The Saints kicked 14.13 (97) to 8.11 (59), reaching the mid-season mark at 8-3 and recording a 12th straight win over Richmond.
Stephen Milne was the star up forward for St Kilda. He missed his first three scoring shots but got his first major with a signature dribbling goal from the pocket in the third quarter. His second of the night, and the 400th of his career, came 90 seconds later.
Milne finished with 5.5 and had a hand in six others, acting as the main focal point for a side that is starting to learn to operate without the injured Nick Riewoldt.
Not that the Riewoldt name wasn’t well represented on the night, with younger cousin Jack dominating up forward for Richmond with a six-goal performance.
For a period early in the third term, Riewoldt could do no wrong. He booted three goals in a 10-minute purple patch and could easily have finished with more but for some inaccurate kicking.
The Richmond gameplan suited him to a tee as he was left one-out with Jason Blake before he was relieved by Sam Fisher. However, Riewoldt thoroughly beat both St Kilda defenders and finished with six majors.
Riewoldt was crucial to Richmond’s flurry in the third when they kicked four goals (including a miraculous soccer goal from Andrew Collins) to get within 12 points of St Kilda.
Speaking after the game, Saints coach Ross Lyon said he fully expected Richmond to try and isolate their main forward target but said he refused to employ a negative game plan.
“We knew that coming in. They didn’t do anything we hadn’t seen. It came out of our front half and there’s not a key forward who can’t be isolated that walks out the front 50 and in two kicks it’s in there,” Lyon said.
“We don’t sit numbers back. I can throw a loose player back there and double-team him but that’s collapse back footy and we don’t play that. Contrary to popular opinion.”
The Saints pegged them back in the dying minutes of the third to go into the final break with a healthy 26-point lead.
The Tigers held their own against St Kilda’s high-profile midfield. Nick Dal Santo and Lenny Hayes were kept quiet by Jake King and Shane Tuck respectively. But Richmond had no answer for Brendon Goddard who played as a midfielder often floating back to station himself a kick behind play.
Goddard finished with a career-high 38 disposals and his no-nonsense approach was critical to the Saints in a few moments of vulnerability.
While Hayes and Dal Santo were quelled, Richmond coach Damien Hardwick admitted after the game that the Tigers had no logical match for Goddard.
“Dan Jackson’s three weeks [suspension]) has hurt us. He would’ve been a perfect match up for him and we sort of struggled all week. We just couldn’t find a matchup and to his credit he was outstanding,” he said.
“I think he had a five to nine-minute stint in the second quarter where he effectively got them up and going. I think he had 10 or 12 possesssions and five score involvements but we just had no answer for him and to his credit, good players win you ball games - Jacko (will play on him) next time we play them, guaranteed."
Raphael Clarke rebounded well from the back half for the Saints, while Justin Koschitzke was once again quiet in his 150th match but still contributed two goals.
Richmond ruckman Troy Simmonds was gallant in his final match at AFL level, finishing with nine touches and 14 hitouts before he was chaired off by his teammates to rapturous and well-deserved applause from the Richmond faithful.
Richmond 0.3 3.6 7.8 8.11 (59)
St Kilda 2.3 8.7 11.10 14.13 (97)
GOALS
Richmond: Riewoldt 6, Collins 2
St Kilda: Milne 5, Montagna 2, Koschitzke 2, Peake 2, McQualter, Schneider, Stanley
BEST
Richmond: Riewoldt, Martin, Newman, Tuck, King, Cousins
St Kilda: Goddard, Montagna, Milne, Gilbert, Clarke, Jones, Fisher
INJURIES
Richmond: Nil
St Kilda: Nil
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Margetts, Stevic, Stewart
Official crowd: 32,858 at Etihad Stadium
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
