The Brisbane Lions came from a near-hopeless position to dump St Kilda out of the NAB Cup as Ross Lyon's coaching tenure got off to a disappointing start on Saturday night.In some of the wettest conditions seen in the AFL for years, the Lions won a thriller by seven points - 0.7.10 (52) to 1.5.6 (45) - in a match played in a continual rainstorm in Cairns.But the final scores only tell part of the story as Lyon's debut as Saints' coach turned into a night he will want to forget as St Kilda somehow managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.The Saints did not kick a goal in the second half and did not even score in the final term as Brisbane overcame a 28-point deficit at quarter-time despite Cazaly Stadium becoming so waterlogged that any precise movement of the ball was impossible.The hero for the Lions was 2002 Brownlow Medallist Simon Black, the only member of the famous "fab four" midfield currently playing for the club.While the other members of that group in Michael Voss (retired) and Jason Akermanis (traded to the Bulldogs) have moved on and Nigel Lappin remains on the injured list, Black's hunger for success shows no signs of diminishing and he was the difference between the sides after half-time as he continually won the ball in the atrocious conditions.The Lions lost their last six matches in 2006 as they finished 13th, their lowest position since collecting the wooden spoon in 1998, the year before Leigh Matthews became coach.And with Voss and Akermanis gone and Lappin and powerhouse forward Jonathan Brown troubled by injury, many were tipping doom and gloom for the Lions this year but on the evidence of Saturday night's gutsy win they still have plenty of spirit and plenty of talented youngsters in Matthew Moody, Joel Patfull, Justin Sherman Scott Harding and rookie Haydn Kiel.On the other hand, much was expected of the Saints in their first game under their new coach and despite the absence of a host of stars including Nick Riewoldt, Fraser Gehrig, Lenny Hayes, Robert Harvey and Luke Ball, it was still a disappointing performance.Veteran Andrew Thompson tried his heart out but lacked support and the Saints attack was unsighted after a promising start when the team booted five goals in the opening term, but then could manage only one in the final three quarters.The Lions will now play the Western Bulldogs in the first NAB Cup quarter-final next Friday night, while St Kilda will meet Collingwood in a NAB Regional Challenge match at MC Labour Park next Friday afternoon.BRISBANE LIONS: 0.1.0, 0.3.4, 0.5.5, 0.7.10 (52)ST KILDA: 1.4.1, 1.5.1, 1.5.6, 1.5.6 (45)NINE POINT GOALS: Brisbane Lions: NilSt Kilda: GoddardSIX POINT GOALS: Brisbane Lions: Sherman 2, Copeland, Kiel, Harding, Patfull, TylerSt Kilda: Brooks 2, Milne, Allen, MontagnaBEST: Brisbane Lions: Black, Copeland, Moody, Rischitelli, Sherman, PatfullSt Kilda: Thompson, Montagna, S Fisher, McQualter, Ferguson, X ClarkeINJURIES: Brisbane Lions: Adcock (ankle)St Kilda: NilREPORTS: NilUMPIRES: Sully, Nicholls, Ellis, JeffreyCROWD: N/A at Cazaly Stadium, Cairns