ST KILDA has notched its third win of the season, a 22-point victory over Brisbane at The Gabba on Sunday afternoon.

While the result appears reasonably comfortable in retrospect, it was in reality a extremely hard-fought victory that not only required perseverance, but also some old fashioned grunt.

At one stage Brisbane led by 29 points, not that a five-goal deficit worries the Saints following the Western Bulldogs comeback.

Nick Riewold returned to the team and was superb, booting four goals in a role that was both high and deep.

Once again, David Armitage and Jack Steven excelled in the midfield, while Leigh Montagna and Adam Schneider impressed in on-ball/forward roles.

Armitage finished with 31 disposals, 11 clearances and two goals, while Steven was electric and registered 26 possessions. 

Notably, the Saints ground level players were superb from the second quarter onwards. Invariably every time the ball spilled free, Jack Billings, Adam Schneider and Jack Lonie were first on the scene.

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Schneider and Billings are crafty players cut from a similar cloth, while it’s Lonie’s defensive work that places him in such high regard in his first season of league football.

The Saints allowed the Lions far too much time and space in the first term, which culminated in a 28-point deficit at the first break. Brisbane’s disposal efficiency of 81 per cent was more a reflection of St Kilda’s below par pressure rather than anything else. Lewis Taylor alone hit a target with each of his 12 possessions in the first quarter.

St Kilda created a scattering of opportunities, but on each occasion Jack Newnes, Luke Dunstan and then Leigh Montagna hooked their shots on goal.

However Dunstan quickly made up for his earlier miss, snapping on his right to bring the margin back to four points less than 10 minutes into the second term.

Prior to this, Armitage had led the revival and along with Lonie, swung the momentum back St Kilda’s way.

It was a remarkable turnaround that played out in almost identical fashion to last week’s second term against West Coast. The club’s last two second quarters have yielded a combined 12 goals for and just two against.    

All up, it took just 16 minutes for St Kilda to overturn a 28-point quarter-time deficit. The word incredible should probably be reserved for Western Bulldogs-type revivals, but this was not too far off.

The icing on the second quarter cake was Adam Schneider’s clever bunt to an on-the-move Jack Billings. Aware that he didn’t have the time to take possession following a commonly termed ‘hospital handball,’ the veteran’s footballing nous shone through yet again. Riewoldt was the last in the chain and banged it home for his third.

The lead at half-time was 10 points, but soon after the main break it grew to 21 points. Three consecutive Lions majors brought the margin back to two points. By this time the contest was a far from the free-flowing affair it was in the first half.  

At the beginning of the fourth term, Maverick Weller booted a pair of Ruud van Nistelrooy-type goals from a combined distance of three metres out, handing the Saints the ascendancy at a crucial time of the game.

Daniel McKenzie again illustrated his value with a courageous mark on the wing. The first-year player did not shirk the contest despite the inevitable contact that was coming his way.

Blake Acres and Dunstan clashed heads in the third term, left the ground and then both returned to the field.

ST KILDA: 16.12 (108)

BRISBANE: 13.8 (86)

BEST: Armitage, Steven, Riewoldt, Schneider, Dunstan, Dempster

GOALS: Riewoldt 4, Armitage 2, Schneider 2, Weller 2, Dunstan 2, Steven, Lonie, Bruce

SUB: Jack Sinclair replaced Tom Hickey in the third quarter.

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