St Kilda suffers as North Melbourne Kangaroos bounce back North Melbourne champion Brent Harvey has celebrated game 350 with four goals in a thumping 68-point win over St Kilda. Brent Harvey runs from centre wing to kick a goal during the second quarter of the Kangaroos' crushing win over St Kilda at Etihad Stadium. Picture: Michael Klein Source: The Australian BURNED by the embarrassment of the debacle against Adelaide a week ago, North Melbourne responded savagely to thrash St Kilda by 68 points at Etihad Stadium yesterday. North Melbourne blew a 30-point lead in the last 10 minutes against the Crows last week but had yesterday's match in hand within a quarter after unleashing a nine-goal opening term to lead by 55 points. Kangaroos coach Brad Scott said there were signs his side had rectified some of the problems that caused last week's fadeout. "It is a galling stat that only one side has been in front for longer than we have this season but we sit 13th on the ladder," he said. We have still got a hell of a long way to answer the questions that were asked last week. The frustration over the Adelaide loss and a string of other narrow defeats fuelled the Kangaroos' desire yesterday. As did the milestones reached by Brent Harvey (350 games), who was outstanding again, and Daniel Wells (200). What did raise eyebrows was the lamentable beginning by St Kilda. The Saints, too, had great reason to shed the disappointment of losing to the Western Bulldogs a week ago but their meek approach early made for one of the more lopsided quarters in a season that has seen plenty. The statistical breakdown at quarter-time was reflective of the scoreboard. The Kangaroos controlled the ball, gathering 132 disposals to St Kilda's 51. Twelve Saints touched the ball twice or less for the quarter. The clearance count read 15 to six. From 20 inside-50m entries, the Kangaroos had 16 scoring shots. The Saints managed only one - a snapped goal to Jack Steven - from five. Little wonder Scott Watters described his side's effort in an interview at half-time as horrendous. In 2010, Watters and Melbourne coach Mark Neeld were basking in the success of Collingwood's premiership as assistants to Mick Malthouse. Yesterday, they coached sides on opposite sides of the city and were trounced by a combined 163 points. The Saints, from quarter-time onwards, were competitive, aided largely by their accuracy. Watters was clearly disappointed with his side's opening. While loathe to praise his side, he said at least they showed an ability to level out the contest from quarter-time. We just couldn't get our hands on the ball," he said. Despite being unable to train through the week, Nick Riewoldt performed as he always does. Watters praised Riewoldt. For the limited opportunities he is getting at the moment ... I think he has been sensational," he said. Despite being unable to train through the week, Riewoldt performed as he always does. But there was precious little else for the Saints to cheer about. After starting the season aiming for September, the club now sits 16th, ahead of only Melbourne and Greater Western Sydney. A grim winter beckons. For all the despair endured by North Melbourne in one-kick losses to Geelong, Hawthorn, West Coast and Adelaide, its season remains alive. Such was its early dominance, the Kangaroos had time late in the quarters to practise slowing the tempo of its approach - the lack of poise in the dying moments against Geelong, West Coast and Adelaide, in particular, had proven costly. North had dominant players everywhere. Aaron Black kicked five goals, Drew Petrie four and Lindsay Thomas three. Todd Goldstein ended with a whopping 48 hitouts. Scott Thompson was outstanding in defence. Yet the day, truly, belonged to Harvey in his 350th game. Before the match, former Richmond player Nathan Brown said that Harvey had earned a spot alongside Michael Voss, James Hird and Nathan Buckley as a true great of his generation. At the coin toss, Harvey shared a handshake and hug with Saints stalwart Leigh Montagna, who was playing his 200th game. He then set about producing another masterpiece, with his acceleration belying his age. In the first minute, he smothered a kick. Within six minutes, he had a goal, claimed when roving a pack deep in North Melbourne's forward line. His second was a beauty. The 35-year-old sparked the crowd when, after running on to a handball from Sam Gibson on the wing and then receiving a helpful shepherd from Aaron Black, he had four bounces to run deep into attack for an outstanding goal in the second term. By the final siren, he had kicked 4.4 from 23 touches and only narrowly missed an amazing finale when a banana bent the wrong side of the post in the final minute. Such is the respect in which he is held competition-wide, St Kilda's players waited through a post-match interview to congratulate him. Father Time is yet to catch this Kangaroo.