IT WAS happening again. Enter Cam Rayner.

As Brisbane looked like being overrun by St Kilda on Friday night, and in the midst of another second-half fadeout, Rayner proved the matchwinner.

The 2017 No.1 pick kicked two goals at the start of the last term to haul Brisbane back in front and then extend their lead, and then snapped a third for the quarter in the dying moments to seal the Lions' 15-point win.

Rayner finished with four goals in the second half – of their five – in what was a crucial win for the Lions' top-four hopes and a dagger for the Saints' finals chances as they sit outside the top-eight.

The Saints will kick themselves, having already kicked themselves all but out of the finals race in the 12.9 (81) to 9.12 (66) result. After trailing by 26 points in the second quarter, the Saints had rocketed ahead by three-quarter time with a five-goal term.

But they could have held a much more significant lead if not for inaccuracy, with key forward Max King's goalkicking struggles again coming to the fore. King racked up shots at goal but booted 0.5 across the night – including four misses from set shots in the second half – which proved to be costly.

The Saints kicked 4.2 in the first half and then 5.10 in the second, with many of the misses more than gettable.

Hugh McCluggage was excellent for the Lions with 24 disposals and a goal, while Daniel Rich was also terrific with 26 disposals. Mason Wood kicked four goals for St Kilda, while youngster Marcus Windhager did an exemplary tagging job on Lachie Neale.

Brisbane could have buried the Saints early such was its dominance in the first quarter, with the Lions notching 14 inside-50s to four before the Saints started to get moving.

The game was an armwrestle between the arcs, with a classy Wood goal in the final minute of the quarter pushing the Saints five points ahead before Eric Hipwood kicked a goal on the siren to give the Lions a one-point advantage at the first break.

The Lions put their collective foot down in the second term. They kicked four goals to one to establish a 22-point break and clear dominance. Their talls got more involved as things went on, with Joe Daniher, Daniel McStay and Hipwood all slotting goals in the quarter, with another goal from Wood the only respite the Saints could manage in a lacklustre showing.

But the switch flicked in the third quarter as the Saints stormed back. The Lions were ill-disciplined, with St Kilda making the most of it. Rayner kicked what looked like being a steadying goal for the Lions midway through the term but that sparked the Saints, with Wood and Tim Membrey kicking two goals each for the term to stun the Lions and take a five-point lead into the last change.

Remarkably, it should have even been more, with King's goalkicking yips continuing with three misses in the quarter.

More shots came in the final quarter for the Saints, with King, Membrey and Windhager missing chances. But Rayner's class proved the difference at the other end as the Lions made the most of theirs.

ST KILDA               3.1       4.2       9.7      9.12 (66)
BRISBANE             3.2       7.6       8.8      12.9 (81)

GOALS  
St Kilda: Wood 4, Membrey 3, Higgins 2
Brisbane: Rayner 4, Daniher 2, Hipwood 2, Cameron, McCarthy, McCluggage, McStay

 
BEST  
St Kilda: Wood, Windhager, Membrey, Ross, Sinclair, Marshall
Brisbane: Rayner, McCluggage, Rich, McInerney, Berry

INJURIES  
St Kilda: Webster (hamstring)
Brisbane: Nil  

SUBSTITUTES  
St Kilda: Zak Jones (replaced Webster in the first quarter)
Brisbane: Ryan Lester