ST KILDA has ended its season with a 95-point loss to West Coast at Domain Stadium.

The Saints were competitive in the first half, but as was the case against Sydney in round 22, struggled to match it with their opponents after the main break.

The Eagles were hungry following an unexpected defeat last week, and motivated by a second-place finish and a home qualifying final next week, they put the Saints to the sword in the second half.

Leigh Montagna was prolific again, collecting 33 disposals. It  was the sixth time this season the veteran notched 30 or more touches.

Fellow midfielders, Jack Steven and David Armitage were also strong in an engine room that was soundly beaten. The duo, who will most likely fight it out for the Trevor Barker Award next week, were well supported by ever-improving ball-winner Seb Ross. Each of Ross, Armitage, Steven and Montagna also finished with high tackle numbers.

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St Kilda was slow out of the blocks, conceding the first  four goals. Yet rather than crawl into their shell, the Saints continued to be bold in their ball movement and took the game on.

Dylan Roberton, Sean Dempster and Farren Ray all spent time as the loose man behind the ball as Alan Richardson’s men gradually halted West Coast’s momentum.

The result was a mini fight back which saw them kick two consecutive majors and head into the first break trailing by just 15 points.

Brodie Murdoch booted the first of the quarter and Josh Bruce the second to momentarily arrest the flow of the contest.

Twelve minutes into the second term, St Kilda had 65 possessions to West Coast’s 28 for the quarter. Not only had the Saints managed to halt the flow of goals from the Eagles, but they began to dominate the contest everywhere but on the scoreboard.

It was not until the 15th minute when the first West Coast goal was registered, by Josh Hill. Callum Sinclair then kicked West Coast’s sixth and St Kilda could have been forgiven for feeling a touch flat given its dominance early in the term.

Immediately after Sinclair out-marked Hugh Goddard, the recently turned 19-year-old was moved forward and almost created a goal for teammate Josh Bruce before kicking one of his own. The value of a swingman, regardless of experience, can never be underestimated. Much like a pace-bowling all-rounder in cricket, it’s like having two players in one. Goddard’s slick finish exemplified his mouth-watering potential. Tonight was just his eighth AFL game.

Cruelly, the Saints ended the second quarter with a bigger deficit than they started it with. It was a classic case of creating opportunities and then failing to take them. West Coast’s first 20 entries inside 50 yielded 14 scoring shots, while St Kilda’s first 21 forward entries netted just six scoring shots.

The Eagles ran away with the game in the third term, booting six majors to the Saints one and effectively ended the contest before the three-quarter-time siren.

Adam Simpson’s men gained the ascendancy in the clearances, winning the all-important statistic 12-5 for the term. Once the ball was won in the clinches, the likes of Andrew Gaff and Matthew Priddis used it with great efficiency, allowing Coleman Medallist-elect Josh Kennedy to kick 3.4 for the quarter.

The rest of the game played out in predictable fashion, with spurts of strong St Kilda play juxtaposed by Eagle dominance.

All that was left to reflect on was the 2015 season, a year in which the Saints notched six-and-a-half wins but tired late in the final fortnight.

The positives for the season far outweigh the negatives, but the stark reality is that while St Kilda is in within touching distance of the middle-ranked teams, there is still a considerable gap between Richardson’s men and the very top teams.

Nevertheless, good times are ahead. Patience and another strong summer on the track is what is required in the interim.

ST KILDA: 2.1 3.5 4.5 4.6 (30)
WEST COAST: 4.4 7.7 13.14 18.17 (125)

Goals: Bruce 2, Goddard, Murdoch
Best: Montagna, Geary, Ross, Steven, Armitage, Dunstan

Substitute: Sinclair replaced Goddard at half-time.

Late change: Jack Sinclair replaced Darren Minchington in the 22.

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