Australian Football

Match Report

The first match played at Docklands for 2017 was billed as a battle between the two sides - St Kilda and Melbourne - most likely to jump into the top eight this season and the game was eagerly anticipated by fans and football media alike. The Saints finished just out of the eight last year with 12 wins, while Melbourne had won 10 matches in 2016 to continue it's improvement of recent years. 

St Kilda had the historical advantage, the Demons not having beaten the Saints in more than a decade, and Melbourne's recent record at Docklands had also been abysmal. 

All that was forgotten when the ball was bounced to start the match - or the Demons at least hoped it would be forgotten, and it looked like that would be the case as they scored goals through Jeff Garlett and Billy Stretch after Jack Billings had opened the match with a goal for St Kilda. From there, though, Melbourne's players and fans must have wondered if history was to repeat again, as the Saints kicked the next five majors - two to evergreen veteran Nick Riewoldt - to lead by 23 points at quarter time.

A mark and goal to Jack Watts pulled one back for the Demons at the start of the second quarter but Riewoldt's third goal had the margin back out to 24 points after four minutes later, and things were looking ominous for Melbourne. Then, the game underwent a sudden and complete transformation. A goal to debutant Mitch Hannan at the seven-minute mark triggered an avalanche of Demons goals that did not stop until well until the third term.

The run saw Melbourne lead by eight points at half time and that margin stretched to 34 before Riewoldt finally brought the Demons' 10 goals in a row to halt with his fourth at the 13-minute mark of the third quarter. From that point on the contest became more even but from St Kilda's viewpoint, the damage had been done and Melbourne cruised to a 30-point win, its first victory over the Saints since John Howard had been Prime Minister.

Things went from bad to worse in the last quarter for St Kilda when Riewoldt went down clutching his knee with what looked to be a serious knee injury. Scans later revealed no structural damage but the Saint champion is likely to miss several weeks.

For Melbourne, it was all good news. Clayton Oliver (35 possessions) and ex-Hawk Jordan Lewis (32 disposals, nine marks) were outstanding in the win and the Demons will go into next week's match against Carlton at the MCG with supreme confidence. The Saints on the other hand will start at long odds against West Coast in Perth.

GOALS
St. Kilda: Riewoldt 4; Gresham 3; Billings, Armitage, Membrey, Lonie, Dunstan, Bruce
Melbourne: Garlett, Hogan 3; Hannan, Petracca 2; Stretch, Watts, Weideman, Jetta, Vince, Neal-Bullen, Brayshaw, Jones

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
St. Kilda: Riewoldt, Gresham, Billings, Steven, Steele
Melbourne: Oliver, Lewis, Gawn, N Jones, Vince, Hogan, Jetta, Garlett

BEST - THE SUNDAY AGE
St. Kilda: Riewoldt, Gresham, Gearye
Melbourne: Lewis, Oliver, Gawn, Hogan, Jones, T McDonald, Petracca

INJURIES
St. Kilda: Paddy McCartin (hamstring tightness) replaced in selected side by Jack Lonie, Nick Riewoldt (knee)
Melbourne: Joel Smith (left shoulder), Max Gawn (back tightness)

UMPIRES: Chamberlain, Fleer, Ryan

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Dwayne Russell, Paul Roos, Brad Johnson, David King