St Kilda finally have something to celebrate, after notching their first AFL win in two months and locking in Lenny Hayes for next season.
Captain Nick Riewoldt starred with 15 marks and four goals and Leigh Montagna was superb with 33 disposals and three majors as the Saints beat Gold Coast 17.14 (116) to 10.10 (70) at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
It was the Saints’ first win since downing Melbourne in round 13 and just their fourth for the season.
Further boosting the mood, the club announced on Sunday that 33-year-old midfield star Hayes had signed on for next year.
It was a welcome double-dose of good news for the club, which even if they upset Fremantle next Saturday, are set to finish with their fewest wins in a season in more than a decade.
They’ve also had to deal in recent months with rape charges being laid against forward Stephen Milne, over a 2004 case, while fellow small forward Ahmed Saad is serving a provisional suspension after testing positive for a banned substance.
Milne played an important role in Sunday’s win, with four goals.
But it was Riewoldt’s work in attack that was most inspirational.
The Saints broke the game open with a six-goal 16-minute burst in the second quarter which turned a two-goal deficit into a four-goal lead.
Riewoldt took five marks for that quarter, booted two goals and could have had more, if not for two missed shots.
Montagna also kicked two goals and won plenty of the ball during that surge, while Hayes helped set things up with some hard work in the packs.
Leading by three goals at halftime, the Saints continued to push clear in the third term, kicking three of the first four goals, including a brilliant Montagna snap, to extend their lead to 34 points.
Two classy running goals from Suns youngster Jaeger O’Meara kept the margin to 21 points at the last change.
But when Milne kicked his third early in the final quarter, the result was beyond doubt.
Riewoldt, Montagna and Nick Dal Santo (31 disposals, one goal) were the Saints’ best, while Clinton Jones prevented Suns star Gary Ablett becoming a match-winner and Ben McEvoy performed well in the ruck.
For the Suns, Harley Bennell, Dion Prestia and Danny Stanley battled hard in the midfield, with O’Meara also handy while Tim Sumner kicked three goals.
