NAB Challenge: Melbourne defeats St Kilda by 24 points at Etihad Stadium

MELBOURNE held off a resilient St Kilda at Etihad Stadium on Sunday, with Nathan Jones and Jeff Garlett crucial players in the victory.

THIS year’s NAB Challenge has too often showcased the mediocre, the mind-numbing or the downright farcical.

On a perfect autumn day at Etihad Stadium two sides exhibited the glorious promise of what they might one day become.

Melbourne, this generation’s great underachiever, were last night able to claim unbeaten status across a month-long NAB Challenge campaign.

For a side used to pre-fixes like “embarrassment”, “shameful” and “disastrous” this past decade, “unbeaten” will do just nicely.

They did it with an emerging star in Clayton Oliver, a superior blend of attack and defence, and a best 22 that is suddenly not littered with passengers.

Jack Watts oozed class for the third game in a row, they might have hit paydirt with their new recruits, and they kicked a winning score with little influence from Jesse Hogan.

At one stage ex-GWS mid Tom Bugg hit up ex-Collingwood mid Ben Kennedy, who found Oliver for his second goal of the first half.

All three did enough to show they won’t just fill a place on the list, they will make meaningful and repeated contributions to blue-and-red victory.

Suddenly the Demons will hit Round 1 with genuine optimism, especially with GWS star Jeremy Cameron certain to be suspended for a high bump on Monday.

St Kilda is on an identical journey, even if theirs took a needless trip to Mackay for last week’s washout.

For most of the game the Demons looked a step quicker and a fraction more composed and a touch more advanced.

Even Nick Riewoldt, the AFL’s running man, actually looked like he needed the run ahead of Round 1.

Jack Watts gves Tomas Bugg a cuddle after Bugg goaled. Pic: Michael Klein

But it was impossible not to watch Jack Billings kick three effortless goals in five minutes and wonder if he might become one of the AFL’s most lethal finishers.

Billings, kept to nine games last year, buzzed around alongside goalsneak Jack Lonie, who just dances through traffic with a pair of magical feet.

That pair will provide so much joy for St Kilda supporters in coming years, especially with Josh Bruce showing he was no one-hit wonder last year.

He was well supplied by a Saints midfield that is beginning to build some depth to go with the A-list stars.

David Armitage, Jack Steven and Leigh Montagna still did must of the heavy lifting, combining for over 80 touches.

But if St Kilda still needs it stars firing to be competitive, Seb Ross, Shane Savage and Jack Newnes again came along for the ride.

Alan Richardson would be aware he needs to fast-track Blake Acres, Patrick McCartin, Jade Gresham and Luke Dunstan to take their place.

Still, St Kilda’s fans have shown themselves totally ready to embrace that ride, rough as it is at times.

Any journey has speed bumps, which Jesse Hogan would know only too well.

His four quarters were downright bizarre, dropping chest marks, stuttering with his set shot routine and yet missing a last-minute shot which would have given him three goals.

Cam Pedersen’s rough bump on Nathan Wright might see him miss Round 1, but the Demons finally have avenues to goal.

Jeff Garlett kicked three clever goals, hit up teammates inside 50 with a pair of withering passes, and will surely feast on the increased inside 50s this year.

Don’t look now, but a team that has kicked 100 points only four times in Paul Roos’ tenure raised the ton.

Denis Pagan famously scoffed at March champions, aware the big show was where reputations were made.

Melbourne have shown they have the building blocks in foundation for a breakthrough year, but still need to deliver on Saturday week to frank their pre-season form.

The Saints fought hard all afternoon but struggled for fluency in their ball movement. Jack Steven continued on from where he left last year, collecting plenty of the footy, while Leigh Montagna and Seb Ross were also excellent.

For the Demons, Nathan Jones was typically workmanlike. He was well supported by Christian Salem and Bernie Vince in the club’s engine room.

Both sides lost one player in the final term, with St Kilda skipper Nick Riewoldt appearing to injure his left calf and Melbourne defender Neville Jetta limping from the field.

Tomas Bugg with Jack Viney of the Demons and Jack Watts kicking a goal. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

THREE THINGS WE LEARNT

1. Melbourne’s list build continues apace, with all of Clayton Oliver, Ben Kennedy and Tom Bugg solid. They will play Round 1 after the bullocking Oliver again impressed, Bugg took a hanger and racked it up (21 touches), and Kennedy put his body on the line and made a scoreboard impact.

2. Let’s hope Jesse Hogan has got that one out of his system. He dropped at least three easy chest marks and seemed to have the yips with his set-shot routine. Of course, he still kicked two goals, because he is Jesse Hogan. But he has been so brilliant it was a reminder he is only a kid.

3. Nick Riewoldt’s experiment on the wing won’t win him a Brownlow - just yet. The star forward had only 10 possessions in his first run of the year, mixing stints forward and in the midfield. But surely he is still needed alongside Josh Bruce - at least until Patrick McCartin matures.

MELBOURNE 1.14.14 (107)

ST KILDA 0.12.11 (83)

Nine pointers:

Melbourne: C Salem.

St Kilda: Nil.

GOALS:

Melbourne: J Garlett 3 C Oliver 2 D Kent 2 J Hogan 2 J Watts 2 B Kennedy C Pedersen T Bugg.

St Kilda: J Billings 3 J Bruce 2 D Armitage J Newnes J Steven L Dunstan L Montagna M

Weller T Hickey.

BEST:

MELBOURNE: Garlett, Watts, Jones, Viney, Bugg, Gawn, Tyson, Oliver, Salem, Kennedy

ST KILDA: Steven, Montagna, Billings, Ross, Bruce, Lonie, Newnes, Ross

Umpires: Chris Donlon, Dean Margetts, Leigh Fisher, Jack Edwards.

Official Crowd: 8,621 at Etihad Stadium.

Originally published as NAB Challenge: Melbourne defeats St Kilda by 24 points at Etihad Stadium