THE SYDNEY Swans have fallen victim to a rampant St Kilda outfit, going down by 26 points at Telstra Dome.
Failing to match the Saints’ hunger and intensity when the game was in the balance, Sydney lost its composure in the third quarter to kick just two goals to St Kilda's five as the game eventually slipped away, 15.7 (97) to 11.56 (71).
The Swans lacked options and often looked stagnant when going forward, with St Kilda able to effectively restrict Sydney's midfield supply to Barry Hall and Michael O'Loughlin.
Ryan O'Keefe and Nick Malceski were shining lights for the Swans with 22 and 18 possessions respectively, while Hall kicked three goals and O'Keefe two.
The Sherrin may have deflated in the first minutes of the game, but the match that followed was far from flat.
After jumping clear early, Sydney lost its way but stayed close at the major break to trail by just a kick.
In the first quarter, Barry Hall and Adam Goodes slotted early goals to give the Swans the lead, with the Saints only collecting two possessions in the first five minutes of play.
But the Saints fought back with four of the next six goals.
The Saints dominated the majority of the first term but were unable to snatch the lead until Gehrig slotted his second at the 27 minute mark.
Sydney went further behind when Xavier Clarke extended the Saints’ lead in the second term as the quarter settled into an arm wrestle.
St Kilda restricted Sydney's run with some tough tackling around the clinches and when Gehrig kicked his third goal, the Saints were propelled to a 13-point lead.
Hall piped up to slot his second goals to keep Sydney in check late in the term.
The game's tempo lifted noticeably in the third quarter, but Sydney faded late as the Saints’ intensity and silky skills took control.
Nick Davis kicked Sydney's first when he was left unmarked 35m out and Ryan O'Keefe snapped a clever goal a few minutes later to bring his side within a point.
A rushed behind a minute later tied things up with 12 minutes remaining.
But the Saints responded in the best possible fashion by kicking the next four goals in a 12 minute burst.
Aaron Fiora spilt the pegs from the right forward pocket for his first before Gehrig marked in a similar position and kicked his fourth – not before rearranging some furniture on the sidelines – to give the Saints a two-goal lead.
Justin Koschitzke was pushed forward to add another, with Shane Birss burying Sydney with his first major.
Nick Davis got Sydney within striking range in the fourth with a classy checkside goal from the right forward pocket, but the Saints marched in to kick three of the next four goals to seal victory.
St Kilda 4.4 7.4 12.6 15.7 (97)
Sydney 4.1 6.4 8.5 11.5 (71)GOALSSt Kilda: Gehrig 4, X. Clarke 2, Milne 2, Montagna, Riewoldt, Voss, Fiora, Birss, Koschitzke, Dal SantoSydney: Hall 3, Davis 2, O’Keefe 2, Bolton, Everitt, Schneider, GoodesBESTSt Kilda: Riewoldt, Gehrig, Montagna, Koschitzke, Ball, Milne
Sydney: Kirk, O’Keefe, Bolton, Buchanan
INJURIES
St Kilda: B Goddard (knee) C Jones (shoulder).Sydney: L Barry (shoulder).Reports: Nil.Umpires: M James, S Ryan, M AvonOfficial Crowd: 37,816 at the Telstra Dome
