The Tigers booted six goals to the Saints one in a thoroughly dominant opening quarter that put Alan Richardson’s men firmly on the back foot.
St Kilda won the second and third terms, if only by four points and a goal respectively, but this resolve not only stemmed the flow, but gave the Saints an outside chance of victory heading into the final quarter.
It was a performance that closely resembled last week’s efforts against West Coast, not just in terms of the final margin, but also in relation to St Kilda’s inability to boot more that two goals in a row at any time during the match.
As much as the Saints valiantly pushed and probed at various times, their struggles were never vindicated with a cheap goal or two. Rather, each and every score had to be scrapped and clawed for. To Richmond’s credit, nothing came easy for the Saints and the physical effects were evident late.
And despite the relative evenness of the game after quarter-time, the contest always looked skewed in the yellow and black’s favour after its the first term.
Unsurprisingly, Trent Cotchin was the architect early on, booting three goals and gathering 11 disposals in a superb opening 30 minutes of footy.
St Kilda simply couldn’t get its hands on the ball, trailing the Tigers 83-117 at the first break for total disposals. The eventual differential in this category was 86 touches - illustrating just how superior Damien Hardwick's inside midfielders were in the clinches.
On a positive note, the Saints backline generally held up all afternoon, with midfielder Cotchin the only Tiger to kick more than two majors for the game.
After a couple of first-term goals, Luke Delaney enjoyed yet another solid outing, this time on Jack Riewoldt, while James Gwilt and Jimmy Webster provided serviceable rebound and precise skills from defence.
Another promising sign, despite the defeat, was the form of Shane Savage. The ex-Hawk is relishing his new role at half-back and gathered 26 touches at an efficiency of 81 percent to complement his 21 disposals last Sunday.
Cameron Shenton’s second career-goal brought the margin back to three goals in the third term – but the fightback was only brief, with Tyrone Vickery the recipient of a free kick almost immediately after the ex-rookie’s clinical finish. Prior to Vickery's goal, St Kilda possessed all the momentum, but following it, the result seemed a foregone conclusion.
Darren Minchington’s injection into the game was pivotal, with the youngster booting a goal and immediately causing headaches for the Tigers’ defence. He was subbed in at the expense of Tom Simpkin, who had two shots on goal and looked dangerous at times, without possessing the X-factor rapid pace and silky skills of Minchington.
Jack Billings, who was coming off 25 disposals last week, gathered 10 in the first half and looked set for another uplifting performance. Yet such is the steep learning curve the 18-year-old is on, he was closely tracked by tagger Steven Morris in the third and fourth terms and could only collect a further two possessions for the game.
ST KILDA: 11.7 (73)
RICHOMD: 18.9 (117)
GOALS:
Stanley 2, Minchington 2, Simpkin, Riewoldt, Milera, Longer, Hayes, Shenton, Steven
BEST:
Savage, Steven, Montagna, Longer, Shenton, Weller
