St Kilda has stunned Melbourne at the MCG with a thrilling two-point win, recording their first consecutive win of the year and their third victory overall.
When Jack Steven scored a goal with two and a half minutes left, the visitors led by 20 points, before an extraordinary late charge from the Demons sent a shiver through their hearts, but the 16th placed St Kilda hung on.
St Kilda were keen to carry on their form from the last quarter of their game against Gold Coast, but they started poorly.
Melbourne won the ball early, and intercepted whenever St Kilda tried to rebound.
Impressive youngster Bayley Fritsch kicked the first goal, and then Angus Brayshaw put through a pair in a row, as the Dees got off to a flyer.
Things threatened to get ugly for the Saints, who looked unorganised and sloppy, but they got their running game going, and at last were able to take the ball forward.
After a few opportunities, Paddy McCartin it was who scored the Saints’ first, before Jade Gresham burst off half-back and cut through the centre square like a hot knife through butter, and found Tim Membrey who made it two in a row.
Everything was going right for the Saints, as McCartin kicked his second thanks to a 50m penalty, and Gresham won a downfield free kick, with both goals were kicked from the goal square.
A dream start had gone a bit pear-shaped for the Demons, but Alex Neal-Bullen kicked a classy snap from the pocket to bring the margin back to one point at quarter-time.
The Saints were far tidier in the second term, scoring seven goals against Melbourne’s five to further their lead before the major change.
Fritsch again kicked the first goal of the quarter, showing his versatility by contesting a mark against Jake Carlisle, then crumbing his own ball and putting it through before Shane Savage responded with a trademark long-range goal.
It followed a good mark to Jack Billings, who was finding space up forward, and, in conjunction with McCartin, Gresham and Josh Battle helped make St Kilda’s forward line appear more functional than Melbourne’s.
McCartin, playing a terrific game, had a couple of difficult shots, while Carlisle and Daniel McKenzie were pretty well in control aerially when Melbourne went forward.
Tim Membrey got on the end of a beautiful pass from Carlisle and from 40m out he drilled his second to take the margin out to nine.
St Kilda, now leading the clearance battle, waltzed through their forward half towards goal, with Gresham getting on the end of a chain of handballs, and booting his second from the goal square.
Jack Viney had one possession halfway through the second quarter, as he was trying negate Jack Steven, but Oliver, Jones and the entire collective Dees’ midfield were struggling against Luke Dunstan, Jack Steven and David Armitage for the Saints.
It was Max Gawn keeping Melbourne in it, taking marks all around the ground, and finding Tom McDonald inside 50 for his first.
Christian Petracca kicked a nice goal out of a stoppage, and then James Harmes was the beneficiary of what seemed to be a very fortunate goal review.
That short burst of goals put Melbourne back in front, but Hunter Clark won a free kick for holding the ball against Jordan Lewis – who didn’t have much prior opportunity at all – and nailed it.
Steele received a bonus 50m penalty thanks to a Jake Melksham brain freeze, and kicked another as the Saints recovered from Melbourne’s mid-quarter flurry.
Jack Newnes nailed St Kilda’s 10th of the half, before Dom Tyson responded for Melbourne.
When David Armitage goaled after the siren, St Kilda’s half time score of 72 was already higher than their average score for the season of 68.
James Harmes made it two goals from two score reviews with a nice conversion from the pocket, but the Saints continued on their merry way after that, finding opportunities to score with ease.
A Gresham goal from either forward pocket in short succession took his tally to four and push the margin out to 23 with the Saints well in control.
Jesse Hogan and Membrey exchanged majors, but after St Kilda had seemed to be running Melbourne off their feet, the game finally appeared to be slowing down, and there were no more goals for the quarter.
The Saints got a dream start to the final quarter, with a goal to Jack Billings extending the lead to 27, but James Harmes trimmed the margin back down thanks to a tripping free kick as he charged towards goal.
Both midfields seemed for most of the day evenly matched, but the Demons’ ball movement had rarely been fluent over the first three quarters, due to a difference in the pressure the two sides were willing to put on.
As the situation became desperate in the final quarter the Demons lifted, and thanks to some dash from Harmes, playing a terrific half, Melksham cut the margin back to 16.
The Saints responded through Membrey, who had worked his way into the game nicely with four goals after a quiet start.
St Kilda’s defence has been under siege at times this season, but they helped keep the Demons at bay, cutting off countless attacks at half-forward or the wing.
Eventually Viney worked his way through and found Fritsch, who kicked his third goal.
The Saints’ lead had come from their intense running game all day but inevitably they tired, and in particular Lewis and Viney were taking control.
Hogan marked strongly and cut the margin back to 10 points with seven minutes to play.
Youngster Josh Battle, who had played a very good first half in a slick forward group, got himself on the scoreboard with an ice-cool set shot.
The Demons squandered a few inside 50s, before at last Jack Steven put the game seemingly beyond Melbourne’s reach to the tune of 20 points.
Fritsch kicked his fourth with a hefty snap, and Hogan followed up with his third, but there was still only a minute left.
Jack Viney charged out of the middle, and a rushed kick out of St Kilda’s goal square landed with Jordan Lewis, who brought the margin back to two points with 30 seconds left after another tense goal review.
Melbourne had the midfield ascendency all quarter but Jack Steven got the clearance, the ball went to the boundary line, and the Saints were home.
St Kilda have now won two in a row, and still have very winnable fixtures against Carlton and the Western Bulldogs to come.
Meanwhile, Melbourne will have the chance to get back on the winners list after three consecutive losses, travelling to Darwin to play Fremantle.
MELBOURNE 4.2 9.3 11.6 18.9 (117)
ST KILDA 4.3 11.6 14.10 18.11 (119)
BEST
Melbourne: Gawn, Brayshaw, Fritsch, Harmes, Viney, Jones
St Kilda: Carlisle, Gresham, McCartin, Steven, Geary, Armitage
GOALS
Melbourne: Fritsch 4, Harmes, Hogan 3, Brayshaw 2, Neal-Bullen, Petracca, McDonald, Tyson, Melksham
St Kilda: Gresham, Membrey 4, McCartin 2, Armitage, Savage, Battle, Steele, Clark, Newnes, Steven, Billings
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