First quarter: Melbourne 6.2 (38) to St Kilda 3.3 (21)
The opening term was played at a frenetic pace.
Melbourne controlled the majority of play, kicking six goals to three.
At quarter-time, the red and blue led by 17 points.
Christian Petracca booted two goals for Melbourne, as Jeff Garlett, Jesse Hogan, Aaron vandenBerg and Jack Watts kicked one each.
For the Saints, Tim Membrey landed two goals and Maverick Weller booted a major.
Second quarter: St Kilda 8.6 (54) to Melbourne 6.5 (41)
St Kilda hit back in the second term, winning the period by 30 points.
Although goals were hard to come by early on – four behinds were registered before Membrey opened the term with his third – St Kilda turned it on to grab a 13-point lead at half-time.
In 14 minutes, the Saints slammed on five unanswered goals, including back-to-back majors from Jarryn Geary in time-on.
Bernie Vince, Dean Kent and Petracca all registered behinds for Melbourne.
James Harmes was the leading ball-winner at half-time with 19 disposals.
Third quarter: St Kilda 10.12 (72) to Melbourne 9.7 (61)
St Kilda didn’t ease up early in the second half, when it kicked the first two goals of the third term.
It resulted in seven consecutive majors and a 31-point lead.
But when Garlett broke the drought and kicked his second at the 18-minute mark – which was Melbourne’s first major since the 28-minute mark of the final term – the red and blue booted three in a row.
Goals to Max Gawn and Jack Viney followed – the latter’s courageous mark running back with the flight was an absolute beauty – helped reduce to deficit to under two goals.
At three quarter-time, St Kilda led by 11 points, which could’ve been more had Membrey’s kick not hit the post after the siren.
Final quarter: St Kilda 15.20 (110) defeated Melbourne 11.8 (74)
Melbourne made it four in a row, when Gawn added his second to start the final term.
His major reduced the margin back to just five points at the six-minute mark and it was game on.
But St Kilda had other ideas and when Nick Riewoldt bobbed up for his first, Weller bagged his third and Dylan Roberton kicked truly, the Saints were up by 28 points.
Although Ben Kennedy’s goal at the 21-minute mark gave Melbourne a fleeting chance, when Josh Bruce answered for St Kilda a minute later, it was home.
In the wash-up, the Saints won by 36 points.