A seven-goal haul from St Kilda goalsneak Stephen Milne lifted the Saints to a nail-biting 17.8 (110) to 16.11 (107) AFL victory over Richmond at Telstra Dome.

Milne put the Saints up by five points when he kicked his seventh almost 24 minutes into the final term, after outmarking Richmond defender Chris Newman one-handed 30m from goal.

It was his third goal of the final quarter and ensured he finished the game a hero.

Minutes earlier he had sent a set shot from the right pocket across the face of goal and out on the full, with the Saints at that stage trailing by a single point.

But, after Milne's goal, the Tigers went desperately close to pulling off a win with three shots in the dying minutes.

A snap from Richmond star forward Nathan Brown rolled into the left goal-post.

Then, with about a minute to play defender Kelvin Moore took a superb pack mark about 30m out, before hitting the same post with his set shot.

After winning the ball back, Richmond managed one more forward thrust, with youngster Jack Riewoldt failing to make the distance with a shot from outside 50m after the siren.

Milne's match-winning haul was vital for the Saints, given their tall forwards failed to have much of an impact on the game.

Nick Riewoldt left the ground with a left knee injury early in the third quarter, minutes after kicking his only goal for the night, and did not return.

And full-forward Fraser Gehrig also managed just one, well held by Luke McGuane in his return from two rounds out of the side.

At the other end of the ground, Matthew Richardson was superb with five goals, spending most of the match up forward in an entertaining battle with Sam Fisher, who gathered plenty of touches for his side.

Veteran midfielder Robert Harvey was a strong performer throughout the game for the Saints, running hard to gather plenty of touches, while Nick Dal Santo also found plenty of space throughout the night to rack up possessions.

Harvey kicked a vital goal late in the third quarter to give the Saints the lead, breaking a tackle and threading a shot through from the pocket in what was a highlight of a strong performance.

But Richardson goaled at the other end soon after to level the scores, setting the scene for the pulsating final term.

Richardson added another two goals in the final quarter and also set up Brown for a snap which put the Tigers up by five points about 18 minutes into the last term, before Milne's winning goal.

Ruckman Troy Simmonds was outstanding for Richmond, giving them some drive out of the centre with control of the hit-outs as well as running hard to gather a heap of touches around the ground.

Brown was also excellent for the Tigers, both with some creative work in the midfield and up forward, while Brett Deledio also showed plenty of class through the midfield.

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