St Kilda edge Western Bulldogs in AFL eliminations final thriller

St Kilda will play premiers Richmond in a semi-final next weekend after defeating the Western Bulldogs by three points.

Jarryn Geary of the Saints after scoring a goal during the AFL second elimination final match between St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs at The Gabba in Brisbane on Saturday. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

St Kilda will play reigning premiers Richmond in a semi-final on the Gold Coast next weekend after posting a thrilling three-point win over the Western Bulldogs in an AFL elimination final at the Gabba on Saturday.

Playing in their first final since 2011, the Saints absorbed the pressure applied to them by the Western Bulldogs in the early stages of the sudden-death clash and then survived a significant last-term scare to win 10.7.67 to 9.10.64.

Amid the triumph, there was a moment of despair when veteran ruckman Paddy Ryder suffered a hamstring strain the final moments of the match.

The former Essendon and Port Adelaide ruckman had been superb but was in tears on the interchange bench when the siren sounded.

From midway through the second term, the Saints began to take control of the elimination final, with their aerial supremacy enabling them to move away from the Bulldogs in the third term.

Desperate to extend their season, the Bulldogs pressed late in the final, with consecutive goals to Lachie Hunter and Tom Liberatore closing the margin to 10 points with just over four minutes remaining.

Mitch Wallis had an opportunity to reduce the margin to four points after receiving a free kick with three minutes remaining but pulled his set shot to the left.

Soon after Caleb Daniel received another free-kick in attack when collected too high by Seb Ross. His goal saw the Bulldogs close the margin to three points with two minutes remaining.

But the Saints supremacy in the air, a feature throughout, also proved vital in the last passages as well.

“We ended up doing it the hard way, but it is fantastic. It has been a long time, but we really wanted to get the job done,” captain Jarryn Geary said.

“I always knew they were going to come back … and we just hung on by the skin of our teeth. There are probably some lessons there for us to learn.”

The triumph is another step forward for the Saints in coach Brett Ratten’s first full-season in charge after he assumed the role in an interim role last year from Alan Richardson.

It took until a thrashing of the Giants in the final round of the season for St Kilda to ensure a place in the finals for the first time in nine years.

A couple of days after that match, Ratten took them to the beach for a dawn meeting and urged his squad not to be satisfied by simply making the eight.

In an unprecedented season, the Saints had a chance to take their challenge further. So far, so good, though their next challenge is a significant one given the brilliance of Richmond.

Ratten said it was clear the Saints would need to improve further given the quality of the Tigers.

“They have been a great team for three years, so we will have our work cut out,” he said.

“I think tonight just shows a lot of belief [among our side] and I think it will give our group a lot of confidence.”

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said it was a bitter feeling to fall shy of pulling of the comeback.

“There is no tomorrow,” he said.

Even in defeat, there is little time for reflection. The Bulldogs have to be out of Queensland by Tuesday morning, which means they will conduct exit interviews over the next two days as well as hold their best-and-fairest count.

The Tigers were edged by Brisbane in a thriller on Friday night at the Gabba but continued to press the Lions.

St Kilda can take confidence from their sole clash of the season back at Marvel Stadium in round four when they were too slick for Richmond.

But the 26-point victory came at a time when the Tigers were struggling to find their form after the season resumption in June.

There is concern regarding Ryder, who limped from the field late in the match and was in tears afterwards.

He had been superb through the final and was one of several tall Saints to stretch the Bulldogs. St Kilda took 21 contested marks for the match, which is the most by a club this season.

The St Kilda coach said they would await the result of scans but if Ryder had injured his hamstring, it would be a “real shame” given what he has brought to the club since his arrival.

Along with the emerging Max King, who possesses the potential to become a superstar of the competition, Ryder and medium-sized forward Tim Membrey kicked two goals apiece.

Geary, who was able to isolate Bulldog Caleb Daniel in attack early in the match, also kicked two second half goals in a classy display and was outstanding throughout.

The task for St Kilda’s forward line was helped when Zaine Cordy suffered an ankle injury in the second term.

With Rowan Marshall and Ryder too strong in the ruck for Bulldog Tim English, the Saints were also able to get an edge through the middle the longer the elimination final went.

St Kilda conceded three goals in the opening term to trail by five points at quarter-time.

But their defence was able to clamp down on the Bulldogs when restricting them to just one goal in both the second and third terms. One of those was a remarkable set shot from Mitch Wallis from near the boundary.

This was due to the pressure applied further afield which slowed their rivals path forward, with the Bulldogs appearing haphazard when entering attack.

It was not until the 10-minute mark of the final term that Aaron Naughton, wearing a helmet to protect a depressed cheekbone, was able to secure a set shot. His first goal for the match reduced the margin to 17 points.

Geary looked to have eased the pressure on the Dogs soon after from directly in front, only for their rivals to find another gear in the latter stages with a surge that fell narrowly shy of success.