Jong, Lipinksi, Macrae
BEST
St Kilda: Ross, Membrey, Carlisle, Geary, Gresham
Western Bulldogs: Johannisen, Bontempelli, Macrae, Schache, Dunkley, Hunter
INJURIES
St Kilda: Battle (concussion), Hickey (hamstring)
Western Bulldogs: Smith (concussion)
TALKING POINTS
1. A DROP-OFF OF EPIC PROPORTIONS
With four answered goals in the second half, St Kilda appeared to be cruising towards a comprehensive victory, with their chances of jumping to 14th position on the ladder appearing to be a certainty.
But it was all undone in the second quarter, with the Dogs piling on six goals to reduce the margin to a mere four points, before they cranked up the pressure with eight unanswered majors in the third term.
While the Dogs were thoroughly impressive through their speed and tack on the football during the two terms, more alarming was the Saints' disappearance from the contest.
Bordering non-competitive after quarter-time, St Kilda succumbed the the Dogs' onslaught, ultimately losing the contested possessions (118-127) and clearances (24-30) and narrowly winning the inside 50 count by one.
Although the game petered out in the last, the Bulldogs must be commended for pulling off one of the season's best turnarounds, and ultimately winning the four points which they have craved for so long.
2, THERE'S ALWAYS ONE...
It's already been a record week of football, with five games this round decided by less than a goal - the largest margin being four points against Hawthorn and Essendon earlier today.
But the Saints and Dogs bucked the trend, with the 35-point margin from tonight's match souring the statistical oddity.
Three games remain tomorrow - which from the outset look to be determined by substantial margins - yet as this season has proved time and time again, nothing can be considered a certainty.
3. BONT GOES BANG, JJ GOES CRAY-CRAY
The third quarter was nothing but trouble for St Kilda, but two of the Bulldogs most seasoned stars dealt the most damage - both of whom were exceptionally quiet in last week's thumping against Port Adelaide.
Marcus Bontempelli was nothing short of destructive during the Dogs' stunning turnaround, putting through four of the eight majors in the third term.
What's more remarkable is that Bontempell was kept to just two disposals at half-time, with the standing captain finishing his night with 22 disposals.
Jason Johannisen nearly doubled his teammate's possession count by match-end however, with 42 touches against his name, 10 of which were accumulated in the third term.
His damaging run from half-back was close to unstoppable, with no Saint close to preventing his speed and flair from half-back.
With Jack Steele tied up with Jack Macrae - who ultimately got off the leash and finished with 36 disposals - Johannisen was left to run rampant, and was one of the key contributors to the Saints' demise.
4. RUCKING TROUBLES
It was a case of speed over height at the St Kilda selection table this week, and although a sound move from the outset given the Dogs' tendency to run with great speed, the decision ultimately backfired.
The omissions of Sam Gilbert (194cm) and Rowan Marshall (201cm) made way for the smaller yet more nimble David Armitage and Hunter Clark, yet when Tom Hickey went down with hamstring troubles, St Kilda all but fell apart.
With the Saints reluctant to throw Jake Carlisle in the ruck, Blake Acres was left to do the rucking duties in the second term, and was unable to compete with the likes of Jordan Roughead and Jackson Trengove.
When Carlisle was tossed in the middle after Hickey was impeded by the injury again, the hole in the defence allowed the Dogs to pounce.
While teams have often opted for just the one ruckman, tonight severed as an example that it can backfire in disastrous ways.
5. FREEMAN FINALLY ENTERS THE ARENA
After 1718 days, Nathan Freeman at long last made his debut, albeit it not being the result he and the St Kilda faithful would have imagined.
Finishing his first night in the red, white and black with 19 disposals, it was a good outing for the 23-year-old debutant, who was rewarded with his first senior game after an injury-riddled four years.
Freeman should enjoy an opportunity for his second game next week, but will need to work on his tackling game, with the debutant finishing with just the three tackles, and registering none in his game against Sandringham last week.
But all in all, we're all just rapt to see him on the field.
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