IT WAS only a matter of time until Rhys Stanley dominated an opponent like he did in St Kilda's 58-point win over Fremantle, his teammate Shane Savage says.
In his 53rd career game, the talented 200cm forward delivered on his undoubted potential.
Stanley was immense for the Saints, particularly in the first half when he booted all three of his goals, and he finished with 19 possessions and 14 marks.
"It was only a matter of time until he had a game like that. It was a breakout game for him," Savage told AFL.com.au.
"He's always had that talent and he's one of the hardest trainers at the club.
"He was a massive presence up there."
While it's likely Stanley will have one more season playing second fiddle to skipper Nick Riewoldt – who ripped Freo apart with 30 touches, 16 marks and four goals – it was the type of performance that gives Saints fans hope better times lay ahead.
"He can be a really dangerous forward. The challenge for him now is to keep that consistency up," Savage said.
Like the rest of the football world, Savage was stunned by the size of the win over Fremantle.
"Wow," was how he summed up the performance.
"We didn't expect it (to be) as much as that, but the boys brought some really good effort.
"It was just good to get the win. By 10 goals is absolutely unbelievable. The boys, I'm sure, will soak it up.
"It wasn't spoken about too much but the boys did want to have a good game for Lenny (Hayes). We did want to have a win for him.
"I guess it's a great game for him to remember as well."
Savage was among the Saints' best, collecting 30 touches and continually driving St Kilda forward from half-back.
The ex-Hawk's form is a far cry from earlier in the season, when he was dropped to the VFL after he struggled to find his groove.
He appeared to be at the crossroads, before an inspired move by coach Alan Richardson pushed him into defence, where he has been a revelation and has averaged 25 disposals in five games.
"Early on in the year was pretty disappointing for me, I was taking a bit of time to find my feet," he said.
"But since coming to half-back, I feel like I can play to my strengths and use my speed and my long kicking.
"It really feels good to have this consistency over four or five weeks now.
"I knew I had it in me before I came here. I can still take my game to another level I think."
