THE SAINTS have taken their first step towards emerging from their self-proclaimed "rough patch" by winning their first game since round five and sixth in a row against Melbourne with a 20-point victory at Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

In an unusually open game where stoppage numbers were down and the combined teams' possession count reached 817, the Saints handed the Demons their fourth loss for the season, 16.10 (106) to 13.8 (86).

After what was his best game for the season, Brendon Goddard told Channel 10 the Saints "had a bit to prove" heading into the game, and Saturday had been all about "gaining respect back for the group".

His declaration came after a week where St Kilda coach Ross Lyon pledged his commitment to the club and took the hard line by dropping Jason Gram, Andrew McQualter and Ben McEvoy after a dramatic fade out against Hawthorn.

His players responded to his actions by getting on top of the Demons with the first two goals of the game, both to Stephen Milne, and then never relinquishing the lead.

Dean Bailey's men weren't disgraced and drew even with the Saints twice before the final quarter, where they seemed to lose momentum after Aaron Davey handed Nick Riewoldt a certain goal with a 50m penalty in the opening 30 seconds.

Riewoldt's goal pushed the Saints 17 points clear, and while the Demons didn't stop fighting and benefitted from two late goals to Liam Jurrah, they couldn't get any closer than 15 points at the 26-minute mark.

Bailey can be heartened by the fact his side didn't "give up", as was the assessment of last week's loss to North Melbourne.

However, they lost yet another player to injury with Luke Tapscott leaving the field at the 20-minute mark of the first quarter clutching his right hamstring.

Tapscott will join Col Garland, Tom Scully, Rohan Bail, Austin Wonaeamirri, Mark Jamar and Jack Grimes - and the suspended Jack Trengove - on the sidelines, although the Demons will be buoyed by the return of Jordie McKenzie, who had 16 touches, three clearances in his first game for the year.

Influential players
Leigh Montagna missed last week with suspension and clearly entered this game with a desire to make up for his round seven indiscretion. He had 38 touches, nine inside 50s, six tackles and four clearances in a best afield performance.

Clint Jones, who has been recently been touted as one Saint with a debatable future, turned it on against Davey and completely kept the Demons' goal-sneak out of the game. Davey played across half-back and had little impact, which continued when he pushed up briefly in the final term. He finished with nine touches.

In a nutshell
The Saints got the early jump and were out to a 13-point lead in the first before the Demons steadied and booted the last three goals of the term. The quarter-time difference was just three points but the Demons were already a player down with Tapscott off. In the second, play ricocheted from end to end and the Demons tried again to play on at all costs. The all-in scuffle at half-time saw Jason Blake reported for striking, while the Saints' four goals to two saw the Demons lose the second quarter for just the second time this year. Jack Watts goaled in the opening minutes of the third, cutting the half-time margin of 12 points to six, and the intensity rose as the highlights reel ticked over, with Montagna outmuscling Jordan Gysberts and marking one-armed before kicking an important goal at the 23-minute mark. The Demons trailed by 11 points at the final change but their hopes were dashed when the Saints kicked the first two goals. Liam Jurrah breathed some life back into their chances with a pair of goals late in the term but it was too little, too late.

Turning point
The Saints held an 11-point lead at three-quarter time, and even Lyon said post-match the game was up for grabs at the final change. The first clearance went the way of his side but Joel Macdonald cut it off 50m out from the Saints' goal. The Demon played on, Riewoldt ran him down from behind and won a free kick. Davey then picked up the ball and threw it back to Macdonald, causing a 50m penalty - and a certain goal - to be awarded to Riewoldt. The goal pushed the margin to 17 points - the biggest it had been since the 23-minute mark of the second quarter - which was a deflating way for the Demons to start the final quarter.

What it means
It wasn't the prettiest of wins or the most convincing, but it breaks the drought for the Saints that was threatening to completely derail their season. It's a long way back to where they want to be but they can take confidence from their last quarter, where they won contested ball 53 to 38 despite losing the count 142 to 136 overall.

Toyota AFL Dream Team highlight
St Kilda: In promising signs for the Saints, it was the big three that finished the game with huge numbers. Montagna was a star, finishing the match with a massive 151 points while Riewoldt also led from the front with a score of 134.  In a relief for Saints' supporters, Goddard returned to form with 122 against his name.

Next four: The future ahead
St Kilda: The Saints will look to record back-to-back wins when they face Fremantle at Patersons Stadium. After their trip west, they face three sides that finished in the top four last year. A Grand Final rematch against Collingwood is followed up by clashes against the Western Bulldogs and Geelong.

What the coach said
St Kilda - Ross Lyon
"It's still only early days, really. It certainly wasn't perfect but it's a step in the right direction.

"Probably the most pleasing, I thought it was a fair shoot out, a high-tempo game, and the quarter I thought we'd most improved and played football in the manner I'd like our team to play was the last quarter."

St Kilda                            5.4     9.5     12.6       16.10 (106)
Melbourne                        5.1     7.5     10.7       13.8 (86)

GOALS
St Kilda: Milne 3, Riewoldt 3, Montagna 2, Cripps 2, Ray, Jones, Siposs, Schneider, Polo, Peake
Melbourne: Jurrah 3, Green 2, Watts 2, Maric 2, Newton 2, Petterd, Gysberts

BEST
St Kilda: Montagna, Jones, Armitage, Milne, Riewoldt, Gilbert, Peake
Melbourne: Jones, Moloney, Evans, Maric, Watts, Gysberts

INJURIES
St Kilda: Nil
Melbourne: Tapscott (hamstring)

SUBSTITUTES
St Kilda: Luke Tapscott (hamstring) replaced by Matthew Bate during the first quarter
Melbourne: Arryn Siposs replaced by Jamie Cripps at three-quarter time

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Stevic, Dalgleish, Pannell

Official crowd: 28,863 at Etihad Stadium