WHAT THE BANNERS SAID
St Kilda
Fortus
The Strength of the Saints is to never give up
We'll fight for our shot at the premiership cup
Geelong
Our finals journey has begun
Destination = number one
HERO
If the occasion was made for one man, he was wearing No.44 for St Kilda. With the momentum leaning towards Geelong early in the second quarter, Stephen Milne pulled it back the other way. Three consecutive goals in the space of six minutes, including a trademark dribble from the boundary line, pushed the Saints to a 20-point lead.
GOAT
While Milne was having a night to remember, opponent Josh Hunt's was one to forget. Two shocking kicks deep in defence were just the start of Hunt's woes as Milne caused him enormous headaches. Soundly beaten in the air and on the ground, Hunt was left scratching his head in the second quarter when Milne exploded to life and had the job taken off him at half time.
OVERHEARD
"The restraining order for Steve Baker must have been given the all-clear." - A musing from a Steve Johnson supporter in the outer after receiving word of Baker's late withdrawal.
BY NUMBERS
4 - disposals gathered by Joel Selwood in the first half
3 - goals to Stephen Milne in the second quarter
0 - times Justin Koschitzke touched the ball after his blistering first term
THE DECISION
With a minute to play, Geelong captain Cameron Ling booted what looked to be the match-winning goal. However, it was overruled by a free kick against Cameron Mooney for pushing St Kilda defender James Gwilt in the back. A tough decision in wet conditions, umpire Matt Stevic won't be the most popular man down Geelong way for a little while.
LOST IN COMMENTARY
"Armageddon on the horizon..." - ABC radio commentator Gerard Whateley forecast rain in the second quarter.
THE MOMENT THEY'LL REPLAY
It was early in the game when Geelong's Travis Varcoe found himself deep in the pocket and under pressure. With no clear view, he still leaned back and somehow slotted a magical goal.
THE MOMENT THEY SHOULD REPLAY
St Kilda's 'tip rat' threatened to split the game open in the second term with two quick goals but his third was trademark Milne. Out-positioning his opponent Hunt, Milne created an open space to goal and dribbled it through from a tough angle.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
Join the finals conversation on Twitter: use #aflcatssaints in your tweets.
