Saints kick off 2007 in style

St Kilda 13.15 (93) def. Melbourne 9.8 (62)

ST KILDA has extracted revenge for their semi-final loss to Melbourne last season, giving new coach Ross Lyon a dream start to his coaching career with a convincing 31-point win at the MCG tonight.

Despite taking nearly 20 minutes to register their first goal and looking sluggish for much of the first quarter, the Saints booted nine goals to two in the middle two quarters to kick off their 2007 campaign in style.

There was no Nick Riewoldt or Aaron Hamill up forward, making Lyon's task tougher, but four goals to Fraser Gehrig and two from the returning Justin Koschitzke highlighted a very different outfit than fans were used to seeing under Grant Thomas, one based on ferocious ball pressure and closing down space.

The night was soured further for Demon supporters with Brock McLean hobbling off with a suspected broken foot, while a heavy collision early on between Matthew Whelan and Luke Ball left the former out of action and the ladder mummified, a look the latter has adopted in recent times.

Jayden Attard, playing his first game in St Kilda colours was very good all night, keeping the electric Aaron Davey goalless, while Leigh Montagna was best on ground, combining with Xavier Clarke and Aaron Fiora to repeatedly drive the Saints forward. Ball, Lenny Hayes and Robert Harvey were industrious as per usual, while former Crow Matthew Clarke impressed on debut for the Moorabbin outfit.

For Melbourne, it was it's two key forwards, David Neitz and Russell Robertson who stood up in front of a disappointing midfield display, snagging three goals apiece, while Ben Holland, Jeff White and the midfield trio of Travis Johnstone, Nathan Jones and James McDonald tried hard all night.

Unlike the last time they met, it was the Demons who got an early jump, having the first three goals on the board through Neitz, Robertson and Brad Green, before Steven Baker - who was getting an early runaround by Johnstone - slotted St Kilda's first.

Robertson added his second soon after, before Brendan Goddard kicked truly after a clever mark to keep his side within touch, with wasteful kicking perhaps costing the Saints the lead, having hit the post three times in the opening 15 minutes.

White opened the second quarter in style for the Demons, kicking his first to take the margin out to 14 points, but that's where the joy ended for Neale Daniher's men. Two quick goals in succession from Xavier Clarke and Koschitzke cut the margin to only a couple of points, before an Andrew McQualter mongrel punt gave St Kilda the lead.

Baker added his second before Gehrig finally got on the board, and suddenly it was five in a row, with the Saints winning all the contests around the ground, with a wall built across half-forward not allowing Melbourne defenders to get the ball out of their back half. In the end it took a freak goal from Robertson, his third, to stem the tide, with the jack-in-the-box spearhead miraculously converting while lying on his back to keep the halftime margin under two goals.

Any hope of a red and navy revival was dashed within the first dozen minutes of the third, as two Gehrig goals - one from a 50-metre penalty - and another to veteran champion Harvey had the margin at 28 points, the Saints having kicked eight of the game's last nine majors.

Koschitzke added his second as the tri-coloured train continued to build up steam, with the Demons looking a shadow of the side which beat St Kilda in last year's elimination final, and perhaps proving McLean to be their most important player. In the end it was a goalless quarter for the home side, as the Saints wasted further opportunities to extend a 37-point margin after three.

A no doubt scathing Daniher spray in the huddle had it's desired effect as Neitz goaled within 40 seconds of the start of the final term, but a disciplined Saints outfit continued to flood the midfield and make space a precious commodity, and another 50-metre penalty gifted Gehrig his fourth, after Adem Yze directed abuse at the umpire.

Neitz added his third soon after and Cameron Bruce converted to bring the margin back to four goals, but an uncharacteristic miss from the skipper at the 19-minute mark meant it was all in vain for he and his men, as they will try to regroup for round two, while anxiously awaiting results of McLean's x-ray.

Next week, St Kilda travel north to the Gabba to tackle on Brisbane, while the Demons take on Hawthorn at the MCG.

	Qtr Time	Half Time	3 Qtr Time	Final
Melbourne	4. 3 (27)	6. 3 (39)	6. 5 (41)	9. 8. (62)
St Kilda	2. 7 (19)	7. 7 (49)	11.12 (78)	13.15. (93)

Melbourne
Goals: Neitz 3, Robertson 3, Green, White, Bruce
Best: Robertson, Neitz, McDonald, Holland, Jones

St Kilda
Goals: Gehrig 4, Baker 2, Koschitzke 2, Goddard, X. Clarke, McQualter, Harvey, Fiora
Best: Montagna, X. Clarke, Gehrig, Attard, Fiora, Baker, Goddard

Injuries - Melbourne: Brock McLean (foot). St Kilda: nil.
Reports - Melbourne: nil. St Kilda: nil.

Umpires: S. McBurney, M. Stevic, S. Meredith
Crowd - 49,490 @ the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Votes - Player of the Year:
3 - L. Montagna (St K), 2 - X. Clarke (St K), 1 - F. Gehrig (St K).

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