St. Kilda has pulled off one of the upsets of the season with a thrilling five-point victory over the Brisbane Lions at Telstra Dome on Saturday night – 13.12 (90) to 13. 7 (85).
With the seconds ticking, Jason Akermanis drilled a pass to Luke Power, who caught the ball well within scoring distance. But it wasn't a mark, Power denied the chance to go back and take the potential match-winning shot at goal by the final siren, which sounded just before the ball came into his hands.
Brisbane had another opportunity minutes before when charging forward, but Martin Pike controversially gave away a free-kick for a shepherd on St. Kilda's Heath Black from beyond five metres.
The Lions produced a wonderful final term burst, putting through four goals without reply and reducing a 24-point deficit at three-quarter time to just three with the clock showing beyond 28 minutes.
Alastair Lynch, held to just one in the opening half, produced four in the second to finish with five for the match.
Not since the 1997 qualifying final at Waverley has St. Kilda beaten the team from Queensland, a run of eight matches without victory.
On Friday, Lions coach Leigh Matthews listed Fraser Gehrig, Aaron Hamill, Robert Harvey, Lenny Hayes, Stephen Milne and Nick Riewoldt as potential game-breakers.
Despite acknowledging the threat, the Brisbane brains trust was unable to curb their influence, each providing a valuable contribution to St. Kilda’s three-point result.
Gehrig took a telling mark over Lynch in the final term, Hamill took six marks and provided wonderful leadership, Harvey and Hayes were magnificent through the middle and Milne kicked two.
But it was Riewoldt who starred, kicking four goals and holding down a key forward post with tremendous skill and courage.
The Saints kept pace with Brisbane early, reeling back a 14-point gap on two occasions to be behind by only two at the opening break, recent inclusion Allan Murray continuing an impressive start to his AFL career with two goals.
The home side produced arguably their best footy of the season in the second term, piling on four goals to just a solitary behind to lead by 25 points at the long break.
Not since putting through only four behinds in the opening period of the 2002 grand final have the Lions been held goalless for an entire quarter.
But St. Kilda, through a combination of committed backmen and the twin targets of Hamill and Riewoldt up forward, continually denied an increasingly frustrated Lions side.
By contrast, the home side linked up with cohesion and found team mates – particularly its forwards - with precise delivery.
With the last goal of the first quarter (Riewoldt), four unanswered majors in the second term and Trent Knobel’ s accurate kick from inside 50 four minutes into the third quarter, the Saints had put seven straight past the reigning premiers.
Lynch finally broke the drought for the visitors, marking Nigel Lappin’s long range shot in the goal-square and making no mistake from a tight angle. It was their first goal since 24 minute mark of first term.
Lynch added another in the quarter and when the Lions strung together consecutive goals midway through the term, the gap was around three goals.
Riewoldt, who scored three first half goals, added his fourth with a kick after the siren to give his team a four goal cushion at the last change.
The win moves St. Kilda to 6-5, while the Lions fall to 8-2 and a draw for the season.
In the next round, St. Kilda takes on Port Adelaide at York Park in Launceston on Saturday, while the Brisbane Lions host West Coast at the Gabba the next day.
ST KILDA: 5.1 9.5 13.6 13.12 (90)
BRISBANE LIONS: 5.3 5.4 9.6 13.7 (85)
GOALS: St Kilda: Riewoldt 4, Milne 2, Murray 2, Burke, Gehrig, Hamill, Knobel, Powell
Brisbane Lions: Lynch 4, Copeland, Johnson, Lappin, McDonald, McGrath, McRae, Pike, Power, Voss
BEST: St Kilda: Riewoldt, Hayes, Harvey, Voss, Black, Goddard, Clarke
Brisbane Lions: Lappin, B.Scott, Lynch, Johnson, Power, Copeland
INJURIES: St Kilda: Knobel (concussion), Hamill (foot), Penny (jarred knee)
Brisbane Lions: Voss (knee), Bradshaw (ankle), Caracella (ankle), McDonald (bruising), C Scott (ankle)
CHANGES: Nil
REPORTS: Nil
UMPIRES: Fussell, Kennedy, Schmitt
CROWD: 30,313 at the Telstra Dome
