St Kilda trip over the line

St Kilda 13.10 (88) def. Richmond 11.11 (77)

St Kilda have fought off a valiant second-half challenge by Richmond to prevail by 11 points at the Telstra Dome this evening.

The Tigers snuck in front early in the final term after being down by as much as four goals in the third quarter, before the Saints drilled the last two goals of the match to secure the victory.

Both sides were forced to make late changes, with St Kilda veteran Justin Peckett replacing Luke Ball, who was sidelined by an abdominal strain, while Richmond ruckman Greg Stafford was forced out with a calf injury, in place for Daniel Jackson.

To add insult to injury, the Tigers also suffered injuries to Jay Schulz (collarbone), and seven-gamer Will Thursfield (knee).

Robert Harvey (24 possessions) and Lenny Hayes (26 possessions) were inspirational for the Saints, while Nick Riewoldt (17 possessions, 8 marks, three goals) provided a formidable target up forward.

For Richmond, Joel Bowden (34 possessions) and Patrick Bowden (18 possessions, three goals) were superb, while Kayne Pettifer found the big sticks on three occasions.

A fast and furious encounter began in sensational style for the Tigers, with Greg Tivendale sending the ball through the big sticks inside the first two minutes, and giving the Tigers the early ascendancy.

St Kilda replied immediately, booting three majors in quick succession, with the big-bodied Frasier Gehrig slotting two in a minute, followed by a Nick Dal Santo special from the 50-metre arc.

Jackson and Riewoldt then exchanged goals for their respective sides, before the erratic Matthew Richardson booted a six-pointer in the shadows of quarter-time, to cut the deficit back to five points at the break.

Richmond kicked off the second term in similar fashion to the first, with Patrick Bowden snapping a sensational goal within the first 30 seconds of the quarter, and in doing so, handed his team a one-point lead.

St Kilda then proceeded to lift the tempo, booting three consecutive goals through Aaron Fiora, Xavier Clarke and Leigh Montagna, stretching the lead out to 19 points.

Both sides slotted two goals more goals before half-time, and at the long break, the Saints led by 18 points.

The premiership term began well for St Kilda, with veteran Robert Harvey slotting the first six-pointer of the quarter, and stretching the Saints lead out to 24 points.

An undisciplined act from Matt Maguire handed Kayne Pettifer his second goal of the night, which resulted in the deficit being cut to 18 points.

This goal provided the spark for the Tigers, as the boys from Punt Road slammed on three of the next four majors of the term, and in doing so slashed the deficit back to five points at the break.

In a stagnant final term, it took 13 minutes for the first major of the term to be registered, with Richmond ruckman Troy Simmonds booting a major to give the Tigers a one-point lead.

The boys from Moorabbin replied almost immediately, with Riewoldt slotting his third goal of the night, and in doing so, handed the Saints a 6-point lead.

Hayes then dug deep and produced some of his best, slotting a six-pointer from the 50-arc, and sending St Kilda fans into a frenzy, as they grabbed a 12-point lead.

The goal from Hayes essentially iced the cake for the boys from Moorabbin, as they hung on for an 11-point victory.

Next week, St Kilda again take to the spotlight of Friday night football when they take on Brisbane at Telstra Dome, while the Tigers travel west to take on the might of the West Coast Eagles at Subiaco on Saturday night.

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