The final score was 13.16 (94) to 13.15 (93) after the Swans led by seven points at half time.
The Swans hit the front after a Jesse White goal with four minutes remaining but a behind to Brendon Goddard leveled the scores with a couple of minutes to go and a scrambled behind kicked out of the pack from Leigh Montagna decided the contest.
There were less than 20 seconds on the clock when the Swans kicked out from full back after the Montagna behind and they were unable to mount another serious foray forward.
The Swans looked to be gone at three-quarter time trailing by 19 points but they never gave up with Jude Bolton leading from the front with several clearances at crucial times.
When Adam Goodes cleverly tapped the ball backwards to White for that final goal at the 27-minute mark, it gave the Swans a one-point lead and it looked as though they could hold on.
But it was not meant to be.
Both sides fought valiantly in the frantic finish and it was a cruel moment for the Swans when the final siren sounded.
Jarrad McVeigh was brilliant all night with 24 possessions, Jude Bolton was outstanding, Kieren Jack was inspirational and Rhyce Shaw consistently ran the ball out of defence setting up many attacking options.
After the Swans were held goalless in the third quarter the match looked to be over after a fierce first half. Even though the Saints only led by 19 points at three-quarter time, the momentum well and truly sat with the premiership ladder leaders as they dominated the quarter kicking 4.5 to the Swans paltry 0.3.
The Saints used the ball better, zoned beautifully up the ground to deny Swans easy attacking options and looked determined to erase the first-half deficit; which they did.
The Swans fought valiantly as they always do, and it was encouraging to see the younger players such as Jack and Barlow defending their ground.
The Saints had all the ascendancy from early on in the first quarter taking the lead at the seven-minute mark and never looking back.
The second quarter saw the Swans kick five goals to three to take a seven-point lead to the half-time break.
There were some terrific highlights for the Swans in that second term.
After Barlow kicked a goal 50 seconds after the start of the second quarter, which was quickly followed by a Steven King reply for St Kilda, Goodes produced a bit of Brownlow Medal magic.
Deep in the forward line Goodes rose for a mark, lost his balance in the contest against Sam Fisher, got to his feet pounced on the loose ball, fended off a St Kilda player and then kicked a banana goal from 25 metres out to level the scores at the nine-minute mark.
From the centre bounce Jack cleared the ball kicking long to the half-forward line where a pack formed. The ball spilled to the ground where Jack gathered and kicked truly from 45 metres out to not only give the Swans the lead but belief that they could be the first team to beat St Kilda this season.
From then on, the Swans ran hard, tackled, smothered and never gave their opponents an inch. From Lewis Roberts-Thomson in the backline to Ed Barlow fighting hard all over the field, with Shaw running the ball well out of defence.
In what was typical of a committed Swans side, Luke Ablett intercepted a kick out of their backline, bombed the ball long where White made a contest, gathered the loose ball handballed under severe pressure to Jarred Moore who quickly hand passed to Marty Mattner two metres out.
Every time the Saints regained the lead the Swans fought straight back and went into the main break deservedly seven points in front.
Sydney Swans 3.4 8.9 8.12 13.15 (93)
St Kilda 4.4 7.8 11.13 13.16 (94)
GOALS:
Sydney Swans: White 3, Goodes 2, Ablett 2, O'Loughlin, Barlow, Jack, Bird, Mattner, McVeigh
St Kilda: Riewoldt 2, Schneider 2, McQualter 2, Koschitzke, Milne, Gram, Gwilt, McEvoy, King, Dal Santo
BEST
Sydney Swans: Goodes, Jack, Jolly, McVeigh, O'Keefe, Ablett
St Kilda: Dal Santo, Goddard, Montagna, Schneider, Ray, Clarke
Injuries
Sydney Swans: Bird (shoulder)
St Kilda: King (shoulder)
Reports: Milne (St K) reported for striking Crouch in first term.
Umpires: Donlon, Findlay, Wenn
Official crowd: 27,805 at the SCG
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs.
