It was the tackle Saints fans everywhere had been waiting for.

Like St Kilda, Maverick Weller has endured a frustrating start to 2018, slowed by stints in the VFL and niggling hamstring issues.

It all came together for the 26-year-old Tasmanian on Saturday afternoon, building on his impressive VFL form to collect 25 disposals and kick a crucial goal to put the Saints within reach late in the final term.

But it wasn’t Weller’s ability to find the footy against the Giants that fans will remember.

Not even four minutes had elapsed on the clock when the big-bodied pressure forward firmly stamped his name on the contest, setting the standard for the Saints for the rest of the afternoon.

Lachie Whitfield picked up a loose ball on centre wing and before the Giants half-back had time to think, Weller pounced.

Displaying all the characteristics of a terrier on the brink of starvation, Mav took matters into his own hands and mowed straight through the defender with a pulverising hit that left Whitfield floored and struggling to pick himself back up.

It was the perfect tackle.

The famous No. 44 guernsey was seemingly strapped to the back of a freight train as Weller went low and hard, crashing into the Giant’s midriff and wrapping him in a brutal bear hug, drawing a deafening roar of approval from the home crowd.

Ultimately, the tackle went unrewarded, but the Saints’ amped pressure for the remainder of the contest was no doubt inspired by Weller’s pronounced return to senior football.

Brandon White cast the look of a wounded warrior when he left the field under the blood rule, but didn’t let a head gash deter him from another strong showing for the red, white and black.

White laid seven tackles and played an important role down back, assisting skipper Jarryn Geary in limiting the influence of Toby Greene.

Another Saint who made his physical presence felt was young gun Ben Long, whose crucial curling snap from the boundary will stick long in the memory of St Kilda fans.

Long played by far his best game for the club, ferociously attacking the Giants all afternoon with an unrelenting desire to win the ball back.

His eight tackles and 15 disposals were a huge influence, with the NT Thunder product showing impressive signs of leadership in just his ninth game for the Saints.

Weller’s game is built on pressure and physicality, and on an afternoon where the Saints rediscovered the swarming pressure that makes them a side to be feared, Weller showed exactly what he can bring: hard, aggressive, accountable football.