GEELONG has suffered a 10-point loss to St Kilda in its Round 9 clash at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.

A seven-goal third term proved to be the difference, and while the Cats got as close as three points in the last, two clutch Paddy Ryder goals steered the Saints to the 13.12 (90) to 11.14 (80) result.

SAINTS v CATS Full match coverage and stats

Geelong held the early ascendancy taking a 13-point lead into quarter time after a frenetic opening term.

The Cats extended its advantage to 16-points at halftime. However, St Kilda had never been too far away in the first two quarters, but had struggled to find the class to deliver well inside 50, and though Geelong moved the ball with a lot more freedom, it probably didn't capitalise quite enough on its efforts.

Things looked like turning after the main break when Tim Membrey opened the Saints’ account, but two quick goals to the Cats – the second for both Zach Tuohy and Tom Hawkins – saw the margin jump out to a then game-high 21 points. 

From that moment onwards it was St Kilda who took control of the game kicking kicking six straight goals, including a beautiful piece of ruck work from Ryder and connection with Jack Billings to take the lead for the first time.

The veteran ruck produced a memorable performance (22 hitouts, three goals), proving too tall and strong when resting in attack.

St Kilda had suffered a double blow halfway through the second quarter, losing Jack Higgins (concussion) and skipper Jack Steele (shoulder) in the space of a few minutes, but the latter returned after half-time, spending more time forward.

Brad Crouch had 19 disposals to half-time and finished with 36 and seven tackles for the match, while Jade Gresham (30, nine clearances) was instrumental in the second-half turnaround and Jack Sinclair (nearly 600m gained) provided plenty of bounce off half-back.

Hawkins booted four, Tom Stewart (27) and Zach Tuohy (26) found plenty of the ball in the back half, and Joel Selwood finished with a lazy 10 clearances upon his return from a quad injury.

A ten-year battle commences

Young Geelong key back Sam De Koning has been growing in stature in his first proper crack at AFL level, and had the first taste of what shapes to be a long-term battle for the ages against St Kilda star Max King. The latter, one year older, probably just got the points with two goals and six marks, but De Koning wasn't outplayed by any stretch, finishing with 15 disposals and 11 intercepts.

Selwood's not done yet

Fresh off a week's break due to a quad issue, Joel Selwood had a season-high 10 clearances to go with his 23 disposals, and was the one driving Geelong's first-half control. He was a steady head in the stoppages, combining well with Brandon Parfitt and Cam Guthrie.

A hoodoo broken?

Geelong has had an impressive record over St Kilda dating back to its four-point qualifying final loss in 2010. In the following 13 matches between the two sides, the Cats have won 11, with one game ending in a draw. Saturday's result could indicate a turning point between the two teams.

ST KILDA      2.2     4.4     11.8     13.12     (90)
GEELONG     4.3     6.8     8.10     11.14     (80)

GOALS  
St Kilda: Ryder 3, King 2, Membrey 2, Marshall, Jones, Sharman, Billings, Wood, Long
Geelong: Hawkins 4, Tuohy 2, Smith, Miers, C.Guthrie, Stengle, Cameron

BEST  
St Kilda: Gresham, Crouch, Ryder, Sinclair, Billings
Geelong: Tuohy, Stewart, Selwood, C. Guthrie, Hawkins 

INJURIES  
St Kilda: Higgins (concussion), Steele (shoulder)
Geelong: Nil

SUBSTITUTES  
St Kilda: Marcus Windhager (replaced Higgins in the second quarter)
Geelong: Cooper Stephens (unused)