David King was best on ground, Corey McKernan booted four goals and Shannon Grant picked up 29 possessions, as the Roos prevailed 14.12.96 to 12.9.81, in extremely warm conditions.
Veteran St Kilda forward Stewart Loewe was the only casualty of the day, limping off the ground in the second quarter with a hamstring strain.
The Saints are now out of the race for a semi-final berth and will round out their Ansett Cup campaign next Friday night against West Coast at Colonial Stadium, while the Roos meet Collingwood on Saturday night at the same venue, a match that could decide who progresses through to the final four.
Although without dual Brownlow medallist Robert Harvey, St Kilda looked desperate to atone for their terrible performance against Collingwood last week, shooting out to 10-point quarter time lead, ever-green Nathan Burke, Brett Voss, Lenny Hayes, and ex-Docker Craig Callaghan all prominent.
But the ever-professional Kangaroos, with Wayne Carey their only notable absentee, soon hit back, narrowing the margin to four points at half time.
Grant, Anthony Stevens and a very fit looking Winston Abraham were providing new Saints coach Malcolm Blight with plenty of headaches, as he attempted to register his first win since taking over at Moorabbin.
Blight must be concerned by the form of big man Peter Everitt who put in another ordinary performance, while sharing his time between the ruck and full-forward.
High-priced signing Aaron Hamill was also well below his best, managing just three possessions and one goal and Barry Hall again found the going tough at full-back.
Aussie Jones was another Saint who found it hard to get into the action, the 1997 All-Australian spending long periods of the game on the bench, as youngsters like Chad Davis and boom recruit Justin Koschitzke showed the way.
The last half was a see-sawing affair, the Roos eventually opening up an 11 point lead at three quarter time. This was quickly extended to 22 after Stevens slotted through his second goal, but the Saints would not lie down, bringing the margin back to nine points, before King’s second goal finished them off.
Roos’ coach Denis Pagan would have been delighted King’s dashing display, the tough midfielder picking up 26 possessions, while defender Byron Pickett returned to his best, laying plenty of bruising tackles and repelling numerous St Kilda attacking moves.
For the Saints, the shining light was undoubtedly Burke, the 31-year-old finishing the match with two goals and 20 touches.
MATCH DETAILS:
KANGAROOS: 1.4, 6.7, 11.11, 14.12 (96)
ST KILDA: 3.2, 7.5, 10.6, 12.9 (81)
Goals: Kangaroos: C McKernan 4, S Grant 2, D King 2, A Stevens 2, G Archer, B Harvey, S Rocca, S Watt. St Kilda: N Burke 2, L Hayes 2, M Capuano, T Delaney, P Everitt, A Hamill, A Jones, B Knowles, B Moyle, R Powell.
Best: Kangaroos: D King, S Grant, A Stevens, B Pickett, C McKernan. St Kilda: N Burke, B Voss, L Hayes, B Moyle, C Callaghan.
Reports: Kangaroos: nil. St Kilda: nil
Injuries: Kangaroos: Nil. St Kilda: Loewe (hamstring).
Umpires: Allen, Vozzo, Morris, McInerney.
Crowd: 8,157 at Manuka Oval, Canberra.
