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Against what was expected to be their biggest obstacle to finals this season Melbourne have sent an emphatic message to the rest of the competition.
However perhaps the biggest story to come from the game is a potentially serious knee injury to Nick Riewoldt, which we will now need to wait to know the full extent of.
If scans reveal the worse the only solace the Saints can take is a comparison to Bob Murphy and the Bulldogs last year.
It is only Round 1 but the Demons couldn’t have been much more impressive. Defensively, the structure was brilliant and they won most 1-on-1’s with a lot of the Saints goals coming from lucky or skillful crumbing rather than lead-up marks.
Bernie Vince was one of the best on ground playing loose in defence and doing a bit of every role, most notably using his elite kicking skills to attack from the back 50.
Jordan Lewis probably took home the 3 votes in his first game for Melbourne. He added some much-needed composure and experience but really it was his skill and leadership that proved most valuable.
Up forward Melbourne looked as good as they have in years. Hogan is the obvious No.1 target but Weideman is an excellent backup tall option.
What impressed and surprised the most was the spread of goal kickers the Demons had. 12 players got their name on the scoreboard, most of them small-medium sized players finding space inside 50 and converting their opportunities.
Overall, the signs couldn’t be much better for Simon Goodwin in his first game as coach. His game plan was clear, run and handball whenever possible and if not spread the ball wide and bring it central when entering the forward 50.
However, it was the Demons’ work rate and willingness to run hard that won them the game, exactly what you want to see in Round 1.
For St Kilda, it’s an entirely different story. Their skill isn’t a question, even today when they had the ball they generally used it quite well and still managed to score 90 points.
The issue was the effort and intensity. We’ve seen it from the Saints the last few years but it was clearly lacking today and it cost them big time.
When they didn’t have the ball they weren’t working nearly hard enough to win it back or even to get on their man.
The amount of times Melbourne were able to find a 15-20m kick to an uncontested player was simply unacceptable.
A few players were disappointing, probably none more than Jake Carlisle and Nathan Brown. Two debutants who were expected to make a huge impact to the St Kilda defence and were outclassed by their opponents today.
The Saints midfield were the main issue today, they’re an experienced and quality group but they didn’t show it.
Their tackling, intensity and defensive running was nowhere near where it needs to and previously has been.
The only highlights for St Kilda would have to be Jade Gresham’s three goals and Jack Steele and Jack Billings having 24 and 20 touches respectively.
Ultimately, the Saints have a lot to work on before they go to Perth next week to face the Eagles.
For Melbourne, it was the dream start to what will hopefully be a fairytale season for the team looking to end the new longest premiership drought in football.
A great win from the Demons and a really disappointing loss for St Kilda.
Final score
St Kilda Saints 13.12.90
Melbourne Demons 18.12.120
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