SOMETHING truly amazing must have occurred in the St Kilda rooms at half-time of the match against Hawthorn last night. For the St Kilda that ran out on to the ground after that long break proceeded to put on a display of football that bore no resemblance to the slow and uncertain half that had preceded it.

Perhaps it was a stirring speech from coach Ross Lyon, or perhaps it was as simple as Lyon's decision to replace ruckman Steven King, who had struggled to have any real impact to that point, with Jason Blake. That provided the spark that turned what until that point looked destined to be a clinical Hawthorn victory on its head.

Whatever it was, it worked, as the Saints stared down a 28-point deficit and stampeded over the well-fancied Hawks with a run of eight goals to two in the third term, and 12 to three for the half, that shattered their opposition and delivered Lyon's men a 30-point win, extending their run to four straight.

Blake was nothing short of electrifying. Dominating the ruck contests with seven hitouts and three clearances, he also pushed forward with devastating effect, kicking three goals for the term.

With Blake giving first use to a fired-up St Kilda midfield brigade, and lending significant support once the ball hit the ground, the Saints burst out of their shell, moving the ball forward at all costs, backing themselves in every instance, and enjoying the rich harvest that such efforts rewarded them with. It was a clean and true snap by Nick Riewoldt in the 13th minute of the third — the Saint's sixth for the term — that put them in front for the first time of the night.

Of course Blake was not the only one whose heroics sent the Hawks' hopes of securing second spot on the ladder to the scrap heap. Nick Dal Santo was back at his silky best clearing the ball from the centre, with excellent support from Lenny Hayes, Robert Harvey and Leigh Montagna. Captain Riewoldt put on one of his finest displays, kicking three of his six straight goals for the night, and marshalling the onslaught.

The drama and audacity of that third term was made all the more extraordinary when held up against the events of the first half, which, on their own, appeared as though they could have been scripted from the comfort of one's lounge room last Thursday afternoon.

The Hawks had the ascendancy — the cluster was working a treat, their midfielders, led by Luke Hodge, Brad Sewell and Sam Mitchell, were dominant and they just had too much firepower up forward. On the other hand, the Saints were stumbling into trouble through slow and stuttering ball movement that all too often came undone in the crowded confines of the Hawks' much-vaunted defensive zone.

Among the three of them the Hawks' forwards appeared to have their respective opponents all stitched up. Mark Williams was running riot over Brendon Goddard until he swapped with Jason Gram to take on a much more constructive role up the ground, and on more than one occasion Lance Franklin easily outmarked Max Hudghton in one-on-one contests, while Jarryd Roughead appeared to have an easy measure of a then dormant Blake.

Indeed it took until the eighth minute of that first term for the Saints to even get on the scoreboard, with a point from youngster Andrew Eddy, and it was not until the 21-minute mark that Sean Dempster benefited from a hurried throw by Chance Bateman, who had a very ordinary night, to kick the Saints' first goal of the night.

In the second the Saints started to show signs that they would find a way through the cluster. They began using quicker ball movement to take the game on.

As so often happens in these situations, once the Saints began to really turn up the heat in that second half, their opposition began to crumble. The Hawks' movement out of defence fell apart, they missed targets. On numerous occasions they sprayed the ball out on the full when they could ill-afford to be anything but clinical.

This reversal of fortunes was illustrated in the most glaring of fashions early in the final term when Brad Sewell worked hard to carry the ball down the wing and then passed it to a galloping Franklin, who took the offering just outside the 50 and fancied himself a good chance to step inside the paint and kick a much needed goal for his team. But in his enthusiasm Franklin ignored the inconvenient truth that was bearing down upon him in the form of a determined Clinton Jones. Sure enough, he was caught, dispossessed and the ball went travelling back the other way.

ST KILDA 3.1 6.3 14.5 18.11 (119)
HAWTHORN 5.4 10.7 12.8 13.11 (89)
GOALS St Kilda: Riewoldt 6, Blake 3, Schneider 2, Dal Santo 2, Dempster, Koschitzke, Jones, Gram, Milne. Hawthorn: Williams 3, Franklin 3, Roughead 3, Hodge 2, Osborne 2.
BEST St Kilda: Riewoldt, Blake, Dal Santo, Jones, Goddard. Hawthorn: Hodge, Sewell, Williams, Osborne, Ellis.
INJURIES Hawthorn: Young (back tightness) replaced in selected side by Lewis.
UMPIRES: McInerney, Meredith, Stewart.
CROWD: 41,886 at Telstra Dome.

THE UPSHOT
The win means the Saints are well and truly alive in the race for the finals, especially after North Melbourne had leapfrogged them — briefly — after winning on Friday night. For the Hawks, the acid will be on them going into their huge clash against Geelong on Friday night.

TALKING POINT
In the third quarter an interchange infringement between Hawthorn ruckmen Robert Campbell and Simon Taylor cost their side a goal, Jason Blake the beneficiary. Alastair Clarkson described the incident as an important point in the game. It was the nine-minute mark of the third and the kick brought the score to 16 points in favour of the Hawks. Within seven minutes, however, the Saints were in front.

HOT AND COLD
When a side leads by 34 points late in the first half and loses by 30, the award for this category is a foregone conclusion. Luke Hodge, the driving force of the side in the first half in particular, was shut down in the second, gathering only eight touches.