THE CLASH between two teams expected to figure in the lower half of the ladder grew more interesting last weekend when Gold Coast beat Richmond and Greater Western Sydney signalled it might not be the easy beat everyone thought. For St Kilda, the road back to the finals is mapped out in a long-range plan that sees a return to the top four by 2018 and a premiership before 2020. For Melbourne, it's about making inroads after years of turmoil and ensuring supporters know this rebuild is on the right track. Both have new coaches but both have on-field issues already; the Saints will be missing key midfielders Lenny Hayes, Leigh Montagna and Jack Steven, plus Sam Fisher, Sam Gilbert and Adam Schneider, while the Demons' forward line is decimated with Chris Dawes, Mitch Clark and Jesse Hogan missing, while Colin Garland has an ankle injury and talls Mark Jamar and Max Gawn are also unavailable.

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WHERE AND WHEN: Etihad Stadium, Saturday March 22, 7.40pm

TV AND RADIO: Click here for the broadcast guide

LAST FIVE TIMES
R13, 2013, St Kilda 16.8 (104) d Melbourne 10.9 (69) at the MCG
R20, 2012, St Kilda 16.11 (107) d Melbourne 12.10 (82) at the MCG
R5, 2012, St Kilda 12.12 (84) d Melbourne 10.6 (66) at the MCG
R9, 2011, St Kilda 16.10 (106) d Melbourne 13.8 (86) at Etihad Stadium
R14, 2010, St Kilda 15.10 (100) d Melbourne 9.11 (65) at Etihad Stadium

THE SIX POINTS
1. The last time Melbourne beat St Kilda was in the 2006 finals. The Saints have won the past nine contests, including last year's round 13 clash by 35 points, with Montagna – who will miss this game with suspension – picking up 35 possessions.
2. While the Saints' recent record at Etihad Stadium sees them losing eight of 11 games there last year, the Demons' is worse. They have lost their last 16 home-and-away games at the Docklands venue.
3. St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt took 72 marks inside 50 in 2013. Only Collingwood spearhead Travis Cloke took more. The Demons didn't have a single player in the top 20 of that category and will struggle again early on given their forward line injuries.
4. The Demons used the ball by foot less than any other club last season with an average of just 182 kicks per game, while the Saints averaged 205 and were ranked 10th.
5. The Saints loved to run in 2013. No other team had more running bounces than them, with a total of 398. The Demons were seventh with 277.
6. Jack Steven, who is out with a foot injury, is the highest-ranked player from either team in the AFL Official Player Ratings. Steven, the Saints' reigning best and fairest winner, starts the season at 19th.  The best-placed Demon is Nathan Jones at 87.

PREDICTION: St Kilda by eight points.