DERMOTT Brereton, shooting the breeze on Melbourne radio in the pre-match last night, said if St Kilda's captain Nick Riewoldt looked at himself in the "reality" mirror before at the season's midpoint, he should have awarded himself a 5.5 out of 10 for his year. It sparked protestation among his co-panellists.

Brereton, who knows a thing or two about the business of holding down the centre half-forward position and who has never been shy to pit the performances of one up against another, clarified his point somewhat. Riewoldt could give himself an 8 out of 10 for his work ethic, he said. The 5.5 out of 10 was for his impact.

With a pair of popular and talented Saints, Nick Dal Santo and Stephen Milne, being lopped at the selection table this week and three first-gamers being called in, intentions had been made clear from the St Kilda's coaching panel before round 13. And while coach Ross Lyon, when the axings were announced, would not detail precisely what Dal Santo and Milne had been lacking, it was obvious from the opening bounce last night that their teammates who survived the culling were acutely aware. No one more than Lenny Hayes who, with an astounding 16-possession opening term that, if it had been bottled, would have been labelled "100% effort 100% of the time" — the trademark St Kilda's players had chosen for themselves but, more often than not this season, failed to live up to.

Hayes, who has hardly shirked a contest in his life, opened the scoring with a goal four minutes in. At the 16-minute mark he laid a bone-jarring, but fair tackle on Rhys Palmer that left the young Docker in the hands of trainers. It was act that said everything about St Kilda's intent — which was, simply, to have intent.

Others followed. Riewoldt, who began on the half-forward line against Luke McPharlin, was demonstrating the level of work ethic that Brereton had discussed earlier. He was running and marking everywhere — in fact more in Fremantle's attacking zone than that of his own team's. Luke Ball kept his eyes on a high ball when Robert Warnock had his eyes on the man. Brendon Goddard, thumping a fist over his heart after booting a goal in the second term, showed what was driving him.

Meanwhile, Riewoldt's counterpart Matthew Pavlich was single-handedly keeping his side in the game. He had 4.1 of the Dockers' 5.2 at half-time, and was the reason his team found itself being just eight points down after being comprehensively belted in the opening term.

It raised the question — which was the better scenario: having a centre half-forward skipper who looked hellbent on spending every last petrol ticket to get everywhere but who, at half time, after taking 11 marks had just a sole major to show for it? Or was Pavlich's nine-touch, three mark, four goal contribution of more worth?

Pavlich's fifth goal opened the scoring in the third term. He was already being hailed the game-breaker. But it was premature.

Riewoldt booted the match-winner with a snap kick he worked like a madman to get.

In the end, both skippers enjoyed excellent individual games. The difference was who they had surrounding them. The one-man show, high-scoring game-breaker looked, for much of the second half, like he would be walking off Telstra Dome a winner. That, despite the fact that there were fewer winners on his side.

But in the end, Riewoldt and St Kilda — on the back of 100% effort most of the time — were victorious. Justice looked to have been done.