Saints go down fighting against stubborn Swans in gritty clash St Kilda 9.9 (63) Sydney 11.13 (79) Battle for the ball: Adam Goodes keeps Jarryn Geary at bay. For all that had been done by St Kilda, the AFL and New Zealand's cool and vibrant capital city to make this an occasion to remember, one element was always going to stretch the Saints' organisational powers. What they wanted most of all - four premiership points - no amount of planning could bring. In a game high on intensity if not highlights, in which a slippery surface and not Wellington's famous wind was the major impediment to clean, crisp football, the Saints brought the hardness and defensive pressure coach Scott Watters had demanded. To their regret, Sydney matched them and turned the heat up more when it mattered. It made for a genuine contest for a half, and even as the Swans seemed about to pull away like tail lights fading to black, the Saints found something and got back within 10 points, putting travelling fans and curious locals on the edge of their seats. The Saints were in it up to their ears in the early exchanges, riding the coat tails of captain Nick Riewoldt, who played a gut-busting, inspiring, gem of a game. On the small ground, Riewoldt used his huge engine to push so far up the ground that he often won possession in the Swans' forward-50, and charged back fast enough to be a threat in more familiar territory. His work rate and leadership were, at times, astounding; the captain led his team into the half-time break having already amassed a midfielder-like 19 possessions - 11 of them contested - taken eight marks and kicked two goals. The location might have been different but the Swans' response to their opponents' challenge was familiar. Parry was met with thrust, led from the coalface by an engine room that seemingly never shuts down. Dan Hannebery, Josh Kennedy and Jarrad McVeigh were tireless around the stoppages, and Kieren Jack pleased locals taken by his story of code conversion by laying 13 tackles. Luke Parker continued his rise towards being their equal with a cracking game. The first three minutes featured eight stoppages, all in St Kilda's front half, and when Adam Goodes finally kicked his team beyond halfway for the first time, the ball went only as far as Sean Dempster's chest. Accepted norms went out the window; Justin Koschitzke marked and goaled without a hint of misadventure; Adam Goodes and Marty Mattner spoiled each other, Dane Rampe shanked a clearing kick to gift Seb Ross the Saints' second. Finally Sydney settled as Kennedy benefited from a 50-metre penalty born of an interchange mishap, but the Saints maintained the rage as Sam Gilbert imposed himself on every contest, outmarking Ben Reid twice in quick succession. Riewoldt's surges to the other end of the ground created space behind him but also danger in his midst, as a quick clearing kick spilled to his opponent Ted Richards, who goaled from 55 metres. Within seconds of the restart, Koschitzke roosted a centre clearance that flipped over the back for Riewoldt to make the fastest of amends. Lenny Hayes was ageless as ever, racking up clearances and covering huge territory, but the Swans' onballers were coming into their own. Jack and Ben McGlynn scrapped back-to-back goals at close range, and after Leigh Montagna pulled one back on the run, Jude Bolton found a spring in his old legs to restore Sydney's cushion. Parker was involved again after the break as Goodes marked on the lead, and when Nick Malceski swung his foot at a volley and the ball landed in McGlynn's lap, the margin was out to 23 points. A cloak of inevitability fell on the Saints. Riewoldt, by now, had Martin Mattner for company but his team's most concerted rally midway through the third quarter coincided with an extended visit to the bench. Inside-50s came to nothing until Trent Dennis-Lane finally kicked the Saints first goal for more than a quarter from deep in the pocket.