St Kilda has kept their faint finals hopes alive with a huge win over the in-form Swans at Marvel Stadium.
The Saints finally looked like a team desperate to play finals following a few disappointing weeks where they were humbled by Port Adelaide, West Coast and Carlton.
With their season on the line, the Saints barely put a foot wrong as they showed glimpses of the side that rocketed their way into September last season.
St Kilda led the Swans at every break and looked the finals contender they promised to be, highlighted by the performances of Jack Steele (34 disposals, 1 goal and 7 tackles), Rowan Marshall (25 disposals - 18 contested, 8 intercepts and 6 marks) and Jack Higgins (4 goals, 16 disposals).
Sydney’s hopes for a top four finish took a massive hit, as did Lance Franklin’s quest for 1000 goals after a quiet night. The Swans’ talisman kicked one early, but was humbled by St Kilda’s Callum Wilkie for the duration of the contest.
Unfortunately for the Saints, key forward Max King was subbed out in the final term and was seen with ice on his groin, potentially ruling him out of next week's do-or-die clash with Geelong.
St Kilda has given themselves a shot at September action, but face a Geelong side who are looking to bounce back after lowering their colours to fellow finals aspirant GWS.
Sydney were dealt a blow to their quest for a top four finish, but should be confident to rebound with games against North Melbourne and Gold Coast to come.
FULL SCORE
ST KILDA: 5.0, 8.2, 12.4, 14.9 (93)
SYDNEY: 4.1, 5.2, 8.4, 10.4 (64)
GOALS
ST KILDA: Higgins 4, Kent 3, King 2, Sharman 2, Membrey 2, Steele
SYDNEY: Hayward 2, Gulden 2, Dawson 2, Papley 2, Franklin, Florent
BEST
ST KILDA: Steele, Marshall, Sinclair, Higgins, Kent, Wilkie, Hill
SYDNEY: Parker, Lloyd, Dawson, Blakey, Kennedy
INJURIES
ST KILDA: King (groin)
SYDNEY: Nil