TonyK
CibbuanoSaints record gutsy win
April 9th 2010 13:18
ST KILDA has maintained its recent dominance over Collingwood with a gutsy 28-point win at Etihad Stadium on Friday night.
Despite losing their best player in skipper Nick Riewoldt to a serious hamstring injury late in the first half, the Saints willed themselves to a 10.9 (69) to 4.17 (41) victory to maintain their unbeaten start to the season.
It was St Kilda’s fourth straight win over the Magpies.
The Pies failed to kick a goal in the second half for the first time since 1987.
Sam Gilbert was the Saints’ best with a game-high 32 possessions and 20 marks, Steven Baker collected 28 touches and kept Leon Davis quiet while star midfielders Lenny Hayes (27) and Nick Dal Santo (27) were influential.
For Collingwood, Luke Ball racked up 28 disposals against his old side while youngster Sharrod Wellingham (25) continued his run of good form.
The match had plenty of feeling in it before a ball had even been bounced with a mini-melee breaking out after Harry O’Brien crashed into Saints tagger Clinton Jones.
Wellingham earned a free-kick after being caught high by Michael Gardiner in the scuffle.
The Magpies soon had the first goal of the contest on the board with Travis Cloke converting a set shot from 40m.
But their joy was short-lived as a free-kick against Leigh Brown for rough conduct as the ball was sailing through the goals, and a 50m penalty against O’Brien for abusing umpire Michael Vozzo gifted Brendon Goddard a goal.
Leigh Montagna kicked the only other major of the opening stanza to give the Saints a four-point buffer at the first change.
The lead changed hands five hands in a see-sawing second term with the Magpies going into the main break with their noses in front after Dayne Beams snapped truly late in the quarter.
The Pies dominated general play in the third term but let themselves down in front of goal, booting six straight behinds.
While Collingwood was incredibly wasteful, St Kilda made the most of their limited opportunities - managing two majors from three scoring shots to establish a four-point advantage at three-quarter time.
It was all-one way traffic in the final stanza as the Saints banged on goals through Adam Schneider, Michael Gardiner, James Gwilt and Montagna to secure the four premiership points.
ST KILDA 2.2, 4.5, 6.6, 10.9 (69)
COLLINGWOOD:1.4, 4.8, 4.14, 4.17 (41)
GOALS: St Kilda: Montagna 2, Goddard 2, Dal Santo, Milne, Gram, Schneider, Gardiner, Gwilt
Collingwood: Cloke, Didak, Sidebottom, Beams
BEST: St Kilda: Gilbert, Baker, Hayes, Dal Santo, Gram, Montagna
Collingwood: Ball, Wellingham, Sidebottom, Cloke
INJURIES: St Kilda: Riewoldt (hamstring), Hayes (nose)
Collingwood: Nil
REPORTS: Nil
CHANGES: Nil
UMPIRES: Vozzo, Meredith, Ryan
CROWD:49,669 at Etihad Stadium
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