A six-goal haul from Jordan De Goey has helped the Magpies to a tough 28-point win over the Saints at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night.
In a scrappy affair between the two sides, Collingwood were able to get the ascendancy in the third term with a seven-goal quarter, which saw them break away from the Saints after being behind at the first two changes.
Collingwood once again were led fantastically by their midfield-defensive corps, as Scott Pendlebury, Tom Phillips (11 marks), Jack Crisp and Jeremy Howe (11 marks) all recorded 30 disposals, while Brodie Grundy (23 disposals, 42 hitouts, seven marks) and Steele Sidebottom (38 disposals) chipped in with brilliant performances.
Four goals to St Kilda's Jack Newnes and a solid midfield performance from Luke Dunstan were not enough to secure the Saints' second win, with the home side running out of steam after half-time and subsequently struggling to seam together fluent passages of play.
The Saints were able to get off a to flyer when Jack Lonie slotted home St Kilda's first two of the game either side of Daniel Wells' first goal of the season for the Magpies.
But the highlight of the first quarter came from the incredible efforts of De Goey, who side-stepped his way around several St Kilda defenders to slot home an incredible snap and kick his first of the game.
A late goal to Newnes in the final moments of the quarter gave the Saints a two-point lead heading into the first change, after Will Hoskin-Elliott had put the Magpies up momentarily.
The start of the second quarter was much of the same for St Kilda as Newnes slotted home his second moments after the restart to extend the lead early.
But the brief lead was met by three consecutive De Goey goals, which put the Magpies back in front before Jaidyn Stephenson kicked his first of the game to extend the Pies' lead.
Concurring amid the Magpies' scoring blitz, the news on the Collingwood injury front wasn't as positive, with Alex Fasolo going down with an ankle injury in his return game after missing the first eight games of the season.
With their opposition one man down, the Saints turned the situation around as a third goal from Newnes and goals to Jade Gresham and Jack Billings put the home side ahead by a point at half-time.
Identical to the previous quarter, Newnes opened proceedings with his fourth goal as the Saints capitalised on Collingwood's sloppiness around the ball.
But this dominance was halted when Stephenson and Josh Thomas kicked consecutive goals to put the Pies back in front.
It would only get worse for St Kilda as Wells and De Goey kicked another, with the latter making it five goals from an incredible five kicks, before Tom Phillips extended the lead with a brilliant snap along with a "go-to-sleep" celebration in reference to his concussion last week against Geelong.
Shane Savage was able to pull one back but late goals to captain Pendlebury - who was brilliant all night - and De Goey with his sixth on the buzzer made it a 28-point lead heading into the final change.
The last quarter saw the game fizzle out, with only late goals to Gresham and Hoskin-Elliott rounding out the result, sending the Magpies to 10th on the ladder and improving their record for the season to 5-4.
Collingwood host the Western Bulldogs on Friday night at Etihad Stadium, while the Saints face a daunting task when they come up against the reigning premiers, Richmond, on Saturday afternoon at the MCG.
ST KILDA 3.5 7.7 9.9 10.12 (72) COLLINGWOOD 3.3 7.6 14.7 15.10 (100)
GOALS St Kilda: Newnes 4, Lonie 2, Gresham 2, Billings, Savage
Collingwood: De Goey 6, Stevenson 2, Wells 2, Hoskin-Elliott 2, Thomas, T. Phillips, Pendlebury
BEST St Kilda: Steven, Newnes, Dunstan, Sinclair, Ross Collingwood: De Goey, Sidebottom, Pendlebury, Howe, Crisp, T. Phillips, Grundy
INJURIES St Kilda: Brown (leg) Collingwood: Fasolo (right ankle)
Talking Points
1. SHOW ME DE MONEY!
Jordan De Goey is wearing a stamp on his forehead saying "show me the money" after his blistering six-goal performance.
11 goals in three games of football, with a haul of over five in two of them, is only the tip of the iceberg of what De Goey can do when he is fully firing.
Playing as a deep forward due to the Magpies' injury-hit attacking line-up and the their firing midfield, he has been able to show his wealth with two incredible goalkicking displays setting the benchmark for the rest of his season.
Two of his goals on the night, which he slotted with brilliant class and mesmerised his opponents, showed his class and smoothness in difficult areas.
With a knack of making something from nothing, you would think De Goey's agent will be fielding many calls this week.
There's no doubt the Pies need to do everything they possibly can to keep him in the black-and-white beyond this season.
2. SAINTS REALLY MISSING MEMBREY HELP
There is no secret the Saints are really missing Josh Bruce and Paddy McCartin in their forward line as Tim Membrey continues to struggle in front of goals.
You could also argue they are missing retired forward and club champion Nick Riewoldt, with their forward line devoid of confidence and leadership as they continue to miss easy set shots.
Membrey, who kicked three behinds for the night, was not long ago one of the best set-shots in the AFL, but as of late, his form in front of the big sticks has brought little return and led to a lot of criticism.
Due to only himself and Rowan Marshall being the Saints only fit key forwards, they have to persist with Membrey or try an entirely different structure up top.
Could Jake Carlisle be thrown forward upon return?
Time to move the magnets around, Richo.
3. PIES MIDFIELD SETTING THE BAR ONCE AGAIN
It is no secret the Collingwood midfield is absolutely stacked with talent, and last night proved just that.
With Scott Pendlebury leading the way alongside the brilliance of Steele Sidebottom, Adam Treloar, Brodie Grundy and Taylor Adams - who all played their roles brilliantly - the Pies' midfield, when firing, are close to the best in the league.
Alongside the red-hot form Tom Phillips and Jack Crisp who add extra spice to the deep Magpies midfield, there's no doubt their centre attack is nothing short of formidable.
Coupled by the added heavy disposal count for defenders such as Jeremy Howe and Matthew Scharenberg, the Pies are firing on all cylinders, with their work around the ball all season being incredible.
With Daniel Wells and Jordan De Goey playing more of a role up forward, you can't help but think the Magpies are still in first-gear .
With how good their midfield is, the signs of their potential are no doubt scary.
4. PUT THE CUE IN THE RACK, PLAY THE KIDS
The Saints' season is all but over as they now sit 1-1-7, with their solitary win of the season coming from the opening round against Brisbane.
Alan Richardson must now begin to look to the future and consider playing the young kids; something which Saints fans hoped would run concurrent to a successful season.
The external and internal expectations were for the Saints to play finals, but with their hopes of making the eight all but out of reach, it is now time to focus on Plan B and look at unearthing some new talent.
Ed Phillips looks like a quality find, while Hunter Clark and Nick Coffield have loads of potential.
Rowan Marshall has potential and Bailey Rice was serviceable on debut, but there are still more young Saints who are yet to be fully blooded, including Hugh Goddard, Josh Battle, Logan Austin and the injury-riddled Nathan Freeman.
The Tigers await the Saints next week, who need to show something to keep their fans engaged for the remainder of the season.
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