1. Saints' season alive
St Kilda simply needed to win against West Coast to have any chance of keeping its finals hopes alive. It came down to the last minute, but the Saints did just that. St Kilda has moved to 10 wins and nine losses on the year, joining eighth-placed Essendon, the Eagles and Melbourne equal on points. Their season will be determined in the next three games with duels against Melbourne, North Melbourne and Richmond to come. But for now, they can enjoy the spoils of victory. It was a disappointing loss for West Coast, which blew another fourth-quarter lead following its capitulation to Collingwood at the same venue in round 18. The Eagles are still alive in the finals hunt, but only barely, and do not look like being capable of causing any September damage.

Full match coverage and stats

2. Kennedy's Coleman chase
The race for this year's Coleman Medal is on earnest and West Coast star forward Josh Kennedy is right back in the hunt. Kennedy, who has had the medallion hanging around his neck the past two seasons, was slow to get going against St Kilda. But after failing to kick a major in the opening term, the hulking forward finished with five goals to take his season tally to 54. Kennedy is now in second-place on the goalkicking leaderboard, just two behind leader Joe Daniher with three games to play. Sydney's Lance Franklin is third after booting just one major against Geelong on Friday night, while Ben Brown, who was concussed against Collingwood, has dropped down to fourth place. If Kennedy does achieve the feat, the Eagles star would become the first player since Gary Ablett Snr (1993, 1994 and 1995) to lead the AFL in goalkicking in three-straight seasons.

3. Good things come in threes for Saints
The two finals contenders were separated by just two positions on the ladder leading into Sunday's match and the game suited the high stakes on offer. In a match of ebbs and flows, amazingly, the Eagles led by three points at every quarter break. On numerous occasions, West Coast threatened to pull away from their Victorian rivals but St Kilda hung tough and hit the lead midway through the final term. The Eagles pegged the margin back to just two points late in the game, but with Billings' decisive kick, St Kilda took the final margin out to eight points.

WATCH: The last two minutes

4. The need for Sheed
With club champion Matt Priddis announcing his retirement in the past fortnight, West Coast's midfield will undergo a significant renovation at season's end. Priddis' inside ball winning ability has been a staple of the Eagles' game style, so replacing his influence will be paramount. Luckily for West Coast, based on the past month, emerging midfielder Dom Sheed is ready to step into the breach. Averaging 27.3 disposals in his last three games, the 22-year-old continued his hot form against the Saints on Sunday. The hard-working youngster racked up 23 disposals and kicked a beautiful left-foot goal from a tight angle in the second quarter against the Saints. Sheed, drafted with pick No.11 in the 2013 NAB AFL Draft, re-signed with the Eagles until the end of 2019 last month and will play a sizeable role in the club's list transformation over the coming years.

5. Billings delivers in the clutch
St Kilda's Jack Billings has had his fair share of troubles in front of goal this season, booting 17.26 before Sunday's game against West Coast. The silky forward was inaccurate again against the Eagles, kicking 2.3, but stepped up when it mattered most. The young Saint steered his side to a memorable victory when he booted his second goal with just under two minutes to play. After taking a number of deep breaths, Billings composed himself and handled the heat as his set-shot pierced the centre of the goals. That moment will be a massive confidence boost as the youngster looks to shake off the yips.