THERE was a lot to like about the Saints on Friday night. I left Telstra Dome with a lot of confidence as we head into the final seven home-and-away games of the season.

There seemed to be leg-irons on the players in the first quarter and when Adelaide struck the first blow in the second quarter, it should have sounded the death knell for the Saints for season 2007. Thankfully, the pride of the players came to the fore.

Ross Lyon coached brilliantly. It is not often that coaches have a significant impact on game day, but this was Ross' best day at the office. Conversely, I felt Crows coach Neil Craig showed little imagination and flexibility in his preferred structures and strategies.

Putting Steven Baker onto the dangerous and constructive Tyson Edwards had an immediate impact as it reduced the amount of quality ball he distributed to Andrew McLeod, Simon Goodwin, Scott Thompson and company.

Stephen Milne played a selfless role as a stay-at-home forward to ensure Graham Johncock could not dictate terms and generate counterpunch thrusts into the Adelaide forward line. Milne positioned himself in the goal square, which unsettled Johncock, who made a couple of critical and uncharacteristic errors. This allowed Milne to be an even more effective player, which belied his meagre possession count of six.

Adelaide loves to take a forward out and have an extra defender, which effectively gives it more space in its forward 50 zone. Lyon did not allow the Crows to dictate this situation and ensured numbers at both ends of the ground were equally distributed.

Putting Justin Koschitzke forward on occasions also caused the Crows problems as they needed to play Scott Stevens on him and keep Kris Massie on the rampaging Nick Riewoldt.

The use of Shane Birss as not only a shutdown player but also as an offence weapon worked a treat. The Crows failed to pick him up and, accordingly, paid the price.

Fraser Gehrig being isolated up forward against Ken McGregor when Ben Rutten went off injured was also a masterstroke. The Saints released Sam Fisher to provide the quarterback springboard and it worked exceptionally well. Leigh Montagna did not like the interruption to his purple patch last week and remembered that it was hard work and effort that got him to that lofty status. Not surprisingly, that formula worked for him again and he played with purpose and maturity as he cut a swathe through the Crows' lines.

Matt Maguire was ominous with his impact and is only a couple of games away from his near All-Australian form of yesteryear. Add to this the pride of Lenny Hayes, Koschitzke, Riewoldt, Robert Harvey, Nick Dal Santo and Luke Ball and the Saints sent a strong message to the rest of the competition.

A surge of belief seemed to build among the players and it grew as the game went on.

Riewoldt was sensational. He did what Wayne Carey used to do, but in a different way. Massie was obliterated. It was not the physical presence and pack-marking prowess, a la Carey — it was the new breed of key forward dominance that Riewoldt has brought to the game. It's called "gut run".

Riewoldt ran his opponent ragged.

I remember the great Daley Thompson and Sebastian Coe in London a few years ago stating that Riewoldt could run in an Olympic 400 metres final if they could train him for a few years, such was his athletic brilliance.

The influence and impact Koschitzke made, especially late in the game, was significant. You could not help but be moved by his courage and reckless regard for his own safety. I saw this as a defining statement by a player whose actions will be a reference point for future games.

St Kilda can have a significant impact from this point on. It wasn't too long ago that comparisons with Geelong were being talked about constantly in all football circles. In fact, the similarities over the past few seasons have been quite interesting. Fast-forward to today and Geelong is the premier team in the competition, notching its 10th straight win in accounting for Collingwood yesterday.

I know who Geelong is most concerned about — a fit, healthy and confident St Kilda. They are not there yet, but I have a sneaking suspicion that last Friday night lit a candle that just may turn into something a bit more substantial.

If St Kilda can keep its players on the park and build on the spirit and enthusiasm that was evident on Friday night, it will cause an enormous amount of heartache for teams aspiring to make the eight.

First things first, and that means a focus this week on the Hawks, who will provide another tough test. I do not expect the game to mirror anything like their round-eight match, when both were cautious. The formula is now clear — the Saints need to roll the dice and play to their strengths. Don't expect them to die wondering.

If every team currently in the eight had a token that eliminated one team from getting in the eight, I am certain who they would name. St Kilda rarely has had things going for it at the right end of the season, but if that situation changes from here on in, look out!