Fraser Gehrig booted three goals in his 150th match and Robert Harvey was a midfield dynamo, but there was little else for the Saints to rejoice about in their 70-point loss to West Coast at Subiaco on Saturday.
Phil Matera booted seven goals as the home team pretty much dominated from the start.
Saints skipper Aaron Hamill was a late withdrawal from the side, replaced by Justin Peckett.
West Coast pressured the Saints from the first bounce, and with star big-man Michael Gardiner giving opposing ruckman Matthew Capuano a ruck lesson in the middle, won the ball out of the middle almost every time.
West Coast skipper Ben Cousins came into the game with an ankle problem, but showed no signs of it as he led his team’s dominant midfield, while the Saints’ former skipper Harvey did well in a well-beaten midfield.
Daniel Chick was playing his first game for West Coast and his 150th overall, but he was well held by Max Hudghton.
The Saints, who have started well this year with six and four goal first terms in their first two matches couldn’t reproduce that form at Subiaco, with just two goals, and the first didn’t come until six minutes into time-on, by which time West Coast had slotted five, including two to Daniel Kerr, who was having a blinder.
Andrew Embley has started the season in great form, and he continued that into this match, with 12 touches in the first term, and West Coast finished the first term three goals to the good.
West Coast started the second term as it had the first, with the first three goals including two to Phil Matera.
St Kilda grabbed the first two of the third term, but Matera replied with the first two of his four for the term, the first a courageous overhead mark from a high bomb.
Matera finished the term with another two, and West Coast led by 62 points at the last break.
The Saints have had poor final quarters in their first two matches this season, but they almost broke even in this one, with three goals to West Coast’s four.
WEST COAST EAGLES: 5.6, 12.10, 17.14 21.18 (144)
ST KILDA: 2.3, 5.5, 8.6 11.8 (74)
GOALS: West Coast: Matera 7, Sampi 3, Kerr 3, Cousins 2, Judd 2, Haines 2, Wirrpunda, Embley.
St Kilda: Gehrig 3, Montagna 2, Hayes 2, Harvey, Riewoldt, Peckett, Milne.
BEST: West Coast: Matera, Kerr, Embley, Gardiner, Cousins.
St Kilda: Harvey, Gehrig, Hayes, Montagna
INJURIES: West Coast: Gaspar (hamstring).
St Kilda: Riewoldt (groin), Wulf (ankle).
CHANGES: West Coast: Chad Morrison replaced Dean Cox (wet weather).
St Kilda: Justin Peckett replaced Aaron Hamil (quadricep strain)
REPORTS: None.
UMPIRES: Corcoran, McInerney, Margetts.
CROWD: TBA at Subiaco Oval
