A dominant third quarter in which the Saints kicked three goals and kept the Demons scoreless set up the victory after the competition leaders only held a slender eight-point advantage at the long break.
The Saints triumphed in the first 10 matches of the 2004 season to set the club record for consecutive wins, and have now equalled that feat after round 10 in 2009.
Lenny Hayes was brilliant for the victors, especially in an intense first half, outpointing Brock McLean in a match-long head-to-head battle.
Hayes was a class above every other player on the field, collecting 35 possessions in the 11.17 (83) to 6.10 (46) win.
He needed plenty of hard working teammates as Melbourne exerted pressure at every contest to trail by only four points at quarter time and belie their bottom place on the table.
Nick Riewoldt made a successful return to his native Gold Coast, winning a good duel with Matthew Warnock, and slotting four goals.
Clinton Jones also shone in front of the 9112 spectators, keeping Aaron Davey to an inconspicuous 19 touches, while getting 18 of his own.
Leigh Montagna, Nick Dal Santo and Brendon Goddard were all at their ball-gathering best, gathering 31 touches each.
Melbourne was relentless with its attack on the ball, but appeared to run out of legs in the second half, failing to kick a goal.
They played an exciting, daring brand of football early on that resulted in a four-goal first quarter, but struggled to penetrate after that, with just two majors in the final three quarters, and none after the long break.
The Demons continually had strong numbers around the ball but, when they won a hard contest, would look up to see little on offer in the forward line.
Jared Rivers kept Justin Koschitzke on a tight leash, allowing him just one major, before switching to Riewoldt for the fourth term and keeping him goalless.
Mark Jamar justified his inclusion in the ruck and had the best of his battle against St Kilda big men Steven King and Michael Gardiner, finishing with 25 hit-outs.
Cameron Bruce (25), Brent Moloney (24) and McLean (23) worked hard, especially in a frantic first term, when more than half the goals in the whole match were kicked.
Brendon Goddard was an early spark for the Saints, kicking two for the term, including one after a spectacular leap and grab that bought the Queensland fans to their feet.
But the Demons’ work rate kept them nipping at St Kilda’s heels. James Frawley’s first goal in league footy was a first term highlight for Melbourne, set up by a fine centring pass from Paul Johnson.
They maintained the intensity in the second term. James Gwilt and Riewoldt kicked two goals early in the quarter to extend the lead to 18 points, but Melbourne kept coming.
It wasn’t always pretty, but with second efforts like smothers from Davey and Brent Moloney, they kept forcing the ball forward and creating scoring opportunities.
Eventually Bate was on the end of the hard work to carry the ball forward and goal from 50, and Brad Green bought them back to within a kick when he converted from an acute angle on his left.
But the third term was where the damage was done as the Saints kicked 3.3 to take a match-winning 29-point break into the last quarter.
Reiwoldt stamped his authority on the contest with Warnock, kicking two classy goals from tight in each pocket after strong marks.
The Demons didn’t look like scoring. Stefan Martin cast a lonely figure at full forward, and the only defensive concern for the leaders in a quarter which degenerated into a scrappy affair was a left leg injury to Sam Gilbert, which temporarily forced him to the bench.
Melbourne had more of the ball in the opening exchanges of the term, but couldn’t convert possession to scoreboard pressure. Andrew McQualter finally extended St Kilda’s lead with his first of the night in the 16th minute, the first goal in the game for over a quarter of footy.
That proved to be a rare high point, as the Demons went goalless for the second half, and the match petered out into a comfortable victory for the Saints, a record-equalling tenth on the trot.
ST KILDA 5.3 7.8 10.11 11.17 (83)
MELBOURNE 4.5 6.6 6.6 6.10 (46)
GOALS
St Kilda: Riewoldt 4, Goddard 2, Ray, Koschitzke, Gwilt, Geary, McQualter
Melbourne: Sylvia, Bruce, Frawley, Maric, Bate, Green
BEST
St Kilda: Hayes, Jones, Reiwoldt, Dal Santo, Montagna
Melbourne: Jamar, Rivers, McLean, Bruce, Green, Moloney, Goddard
INJURIES
St Kilda: Milne (knee) replaced in selected side by Gram
Melbourne: None
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Matthew James, Stefan Grun, Chris Kamolins
Official crowd: 9112 at Gold Coast Stadium
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
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