The West Coast Eagles were schooled by St Kilda on Saturday afternoon, falling on the road by 72 points under the roof of Marvel Stadium.
Fielding a young team, the Eagles were up for the contest early but fell away and only kicked two goals after half-time in the 17.11 (113) to 6.5 (41) demolition.
St Kilda forward Tim Membrey was a standout with five goals from 23 disposals, capitalising on a one-sided inside 50 count (67-37) as the dam wall burst after the long break.
West Coast’s backline was under siege for much of the contest, with key pillar Tom Barrass and Brady Hough fighting against the tide, and Jayden Hunt (35 disposals) attempting to provide plenty of linebreaking run.
But St Kilda had too many contributors in Bradley Hill’s 250th game, with ruck Rowan Marshall feeding his midfield brigade, led by Jack Steele and Jack Sinclair.
There were few positives for West Coast, although developing key forward Jack Williams’ three goals in support of spearhead Oscar Allen (two) was another sign of his bright future.
The Saints started hot, kicking the first three goals of the game through Jack Higgins, Darcy Wilson and Mitch Owens.
West Coast defenders were under fierce presser from the Saints early, majority of the term being spent inside the opposition’s forward half.
After struggling to move the ball and connect in front of goal, West Coast’s first opportunity came through Ryan Maric, taking a strong mark in the forward line and opening the Eagles’ account on the scoreboard.
The Eagles started finding more of the ball, receiving reward for effort through an elite goal from deep in the pocket off the boot of co-captain Oscar Allen.
West Coast managed to shift the momentum slightly, taking an attainable nine-point deficit into the quarter time break.
Jack Williams managed his first major in the second term, an important finish for the visitors after being able to apply some crucial pressure around the ground.
West Coast continued their struggle to connect in their front half and the Saints didn’t let up, kicking four goals of their own to West Coast’s two, and extending their lead to 19 points at the main break.
St Kilda turned up the heat in the second half, a three goal to one third term pushing the margin out to 34 points heading into the final quarter.
Scrappy football and avoidable errors from West Coast, paired with some ordinary defence, paved the way for a fourth-quarter onslaught from the Saints.
St Kilda knuckled down, a perfect start to the final term turned into a nightmare for the Eagles, the home side kicking six unanswered majors for the term, keeping West Coast to just one goal.
The Eagles will lick their wounds and regroup for Saturday night’s away RAC Derby, with Jeremy McGovern, Elliot Yeo and Liam Duggan chances to return from injury.
ST KILDA 3.3 7.5 10.9 17.11 (113)
WEST COAST 2.0 4.4 5.5 6.5 (41)
GOALS
St Kilda: Membrey 5; Wood 3; Butler 2; Higgins, Wilson, Owens, Sharman, Steele, Battle
West Coast: J Williams 3; Allen 2; Maric
BEST
St Kilda: Membrey, Steele, Sinclair, Jones, Wilkie, Wood
West Coast: Hunt, Ginbey, Maric, Barrass, Hough, Kelly
INJURIES
St Kilda: Henry (knee)
West Coast: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
St Kilda: Hugo Garcia
West Coast: Josh Rotham
Crowd: 18,251 at Marvel Stadium
