Riewoldt hurt as Demons beat Saints

Mar 25, 2017 - 9:52 AM St Kilda and their star veteran Nick Riewoldt have an anxious wait following his knee injury late in Saturday's 30-point AFL loss to Melbourne.

It initially appeared the 34-year-old had ruptured his right anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), usually a season-ending injury.

But the club and former captain, who has an extensive history of knee problems, are hopeful it is not nearly so serious.

Scans on Sunday will reveal the extent of the damage.

Riewoldt's injury in the last quarter capped a bad start to the season for the Saints, with Melbourne rallying from a slow start for an 18.12 (120) to 13.12 (90) win at Etihad Stadium.

"I heard a big pop and there was pain and I reacted to it," he told Fox Footy.

"I thought (an ACL) was what I'd done.

"The docs are pretty happy with the testing that they've done be that it's not ACL but there's clearly something in there.

"It's stiff and sore now - gave it a pretty good wrench."

Coach Alan Richardson likewise was feeling much more positive than immediately after Riewoldt hyper-extended the knee in a marking contest.

"It didn't look good - experienced players usually know," Richardson said.

"Joey (Leigh Montagna) was in the box and probably didn't help things with his early diagnosis.

"So we're incredibly relieved. Now it's only early, we have to get scans, but it looks more positive than it might have been."

Riewoldt had kicked four goals before the injury and was one of few Saints to have a good game.

After trailing by 24 points early in the second term, Melbourne went on a 10-goal onslaught.

But they also suffered in a bruising match, with first-gamer Joel Smith facing an extensive lay-off after dislocating his left shoulder halfway through the first quarter.

The win broke Melbourne's 14-game losing streak against the Saints and was more comprehensive than the score suggested.

New coach Simon Goodwin said the way they played through the middle of the game is what they want to show every week.

"We tinkered with a few things structurally but ultimately we were getting beaten in the contest," he said.

"(Contested play) is something we want to pride ourselves on."

Demons ruckman Max Gawn dominated with 49 hitouts, while midfielders Clayton Oliver, Jordan Lewis and Nathan Jones and defenders Bernie Vince and Tom McDonald also led the way for the Demons.

Richardson did not mince his words.

"It's a bloody hard lesson - we've had a really positive pre-season, we've been a really fit group all the way through," he said.

"We got an absolute lesson today and it's round one.

"We need to have a bit of perspective on this. We're a bloody disappointed footy club and group and we need to bounce back."

Source: AAP