ANOTHER brave performance from Nick Riewoldt has led St Kilda to its sixth win for the season, with a 37-point victory over Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday.

The Saints beat the Demons for the second time in six weeks, 12.11 (83) to 6.10 (46), adding further proof to the theory they're inching ahead of Paul Roos' men in the rebuilding stakes.

Five talking points: Melbourne v St Kilda

However it was a game that showed both teams still have a long way to go, with an error-riddled and low-scoring encounter demanding someone stand up and make a difference.

In the end it was a battle-weary Riewoldt, with three goals and 13 marks, despite the skipper sustaining a corked calf in his 'good' left leg early in the game.

Full match coverage and stats

He also had to contend with the after-effects of the strain he suffered in his right calf two weeks ago, plus a nasty laceration to the muscle he picked up last week against Richmond.

While his movement was limited, Riewoldt powered through - along with Dylan Roberton, Sam Gilbert and Sean Dempster - to lift his team to its 12th in a row against the Demons.

"He's amazing, he's got a very strong mind, he's a very determined person," St Kilda coach Alan Richardson said after the match.

St Kilda exceeding Richardson's expectations

"He's had a long career where he's had to fight through some adversity with his body so he knows he can get through.

"He was very strong for us, he would have been one of our better players again even though he perhaps wasn't at 100 per cent."

It was also Paddy McCartin's most encouraging performance for the Saints, with the No.1 draft pick kicking one goal and taking nine marks.

When these teams last met just more than a month ago, Leigh Montagna had to burst through the forward 50 and kick a goal with 19 seconds left for the Saints to pinch a two-point win.

Dees short of Saints, says Roos

After the first quarter on Sunday, it seemed the return encounter was unlikely to produce a similar thrilling conclusion.

By half-time, while the Saints' 20-point quarter-time lead had been cut to seven and the contest returned, the standard of the game hadn't improved.

Demons coach Paul Roos was fuming at the first change after his players managed just five inside 50s to the Saints' 20.

Richardson would have been similarly furious after half-time as the Saints kicked just three behinds in the second quarter.

Put simply, it was an untidy half of football where turnovers were rife, goals hard to come by and kicking inside 50 woeful.

It didn't improve much after half-time, with five minutes of torrential rain opening the third quarter.

Despite Jack Steven's influence limited to 16 disposals by an excellent performance from Jack Viney (31 disposals), and consistent drive from half-back from Jack Grimes (28), the Demons struggled to get things going.

"We slaughtered the footy so it's very hard to score. We had 53 turnovers through the midfield," Roos said.

"To their credit, they were harder around the contest. They tackled better and won the contested footy.

"We just couldn't move the ball and even when we had free targets we seemed to miss them. [I’m not sure] whether that was a confidence thing.

"They're the challenges of the coaching group to work through those periods."

The Saints piled on six goals to two in the third after the rain cleared, and ended with two to one in a low-scoring finale to a scrappy July game.

Saints midfielder David Armitage was treated for a kick to the shin in the third quarter, while Jimmy Webster spent time on the bench after being crunched from behind by Chris Dawes, but both finished the game.

Saint Jack Sinclair tries to fire off a handpass on Sunday. Picture: AFL Media

MELBOURNE  1.2  3.6   5.9    6.10   (46)
ST KILDA       4.4  4.7  10.8  12.11  (83)

GOALS
Melbourne: N Jones, Dawes, Tyson, Hogan, Garlett, Gawn
St Kilda: Riewoldt 3, Dunstan 2, Savage, Sinclair, Lonie, McCartin, Newnes, Bruce, Weller

BEST
Melbourne: Viney, Grimes, Cross, Vince, Watts, Howe
St Kilda: Riewoldt, Roberton, Gilbert, Geary, Dempster, Fisher, Montagna

INJURIES
Melbourne: McDonald (left eye)
St Kilda: Armitage (shin), Webster (ribs), Riewoldt (corked calf)

SUBSTITUTES
Melbourne: Viv Michie replaced Aaron vandenBerg in the third quarter
St Kilda: Eli Templeton replaced Hugh Goddard at three-quarter time

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Rosebury, Mollison, Wallace

Official crowd: 22,945 at the MCG