St Kilda have ended North Melbourne's four-match winning-streak and continue to close in on a spot in the top eight after a nine-point success at Etihad Stadium on Sunday evening.

In a contest which never hit any major highs, a five-goal burst late in the second quarter did the job for the Saints, allowing them to prevail 12.7 (79) to 10.10 (70) despite kicking just two goals after half time.

They were almost made to pay for an insistence of tempo football after the main break, but the Roos managed only 1.4 to 0.0 in the final term to kick themselves out of contention.

In a great sign for Saints supporters, Nick Riewoldt looked back near his best, kicking three goals in his side's decisive late first-half burst. The skipper finished his day with 13 marks and 16 possessions.

Brendon Goddard's class shone though in patches and he was influential for the Saints while Nick Dal Santo (31 touches) and Jack Steven (27) worked hard to get the ball.

The Roos came crashing back down to earth, suffering their first defeat since late May. With the exception of a period from halfway through the first quarter till halfway through the second, when they kicked seven goals and led the game by 10 points, they failed to put pressure on the scoreboard.

Youngsters Leigh Adams (three goals) and Ryan Bastinac (19 touches) helped by the dominance of Todd Goldstein in the ruck, ensured the Roos held their own in the midfield, but the Saints used the ball better and had better players in key roles at either end of the ground.

The Saints started brilliantly with Stephen Milne kicking their first two and Dean Polo another to help them establish a 21-point lead at the mid-point of the first term.

It took Drew Petrie's intervention to get the Roos going, following up some opportunism with a contested mark to match Milne's early haul. The home side controlled the remainder of the term and deserved more than just an additional Cam Pedersen goal for their efforts.

The Saints, helped along by 11 first-quarter touches from Brett Peake, led by two points at the first change, but with little conviction.

The Roos kicked the first two of the second term to make it five in a row and then made it seven of the past nine, with Adams snaffling a pair of goals, the second after some great teamwork.

But Riewoldt, who took nine marks in the first half, lifted his side back into the ascendancy. He kicked three crucial second-quarter goals to change the momentum.

When Goddard kicked one and Tom Lynch two inside the final two minutes of the term, St Kilda surprisingly boasted a 20-point half-time lead. It would be enough for them to win the game.

Alarmed by the free-slowing nature of the game, the Saints slowed things down in the second half. Their pressure and the Kangaroos turnovers created chances for them, with Ryan Gamble kicking one sourced from the former and Milne added his third from the latter.

Despite a lacklustre term, the Roos did manage to match the Saints on the scoreboard with majors from Lachie Hansen and Goldstein helping them close the three-quarter-time margin to 19 points.

The Saints tried to shut up shop in the final term and when chances to Hansen, Goldstein and Petrie went begging it looked like they would comfortably resist the Roos. But Adams bobbed up to kick an important goal and cut the margin to 10 points with seven minutes left.

However, their chances were dashed when Lindsay Thomas kicked the ball out on the full with a set shot from 45m and Liam Anthony missed one from the boundary in the final minutes.

The Saints fell over the line but again demonstrated the folly of tempo footy.

NORTH MELBOURNE: 3.2, 7.3, 9.6, 10.10 (70)
ST KILDA: 3.4, 10.5, 12.7, 12.7 (79)

GOALS: NORTH MELBOURNE: Adams 3, Petrie 2, Harvey, Pedersen, Swallow, Goldstein, Hansen
ST KILDA: Riewoldt 3, Milne 3, Lynch 2, Goddard, Schneider, Polo, Gamble
BEST: NORTH MELBOURNE: Adams, Bastinac, Goldstein, Wells, Rawlings
ST KILDA: Goddard, Riewoldt, Dal Santo, Steven, Peake, Milne
INJURIES: NORTH MELBOURNE: Nil
ST KILDA: Nil
REPORTS: Nil
CHANGES: Ledger (St K) replaced in selected side by Clarke
UMPIRES: Stewart, Findlay, Ryan
CROWD: 29,693 at Etihad Stadium