ST KILDA 5.0, 8.1, 12.4, 10.8 (68)
GWS 4.2, 9.3, 11.5, 6.15 (51)
GOALS
St Kilda: Riewoldt 5, Hickey 3, Templeton 2, Armitage, Montagna, Ray, Dempster, Dunstan
GWS: Smith 5, Giles 4, Cameron, Townsend, Whitfield, Mumford
BEST
St Kilda: Riewoldt, Hickey, Armitage, Dempster, Newnes, Montagna
GWS: Mumford, Smith, Giles, Ward, Coniglio, Hampton
INJURIES
St Kilda: Hickey (toe)
GWS: Nil
What Happened
It wasn't a high-quality contest, but it was exciting nonetheless with two young committed sides throwing everything at each other. Goals were easy to come by in an open affair as nine in total were kicked in the first term.
The Giants dominated for larger periods of the second quarter to wrest control, with Jon Giles and Devon Smith helping the visitors build on their lead after the main break.
Down by 20 points midway through the third term, the Saints came to life in a stunning 10-minute burst that yielded four goals including two from the boot of Riewoldt.
They carried their momentum into the final quarter with the skipper converting a tough snap for the all-important first goal. Another came from the boot of Luke Dunstan and the Saints looked on track for victory.
The Giants came storming back with Giles and Smith both goaling, but a string a missed chances proved costly as Eli Templeton sealed the result for St Kilda with a nice set shot in the closing stages.
Fallout
Two wins to start the season is a massive boost for Alan Richardson after the Saints were widely tipped to win the wooden spoon this year. Riewoldt was inspirational, but he still needs support up forward with Beau Maister very lucky to be playing senior football. The big positive was Tom Hickey, who was immense in the ruck and you can see why the club have faith in him being the number one ruckman.
The Giants didn't get a lot out of their key forwards, with Jeremy Cameron and Jon Patton combining for 1.5. But while they struggled, they found other avenues to goal with Giles showing he is more than a back-up ruck with four quality majors and the exciting Smith bobbing up with five. Josh Kelly's effort in the final quarter was sensational as he finished with 12 touches after starting as the sub.
Hope They're In My Fantasy Team
Riewoldt will post a massive score thanks to his heroic performance. On top of his five goals, he had 24 touches and an incredible 14 marks. Leigh Montagna and David Armitage saw plenty of the ball and should feature highly as well.
The Giants were best served by Mumford, who had a massive 46 hit-outs, 18 touches and eight tackles, while Smith and Callan Ward were also prolific.
What's Next
St Kilda's bubble will surely burst next week when they travel to Perth to take on West Coast, while the Giants have another winnable clash at home against Melbourne on Sunday.