1. Seb climbing the midfield ranks
One man rose above what was an unsightly Friday night encounter – and that was Seb Ross, who continues to put together a brilliant season. Ross entered the match averaging more than 30 disposals in St Kilda's 11 games and only enhanced his reputation with 32 more in a best-on-ground display as his Saints snapped their three-match winning streak. He is a neat left-foot kick, can win the ball inside and outside the contest and boasts enough pace to make him a difficult match-up. Ross's wonderful centring ball to the similarly impressive Jack Sinclair at the top of St Kilda's attacking 50 late in the third term for a timely goal was pure class. The Saints copped criticism mid-week for a lack of star power, but Ross is doing his best to provide just that.

Full match coverage and stats

2. Back six working a treat for Richardson
They may not have always had a great deal to do, but the Saints' defenders made sure North Melbourne's forwards had a torrid night. Jarrad Waite may have thought he was set to wreak havoc when he marked and goaled inside the contest's first two minutes, but both he and Ben Brown will want to forget this one in a hurry. Jake Carlisle, who was under an injury cloud all week, shut down Waite, while Nathan Brown starved his namesake of the ball and had him benched in the third term. Dylan Roberton, Sam Gilbert – despite the odd wayward kick – and Jarryn Geary also gave St Kilda rebound all night.

3. Handball happy Roos don't make a winning formula
The Kangaroos' best performances this year were when they kicked the ball significantly more than they handballed. They had 218 kicks and 170 handballs in their round seven upset of Adelaide and were ahead of the count in all four of their wins, as well as their close losses to Geelong and Fremantle. So it wasn't a good sign when North Melbourne went to quarter-time with 23 fewer kicks than handballs as it battled to find a way through the Saints' defensive structure. The Kangas finished 29 kicks in arrears. Ben Cunnington is arguably the most creative handballer in the game, but one kick from his first 19 possessions is surely not the ratio coach Brad Scott is after. The sight of long-kicking Luke McDonald desperately bombing the ball forward became all too familiar as the Roos mustered a meagre 17 inside 50s to the main break.

4. Shorn Steven breaking the tag (kind of)
Three-time St Kilda best and fairest Jack Steven has increasingly become a tagging target this season and Friday night was no different – even with his trademark mullet gone. The Roos sent second-gamer Declan Mountford to Steven with a task that soon became obvious to everyone: stay by his side at all costs and annoy the hell out of him. At one stage in the first term they engaged in a wrestle about 50m off the ball. Mountford did a great job overall, but Steven helped break the game open late in the second quarter when coach Alan Richardson sent him forward. Steven produced a beautiful finish for his first goal, then barely two minutes later he bobbed up again to rove Josh Bruce's long-range attempt on the goal line and put it back over his head. But he has a challenge ahead to figure out how to break close tags more consistently. 

5. Anderson performs a disappearing act
Jamie Macmillan is not the AFL's most familiar name, but everyone at Arden St knows just how consistent and valuable he is. St Kilda knows what he is capable of, too, given he racked up 31 disposals and a goal in the last clash between the clubs. Macmillan's late withdrawal with hamstring tightness saw Jed Anderson play his fourth game of the year and first since round eight. But Anderson, whose acquisition involved a first-round draft selection, failed to bother the statisticians in the opening two quarters. He fought back somewhat to win nine second-half touches. Anderson has endured a shocking injury run – firstly at Hawthorn and now North – but the boy from Darwin needs to start proving why the club invested so much in him.