Round 3 at the MCG
St Kilda 18.8 (119) def Collingwood 14.6 (90)
After a winless opening fortnight, St Kilda roared to life on a big day for the football club at the MCG. The Saints paid homage to the 1966 premiership team, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the clubs only flag. And on the field, the Saints were a class above Collingwood, with the 29-point victory made more impressive by the fact they were reduced to two men on the bench at half-time and three by the final quarter. Coach Alan Richardson described the win in his post-match press conference as the best in his time at the club. Leigh Montagna dominated with 40 disposals, while Jack Steven, Jack Newnes and Jack Billings also found plenty of the ball. Steven and Weller hit the scoreboard, kicking three goals each.
Round 12 at Etihad Stadium
St Kilda 17.8 (110) def Carlton 12.6 (78)
Close to 50,000 supporters crammed into Etihad Stadium in Round 12 to watch the Saints atone for a bitterly disappointing trip to Adelaide seven days earlier. After opening up a small buffer against the Blues by the first break, St Kilda incrementally extended their lead at each change, before putting two poor interstate trips in the previous month behind them to build some momentum into the bye. In the absence of senior trio, Nick Riewoldt, Sean Dempster and Sam Fisher, St Kilda stood up against a Carlton outfit gunning for their seventh win in eight starts. Sometimes less is more and that was the case for Jack Steven who used each of his 25 possessions with precision to be best on ground, ahead of Tim Membrey who kicked five goals and Seb Ross who amassed 33 disposals.
Round 14 at Etihad Stadium
St Kilda 14.9 (93) def Geelong 13.12 (90)
After falling agonisingly short against premiership fancies Hawthorn and North Melbourne, St Kilda finally grasped the scalp they were seeking in Round 14. The Saints burst out of the blocks against Geelong, opening a three goal advantage by quarter-time, before extending the margin to four goals at the main break. But then the Cats began to reel the Saints back in, taking the lead midway through the last quarter before St Kilda responded with conviction, thrilling Alan Richardson with their ability to respond when challenged. Late goals from Jack Steven and Jade Gresham, who waltzed around decorated Cats defender Tom Lonergan to kick one of the Saints’ most memorable goals of the season, steered St Kilda to a famous three-point victory on a pulsating Saturday night at Etihad Stadium.
Round 18 at Etihad Stadium
St Kilda 11.9 (75) def Western Bulldogs 9.6 (60)
With St Kilda’s slim finals hopes requiring four premiership points to remain alive, the Saints faced the Western Bulldogs in a do-or-die affair at Etihad Stadium in Round 18. While the game was far from pretty, with injury carnage causing the Dogs a world of pain, the contest reflected the importance of the outcome. A win would also boost Luke Beveridge’s side’s chance of finishing in the top-four. After an arm wrestle in the first half, the Saints gained the ascendancy late in the third quarter and kicked the only goal in the final quarter to march to a 15-point win. While the game will be remembered for Mitch Wallis’ horrific broken leg, Jack Steven and Nick Riewoldt ran riot under the roof. Riewoldt finished with four goals from 10 marks, while Steven had it 39 times.
Round 20 at the MCG
St Kilda 19.8 (122) def Carlton 7.9 (51)
St Kilda’s biggest winning margin of the year came in their second visit to the MCG for 2016. The Saints kicked five of the first six goals, opening a seven goal buffer by half-time. And from there, on the wide expanses at the home of football, the Saints kept their foot on the pedal for four quarters in one of their best four quarter performances of 2016. Alan Richardson lauded the even spread of contribution post-game, with a handful of players producing one of their strongest performances of 2016. Tim Membrey completed a pair against the Blues, booting his second bag of five goals against them for the year, while Nick Riewoldt hauled in 16 marks playing higher up the ground. Seb Ross, Jack Newnes, Blake Acres and Jade Gresham were all influential through the middle part of the ground.
Limited Edition History Book: Celebrating 50 Years 1966-2016 The Archives Edition
