A STEVEN May masterclass has seen Melbourne claim an important 21-point victory over a brave but injury-hit St Kilda on Saturday evening.
It might prove to be a costly night for the Saints, who lost spearhead Max King just 20 seconds into the game after re-injuring the shoulder that kept him out for the first half of the season. Adding to the pain, Seb Ross (hamstring) and Zaine Cordy (concussion) were also out of the game before half-time.
With just two healthy players on the bench for the second half, the Saints were spirited, but ultimately fell to Melbourne 12.7 (79) to 8.10 (58) under the roof of Marvel Stadium.
May expertly patrolled the Demons' defence, registering 13 intercepts and 12 marks, quashing the Saints' attempts in the air up forward. At the other end of the ground, Christian Petracca's concerns in front of goal appeared to be in the rearview mirror as he kicked four goals from 20 disposals.
After conceding the opening goal, St Kilda controlled the first quarter, refusing Melbourne any exit out of defence and peppering the goals. By the main break, the home side was plus-seven for both inside 50s and tackles inside 50 but it simply couldn't make it count, kicking just three goals from eight scoring shots for the term.
Conversely, after plenty of discussion around Melbourne's conversion during the week, the Demons were able to make their few forward entries count, with five straight goals from 10 inside 50s.
Ed Langdon (21 disposals, one goal) and Jack Viney (25 disposals, six tackles) set the tone for Melbourne, while Jake Melksham (two goals) played an effective role on the in-form Callum Wilkie.
Once the Demons settled into the game, however, the Saints had a hard time generating genuine scoring opportunities.
Going forward the Saints struggled to achieve effective deep entries. Often caught marking the footy around the 50m arc, they looked to hit up the top of the goalsquare, but the likes of Harry Petty and May were ready and waiting to compete in the air.
With the knowledge that St Kilda was limited on the bench, the Demons moved the ball with speed, trying to exploit the tired legs of their opposition.
St Kilda captain Jack Steele willed his team on in his 150th game, laying 12 tackles, winning 31 disposals and kicking a goal. Meanwhile, defender Jimmy Webster played a self-sacrificing role, shutting Kysaiah Pickett out of the game and forcing Demons coach Simon Goodwin to move him into the midfield for much of the second half.
ST KILDA 3.5 4.7 6.8 8.10 (58)
MELBOURNE 5.0 7.2 9.5 12.7 (79)
GOALS
St Kilda: Owens 2, Gresham 2, Steele, Wood, Billings, Sharman
Melbourne: Petracca 4, Melksham 2, Sparrow 2, Neal-Bullen, Hunter, Brown, Langdon
BEST
St Kilda: Steele, Sinclair, Marshall, Wanganeen-Milera,
Melbourne: Langdon, Neal-Bullen, May, Sparrow, Viney
INJURIES
St Kilda: Ross (hamstring), King (shoulder), Cordy (concussion)
Melbourne: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
St Kilda: Ryan Byrnes (replaced Max King in the first quarter)
Melbourne: Joel Smith (replaced Harrison Petty in the final quarter)
ATTENDANCE
30,749 at Marvel Stadium
