Saints end Cats' season

St Kilda 15.13 (103) def. Geelong 11.14 (80)

St Kilda has boosted their chances of grabbing a top four position come finals time with a solid 23-point victory over Geelong at the Telstra Dome this afternoon.

A five-goal to two third quarter by the Saints set up a 15.13 (103) to 11.14 (80) win, after they held a lead of only four points at the half.

The Cats' finals dream appears over now, sitting two wins and six percent out of eighth position with only three rounds remaining.

However, Geelong can only blame themselves after today's season-defining match, wasting their supreme midfield dominance in the first half, only to be overrun by St Kilda in the second half.

Nick Dal Santo, Jason Gram and Luke Ball were dominant throughout the afternoon for the Saints, providing plenty of run, drive and toughness around the ball.

Nick Riewoldt presented well all day, grabbing 26 disposals, nine marks and two goals, while he filled in superbly in the backline for brief periods throughout the afternoon.

Justin Koschitzke made a welcome return to football since suffering a head injury earlier in the season, booting two majors from his limited time on ground, while Fraser Gehrig kicked three.

There were few shining lights for Geelong all afternoon, but Cameron Ling and Andrew Mackie can hold their heads high with valiant performances in the midfield, while both booted two goals each.

On a further souring note, Cats veteran Peter Riccardi appears to have played his final AFL game, suffering a hamstring injury that's expected to sideline him for over three weeks.

While Geelong dictated terms early, it was a piece of brilliance that brought about the first goal of the match for St Kilda, when Aaron Fiora threaded a superb major from 45 out on the boundary.

Josh Hunt landed the first for the Cats when he set sail from the paint of 50, while Koschitzke nailed his first goal in his return match.

Both teams continued to trade goals for the term, but inaccuracy cost Geelong, who had three more scoring shots, but trailed by two points at the first change.

Three majors in the space of five minutes propelled the Cats out to a 14-point lead, while St Kilda's defence was further stretched with Max Hudghton leaving the ground with an ankle injury.

Against the run of play, the Saints cut the deficit back to two points by the 18-minute mark with two successive goals, including a gift by Harley, as Brett Voss pounced on the defender's crucial error.

Steve Johnson marked and kicked truly - his second for the stanza - to provide Geelong with reward for their midfield dominance and an eight-point buffer, but atrocious delivery to the forward line prevented the Cats from holding a sizable lead.

Geelong's supremacy in the possession and forward fifty counts amounted for little by half time, as two late goals by Justin Peckett and Dal Santo saw St Kilda win the term by two points and lead by four at the main break.

The Saints' run continued in the third quarter as they blew the game open with four goals in 13 minutes, turning a deficit of nine points prior to half time into a 25-point advantage.

Leigh Montagna, Dal Santo and Gram were the cornerstones of St Kilda's fast run, which caught the Cats off guard in the third term.

However, as Geelong arrested control out of the centre, leading to goals by Andrew Mackie and Cameron Ling, they weren't applying enough scoreboard pressure to hurt the Saints.

Montagna's late long-range major helped his team to a 20-point advantage at three quarter time, which could have been 25 if it wasn't for a desperate lunge on the goal-line by Harley on the siren.

An early goal by Raphael Clarke extended the Saints' buffer to 26 points, shutting the door on any Geelong comeback.

Both teams booted three goals for the term, but St Kilda never looked like surrendering their lead, starving the Cats of any opportunity to assume control.

Next week, Geelong will meet with Sydney at Skilled Stadium on Saturday afternoon, while the Saints will battle with Fremantle at Subiaco Oval later that evening in an enormous clash for two sides looking to snatch a top four position.

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