The lesson

A week is a long time in football. Eight days after having the rug pulled out from beneath them by Paddy Ryder’s hand and Robbie Gray’s boot, St Kilda didn’t make the same mistake twice. With a loss effectively extinguishing the Saints’ finals chances, there was so much on the line in the last quarter on Sunday. When Mark LeCras kicked West Coast’s third goal of the final quarter six minutes in, the Eagles were 14 points up and St Kilda’s season teetered on the brink of extinction. But with the Port Adelaide memory still front of mind, the Saints rose to the occasion. Jack Billings stood tall with two last quarter goals, including the sealer. Shackled by a hard tag, Jack Steven broke free from Mark Hutchings in the last quarter and collected 11 disposals. Jack Steele was massive all day and when it counted. And by the final siren, the Saints made amends for last week’s devastating finish, keeping their finals dreams alive in the process.

The moment

Last week it was Robbie Gray’s turn to be the hero. This week it was Jack Billings’. In a blatant sign of his composure and class, Billings stepped up in the clutch moment. When Jade Gresham found him in the forward pocket, Billings iced the clock and gathered himself, before calmly slotting the goal that breathed life into St Kilda’s season. It capped off another stellar performance by the young gun who the Saints banked their precocious No. 3 pick on four years ago. While his radar was off in front of goal for most of the game, his ability to pinpoint targets inside 50 and turn entries into goals was brilliant. He finished with 14 score involvements – the equal third most of any player in Round 20 – including five goal assists, to go with 25 disposals, 465 metres gained and 2.3. If St Kilda is going to return to September for the first time since 2011, you get the feeling Billings is going to play a pivotal role. Imagine what he could do in the most important month of the year.

The recruit

St Kilda got the man they badly wanted last October and that man has produced the type of first season they wanted. That man is of course former opportunity starved Giant Jack Steele. At Etihad Stadium on Sunday, the 21-year-old with the Hollywood name carved out the best performance of his 34-game career. Handed the colossal task of limiting the influence of reigning John Worsfold medallist Luke Shuey, Steele held the midfield weapon to just 18 disposals – his lowest haul since 2011 – and four clearances. And on the flip side, Steele was everywhere, finishing with a triple double – 20 contested possessions, 12 tackles and 10 clearances. He also collected 26 disposals, 76.5 pressure points and booted two goals for good measure in a complete game that Alan Richardson labelled as a ‘really impressive performance’.

The inspiration

“His kids didn’t recognise him after the game, but it’d be a lip that he’d be proud of,” Richardson said in the aftermath when quizzed about Nick Riewoldt’s impact late in Sunday’s win at Etihad Stadium. After announcing his decision to retire at the end of this season last week, the six-time Trevor Barker Award put his body on the line again in the last quarter in an inspiring contest that led to a crucial goal by Jack Steele. Riewoldt was observed for concussion and didn’t return to the ground due to the timing of the incident but Richardson indicated in his press conference that he expects the 34-year-old to be fit to face Melbourne next Sunday. After a week chock-a-block full of fearless Riewoldt montages, it was a contest befitting the man and one Richardson described as “a big moment and something we’ve come to expect from ‘Rooey’”.