SYDNEY has pulled off the ultimate escape, with Jai Serong slotting the winning goal to resign the St Kilda to a heart-breaking defeat at the SCG.

Desperately needing someone to step up in the dying moments, Serong did exactly that, delivering the decisive blow to clinch the 15.14 (104) to 15.12 (102) win.

There was very little separating the two sides throughout the match; while the Swans briefly edged the inside-50 count 64–59, the Saints got the upper hand in the clearances, winning the battle 44–34.

In his explosive return to the side after recovering from a calf injury, sparkplug forward Liam Ryan fired home a game-high fifth goal to go along with 12 disposals, capping off his stellar performance by soaring over Brodie Grundy to haul in a spectacular grab for his final major.

Despite McInerney cleaning up a spilled ball to open the scoring, the red-hot Saints quickly dominated the rest of the first term. Ryan turned Callum Mills inside out to snap his first before drilling a set shot 30 seconds later, while Cooper Sharman followed suit with a quick-fire double of his own. 

Jack Sinclair then capped off the opening surge with a monster goal from outside 50 after the quarter-time siren, handing the visitors a 17-point lead and their highest first-quarter score of the season.

Mitch Owens picked up where the Saints left off, maintaining the momentum as St Kilda led by as many as 33 points early in the second term after banging through three straight goals, capped by Ryan adding his third.

However, the Swans kicked the last four goals of the half as Sydney’s forwards finally clicked into gear, cutting the lead to just eight points at the main break. 

The Saints booted the first goal of the third quarter via Ryan — who celebrated with some Michael Jackson dance moves — and Tom De Koning added a second shortly after, yet the Swans refused to back down. 

Once again, Sydney fought back to close the margin to just one goal at the final break.

Warner’s second goal set the stage perfectly, paving the way for Serong to step up and seize his own defining moment.

Making his AFL debut just a week and a half after joining the club via the mid-season draft, small forward Campbell Lake finished his first outing with 11 disposals.

Returning Saints spark sizzling first half
Returning from a four-week calf injury, Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera was prolific in his return, collecting 18 disposals and gaining 421 metres in the opening half alone. He also proved a constant threat up forward, registering three shots on goal to finish the half with 1.2. Fellow returnee Liam Ryan was equally impactful after his own five-week calf injury, booting five goals for the match.

SYDNEY       3.3    9.9    12.9    15.14 (104)
ST KILDA     6.2    11.5    13.9    15.12 (102)
 
GOALS
Sydney: Rosas jnr 2, Heeney 2, Curnow 2, McLean 2, Warner 2, McInerney, Rowbottom, McDonald, Amartey, Serong
St Kilda: Ryan 5, Sharman 2, De Koning 2, Hall, Sinclair, Owens, Wanganeen-Milera, Wilson, Hill  

BEST
Sydney: Heeney, Warner, Blakey, McDonald, Serong
St Kilda: Wanganeen-Milera, Hall, Garcia, Sinclair, Marshall
 
INJURIES
Sydney: McInerney (hamstring), McCartin (concussion)
St Kilda: Nil

Crowd: 42,143 at the Sydney Cricket Ground