Saints prove no match for reigning AFL premiers.
A five-goal haul from key forward Kurt Tipppet has helped push the Sydney Swans to a dominant 59-point victory over St Kilda at the SCG.
The Saints looked close to scoring a major upset for much of the first half, before the premiers blew the game open after the main break to go on an win 18.10 (118) to 8.11 (59)
Victory for the Swans ensured them a top-four finish for the season, putting them in the box-seat to defend their 2012 title.
However, the premiership credentials will be tested further in the remaining two weeks of the season as they face Hawthorn and Geelong, two of their main rivals for the flag in 2013.
At quarter-time the scores were level, with Sydney’s tally of 2.3 (15) their lowest opening-term score since booting 1.4 (10) in a round-seven loss to Hawthorn.
The Swans often booted it long to Tippett, but the former Adelaide ruck-forward usually had at least two defenders to contend with.
Tippett continued to struggle to find space in the second quarter, but the run of Rhyce Shaw and toil of on-ballers Josh Kennedy and Luke Parker helped the home side establish a 14-point buffer at halftime.
The Saints, who had looked so hard to subdue during the opening half, were broken in the third quarter as the Swans kicked seven goals to one and Tippett booted three in the space of nine minutes.
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