CARLTON his missed the chance to go to the top of the AFL ladder after a shock loss to St Kilda in a fiery and entertaining clash at Etihad Stadium on Monday night.
The Saints opened a six-goal lead during the third quarter, then survived some nervous moments early in the final term when the Blues closed to within 19 points.
But the underdogs held their nerve and prevailed 19.8 (122) to 14.14 (98).
In stark contrast to the pre-game predictions, Scott Watters' men used speed and creativity to go on a scoring spree against a Carlton side renowned for those exact traits.
The Saints' small forwards led the way, with veteran sharp-shooter Stephen Milne booting four goals, while first-year dynamos Terry Milera and Amed Saad chipped in with another five between them.
Brendon Goddard, Farren Ray, Leigh Montagna and Lenny Hayes were also outstanding in the middle of the ground, while Clint Jones held Carlton gun Marc Murphy to only 16 possessions.
Fresh from being rested when the Blues took on Greater Western Sydney last weekend, skipper Chris Judd was tireless in the midfield, gathering 30 touches.
David Ellard, who started as Carlton's substitute and was only brought into the game during the third quarter, was his team's leading goalkicker with three.
St Kilda set up its fourth victory of the year by kicking six goals to one between the 30-minute mark of the first quarter and the 15-minute mark of the second term.
The Saints' triumph has seen them leapfrog Geelong and Hawthorn into eighth spot on the ladder.
The Blues went into the game as red-hot favourites, knowing that a win would see them displace West Coast on top of the table.
But after grabbing an 11-point lead midway through the first quarter, thanks to a miraculous left-foot snap from Eddie Betts and a brilliant long goal from Kade Simpson, they completely lost control of the game.
St Kilda was sparked into action when Carlton defender Aaron Joseph dropped a regulation mark in the back pocket four minutes before quarter-time.
Milne pounced on the loose ball and snapped a great goal, then ran and gave Joseph an earful.
A melee ensued and Milne was booed and cheered by the respective sections of the crowd after he had to leave the field with a torn jumper.
The Saints rarely looked back from there. Having entered the game with victories over lowly Gold Coast, the Western Bulldogs and Melbourne to their name, they were finally able to claim a big scalp.
Carlton, which is now fourth on the ladder with a 5-2 record, faces a big test next Sunday when it takes on third-placed Adelaide at Etihad Stadium.
St Kilda has an even tougher assignment. The Saints are off to Perth next weekend to play West Coast.
ST KILDA 5.3 11.5 16.6 19.8 (122)
CARLTON 5.1 8.6 12.10 14.14 (98)
GOALS
St Kilda: Milne 4, Milera 3, Stanley 2, Saad 2, Armitage 2, Hayes, Koschitzke, Riewoldt, Ray, Steven, Goddard,
Carlton: Betts 2, Walker 2, Ellard 2, Judd, Simpson, Waite, Gibbs, Kreuzer, Scotland, Robinson
BEST
St Kilda: Steven, Goddard, Hayes, Ray, Milera, Milne,Saad, Jones, Simpkin
Carlton: Judd, Scotland, Robinson, Kreuzer, Ellard
INJURIES
St Kilda: Nil
Carlton: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
St Kilda: Beau Wilkes replaced in the last quarter byArryn Sippos
Carlton: Aaron Joseph replaced in the third quarter by David Ellard
Reports: Nil
Umpires: McBurney, Leppard, Pannell
Official crowd: 38,823 at Etihad Stadium
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs
