It may have been the first competitive hit-out for both sides but the Saints started the match like it was mid-season.
There was a poise and fluency about their game that was sadly missing in Adelaide’s early play. Austinn Jones was the chief architect for St Kilda, setting up the play expertly from half-back and gathering nine first-quarter disposals.
New Saints captain Lenny Hayes put his side 22 points up with 12 minutes played but Stephen Powell went one better with a super goal soon after to push that lead out to 31.
The Crows trailed by 25 points as the second quarter got underway but soon edged closed after an Andrew McLeod chase-down of Hayes resulted in a Mark Ricciuto goal.
However, Saints’ young gun Nick Riewoldt stepped in with two goals for the term to help his side to a 26-point half-time lead.
Adelaide’s delivery into its forward-line had been erratic for most of the day and didn’t improve much as the third quarter progressed while a settled St Kilda side looked to press home the advantage.
Brent Reilly goaled soon after coming off the bench for the Crows but Riewoldt quickly answered to give the Saints a 32-point buffer at the last break.
The previously lacklustre Crows outfit sprang into life in the final term – piling on three majors and a super goal from Kris Massie to narrow the gap to just five points with 11 minutes played.
Reilly’s second goal for Adelaide kicked off the term and it was a contentious one as the ball appeared to hit the goal post as it bounced over the line.
After much deliberation between the two goal umpires, a field umpire and a boundary umpire, the initial decision awarding a point was rescinded and a goal was signaled – much to the disgust of the St Kilda players who had gathered to plead their case.
Adelaide nearly took the lead for the first time in the match soon after when James Gallagher set sail from nine-point territory but his shot went just the wrong side of the post for the Crows.
The contest remained in the balance until the dying stages of the match when Milne slotted his second to seal the result for the Saints.
A disappointed Adelaide coach Gary Ayres conceded that his team didn't deserve to win on the strength of one good quarter.
“It wasn’t until the last quarter when we had some purpose and some sort of fluency in the way we played. I just thought they put us, certainly, on a backward step right from the very start," said Ayres.
"We got smashed around the midfield clearances in that we got our hands on the ball but we fumbled it and this is obviously a lesson for the guys who were in there.
"I didn’t think at any stage did we even threaten to win the game until that last quarter so that’s the disappointing thing for me.”
ADELAIDE: 0.2.1, 0.5.2, 0.7.3, 1.11.5 (80)
ST KILDA: 1.4.5, 1.7.7, 1.10.8, 1.12.12 (93)
NINE POINT GOALS: Adelaide: Massie.
St Kilda: Powell.
SIX POINT GOALS: Adelaide: Reilly 2, Skipworth 2, Welsh 2, Rutten, Johncock, Stenglein, Ricciuto, Burton.
St Kilda: Riewoldt 3, Milne 2, Gehrig 2, Harvey, Clarke, Thompson, Hayes, Ball.
BEST: Adelaide: Goodwin, Gallagher, Ricciuto, Edwards, Stenglein, Hentschel.
St Kilda: Ball, Harvey, Jones, Powell, Riewoldt, Hayes.
INJURIES: Adelaide: Carey (corked thigh).
St Kilda: Hudghton (shoulder)
REPORTS: Nil.
UMPIRES: Rowston, Worthington, Dey.
CROWD: 13,905 at AAMI Stadium.
