A LAST-MINUTE goal to Jack Billings helped St Kilda exorcise its demons and seal an eight-point win against West Coast at Etihad Stadium on Sunday, keeping alive the Saints' finals chances as they bid to make the top eight for the first time since 2011.

A week after St Kilda conceded a goal at the death against Port Adelaide, it was the young Saints who showed poise this time, coming over the top to win 15.13 (103) to 14.11 (95), and put the Eagles' finals prospects in jeopardy. 

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The Eagles sit ninth with three matches left, having missed the chance to sneak into the eight ahead of Essendon, while St Kilda is 11th, also on 40 points.

Pouncing on an errant kick from Eagles defender Eric Mackenzie that Jeremy McGovern coughed up with time running out, Jade Gresham sent the ball forward to allow Billings to take a strong mark and slot his set shot.

Five talking points: St Kilda v West Coast

Billings slotted two goals in the final term, one after a brilliant pack mark, capping one of his better games of the season to put his side 10-9, and giving Nick Riewoldt a chance for one last finals appearance.

Riewoldt was off the field for much of the last term after a head clash with Dom Sheed left him concussed, but his teammates did him proud.

It was a gripping contest full of crucial moments but the Saints dominated play in the final term, winning the contested possession count by 31.

Just eight days after the Saints coughed up two last-minute goals to the Power, coach Alan Richardson was delighted his side's brave effort in a frantic game was rewarded.

WATCH: The last two minutes

"You're just so pleased for the boys," he said.

"We couldn't have been any more dominant in the last quarter but weren't able to really get reward. (West Coast) defended really strongly.

"It was one of those games where just for the players to be able to get the satisfaction of being able to come in and sing the song after working so hard is really pleasing, and they thoroughly deserved it."

Earlier in the final term, the Eagles looked like running away with the game after opening up 14-point advantage thanks to goals from Josh Kennedy, Jack Darling and Mark LeCras, with a Luke Dunstan snap interrupting those efforts.

Kennedy nailed five goals and had the better of Nathan Brown to keep alive his hopes of winning a third-straight Coleman Medal, his season tally of 54 trailing leader Joe Daniher by two.

West Coast coach Adam Simpson refused to take a pessimistic approach after the match, despite the Eagles being dominated in general play late in the game.

"I think I'm going to look at the glass half-full on this one. The effort and the intent is there but the ability to execute all day is something we're working on," he said.

"We got blown away in the last quarter in the contest and around the ground… we couldn't hold up for long enough."

The Saints responded to the Eagles' surge, with a running goal from Shane Savage and Billings' outstanding mark and goal putting their team within two points.

Jack Steele showed awesome strength at a stoppage in the forward line, collecting the tap with his right hand and snapping the goal through despite heavy pressure from Will Schofield to put St Kilda ahead by five, a lead it wouldn't concede for the rest of the game.

It was a superb game from the former Giant, who finished with 26 disposals, 20 contested possessions and two goals.

MEDICAL ROOM
St Kilda: Riewoldt was concussed in the final term after a head clash with Dom Sheed but the feeling from St Kilda was that it won't cost him any games. There was concern for star midfielder Jack Steven when he copped a knee to his right hip in the second term. He went to the bench and came back on to the ground briefly before going down the race and coming back on with a few minutes left in the quarter. Dylan Roberton had a knee worked on in the first quarter but it didn't seem to give him great cause for concern for the rest of the game. Jack Newnes had a cut to the face and had a short stint on the pine.
West Coast: Skipper Shannon Hurn came off with some bleeding and returned with a bandage around his head in the second quarter.

NEXT UP
West Coast should be able to bounce back when it returns home to take on a gritty Carlton side next Saturday night. The following day, St Kilda and Melbourne will play their most important match in many years when they meet at the MCG.

ST KILDA   3.2   7.5   10.7   15.13 (103)
WEST COAST   3.5    7.8   10.10   14.11 (95) 

GOALS
St Kilda: Membrey 2, Bruce 2, Steele 2, Billings 2, Sinclair, Riewoldt, Acres, Newnes, Ross, Dunstan, Savage
West Coast: Kennedy 5, LeCras 3, Darling 2, McGovern, Karpany, Sheed, Cripps

BEST
St Kilda: Steele, Acres, Billings, Newnes, Roberton, Sinclair, Stevens
West Coast: Kennedy, Sheed, Gaff, Yeo, Mitchell, Hurn, Redden

INJURIES
St Kilda: Steven (hip), Newnes (eye), Riewoldt (concussion)
West Coast: Hurn (cut head)

Reports: Luke Dunstan (St Kilda) for tripping Jack Redden (West Coast) in the second quarter

Umpires: McInerney, Mitchell, Mollison

Official crowd: 22,688 at Etihad Stadium