By Jack Alfonso and Chris Nice
St Kilda has overcome a plucky Brisbane outfit by 25 points in what was a game of ebbs and flows which saw inconsistent patches plague both sides.
The final result could have gone either way had it not been for a five-goal final quarter from the Saints to run over the much-improved Lions.
After a scrappy opening, Paddy McCartin put the Saints ahead with the first goal of the game after Brisbane failed to capitalise on their early pressure, resulting in only two behinds.
Brisbane proceeded to respond with back-to-back goals after a heavily contested period during which both defensive structures held firm despite the ongoing press.
The pendulum continued to swing between the two sides with both sides going goal for goal,
during which Saints' No. 7 draft pick Hunter Clark kicked his first with his first kick at AFL level.
Despite losing the clearances 8-13, the Saints demonstrated great efficiency in rebounding off
the half-back flank and locking the ball inside their forward half.
Jack Billings (26 disposals) was at the forefront of the St Kilda barrage, providing a constant outlet on the half forward flank with five score involvements for the quarter.
Billings' efforts helped the Saints pile on four unanswered goals to lead Brisbane by 19 points at the first interval.
Brisbane continued to dominate clearances in the second quarter courtesy of captain Dayne Beams and the solid rucking of Stefan Martin.
Although Brisbane slotted the first two goals of the term via Eric Hipwood and Allen Christensen, the Lions failed to fully capitalise on their dominance through sloppy forward 50 entries.
Despite the best efforts of Jack Steven to galvanise his team, Brisbane continued to dominate the clearances, leading 14-25 (Beams 5, Robertson 4) while also improving their positioning behind the ball to muffle the Saints first quarter ability to rebound at pace.
With this outlet blocked, the Saints struggled to move the ball up the field, but once again, Brisbane failed to truly dominate, scoring four successive behinds as the Saints headed into the rooms with a nine-point advantage at half-time.
Coming into the third quarter, the Beams and Martin combination proved lethal, as Jarrod Berry kicked his first in the opening minute.
Jade Gresham slotted a much-needed goal to give the St Kilda some breathing room.
But the Saints' jittery start and doubt moving forward in the early stages of the term was soon pounced upon by the ruthless Lions, who kicked the next three goals to give them a lead .
It was all Brisbane for majority of the term, whose resolute defence stagnated St Kilda's run and resulted in their work rate plummeting, with only four tackles in the quarter registered.
The Lions looked like they would run away with the game as they dominated the stoppages- of which six majors resulted as opposed to St Kilda's one - and raced away to an eight-point lead.
Yet a reprieve in the Brisbane press allowed the Saints to jump right back into the game, with three unanswered goals, two of which came from Jack Steven.
Steven ended his day with a game-high 34 disposals and his electric efforts - including a skilful evasion of Luke Hodge and subsequent goal - reignited the Saints who won eight of the last 10 clearances, allowing them to gain a 10-point lead going into the final quarter.
The Lions refused to go away in the final term, bringing the margin back to six points twice in the quarter as both sides exchanged goals for the first part of the term.
Two successive goals to Tim Membrey finally broke the deadlock and ruled the Lions out.
Seb Ross ran the Lions off their feet through the midfield, racking up plenty of the ball with 16 disposals in the final term, doubling his possession count for the entire game.
With the sting taken out of the game, the Saints toyed with the despondent Lions and continued to pile on goals to run away with a hard-earned 25-point victory in front of their home crowd.
St Kilda will be given a huge opportunity to begin their season at 2-0 as they face North Melbourne next week in the Good Friday clash.
Brisbane meanwhile will be looking to notch their first win on the board against Melbourne at the Gabba on Saturday night.
ST KILDA 6.4 7.5 11.8 16.11 (107)
BRISBANE 3.3 5.8 9.10 12.10 (82)
GOALS
St Kilda: Gresham 3, Bruce 3, Billings 2, Steven 2, Membrey 2, Acres, Long, Clark, McCartin
Brisbane: Berry 3, Cameron 3, Bell, Christensen, Walker, Rayner, Hipwood, Robinson
BEST
St Kilda: Steven, Billings, Acres, Bruce, Ross, Gresham
Brisbane: Cameron, D. Beams, Martin, Robertson, Berry, Hodge
INJURIES
St Kilda: Nil
Brisbane: Rich (ankle)
TALKING POINTS
1. PATCHES OF ST KILDA BRILLIANCE WILL NOT BE SUSTAINABLE
The Saints were lucky not to be rolled over in the third term, with Jack Steven guiding the Saints back into the lead to give them the win.
If the Saints genuinely want to make a run at the top-eight in their new post-Riewoldt era, they will need to eradicate their inconsistency which has plagued them for many years.
At their best, St Kilda are unstoppable with their aggressive run, but this often comes in limited and irregular patches.
It's great when it gets them a win no doubt, but going into the season, patches of brilliance will not be enough.
2. STEFAN MARTIN IS A BEAST
Ruckmen are often overlooked in general when it comes to ranking players within sides, with many being renowned for their cult figure status rather than the importance they provide.
Stefan Martin is one such player who is easily forgotten in the Brisbane line-up, but his game today should draw him some attention.
Martin dominated the ruck battle with 42 hit-outs and 19 disposals, easily besting that of his opponent in Billy Longer, who ended his day with 22 hit-outs.
The Martin-Beams combination almost tore the Saints' midfield apart, resulting in seven clearances to the latter thanks to the former's sensational efforts.
3. LUKE HODGE IS CHRIS FAGAN'S NEW RIGHT-HAND MAN
Following his 16 seasons at Hawthorn, the arrival of Luke Hodge to Brisbane was one all AFL fans had their eyes on.
Chris Fagan has scored himself and his side a very valuable asset with Hodge acting as an assistant coach on the field, instructing the Lions at stoppages and in defence.
With 25 disposals under his name following today, Hodge will be invaluable to the Lions in terms of both skill and knowledge as not only a player, but a leader.
4. ST KILDA'S MIDFIELD IS STACKED
While it's often been said St Kilda don't boast an elite midfielder who can turn the tide of games, AFL fans should think again.
Jack Steven's 34 electric disposals, two goals and unrelenting run brought the Saints back into the game late in the third quarter, enabling them to regain the lead going into the last.
When flanked with Seb Ross (32 disposals), Blake Acres (30 disposals), Jack Billings (26 disposals), Jack Newnes (25 disposals) and David Armitage (24 disposals), the St Kilda midfield should be a problem for opposition sides with their pace and dynamic run.
The loaded midfield will also cause healthy, internal conflict, with Luke Dunstan, Maverick Weller and Jack Lonie all vying for spots in the midfield.
5. BRISBANE WILL BE A HANDFUL FOR OPPOSITIONS
The Lions certainly gave the Saints a run for their money, only bowing out in the late stages of the final term.
Chris Fagan's newly invigorated Lions - while they certainly won't be in finals contention - will be more than a fair share for opposition teams to deal with, despite many prematurely deciding the Lions would win only a handful of games at best in 2018.
With dominant ruckmen, promising youngsters and seasoned midfielders in their ranks, no side should be foolish enough as to pencil in an "easy win" against the much-improved Lions.
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