St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt has dragged his struggling AFL team to an eight-point win over Fremantle at Telstra Dome.

Riewoldt took 18 marks and kicked three goals as the Saints grimly held on to win 10.5 (65) to 8.9 (57).

Fremantle skipper Matthew Pavlich also starred with five goals in an error-filled game.

The Saints and Dockers only kicked one goal apiece in the desperate final term, which was over in just 24 minutes.

It was a massive game for the Saints, who had lost four of their previous five and made a stunning selection call with the axing of star midfielder Nick Dal Santo.

Their leading goalkicker this year, Stephen Milne, was also dropped as Ben McEvoy, Robert Eddy and Jarryd Allen all made their senior debuts.

Eddy was the pick of the newcomers with 17 disposals.

The Dockers drew to within four points after Ryan Crowley goalled early in the final term, but Riewoldt replied with a brilliant snap at 12 minutes and from there the Saints held off a series of Fremantle attacks.

Earlier, when Josh Carr put through his first goal eight minutes into the third term, the Dockers had kicked five unanswered goals and, more importantly, led for the first time in the game.

But Fremantle were unable to press home their advantage and eight minutes later, a 50m penalty brought Saints ruckman Steven King to half-forward.

His kick landed in the goalsquare and Brendon Goddard took a powerful mark for a badly-needed steadying goal.

It was the Saints' first goal in 28 minutes.

Two minutes later, Riewoldt goalled from a free and nearing three-quarter time, a shocking ball-handling error from Fremantle's Michael Johnson ended up as a running goal for Jason Gram.

Just as Fremantle had gone into halftime with the momentum, the Saints led by 11 points at the last change and had the initiative.

Earlier, a three-goal purple patch from Pavlich in the second term dramatically swung the momentum Fremantle's way.

The Saints had kicked the first two goals of the second term and were threatening to break the game apart, but Pavlich's six-minute burst meant his team only trailed by seven points at the main break.

Adding to St Kilda's problems, key midfielder Lenny Hayes was forced out of the game with a hamstring injury after he had amassed an incredible 16 possessions in the first term.

Pavlich also kicked the first goal of the second half after a mark in the goalsquare.

The game only attracted 22,440 fans, a particularly poor attendance for Telstra Dome on a Friday night.

Saints coach Ross Lyon praised the efforts of the three newcomers and said defender James Gwilt had played probably his best game for the club.

"It was pleasing, just for the kids - nine players (aged) under 20," he said.

"It was just a real vibrancy that we all felt and clearly it invigorated our leaders.

"We can't get carried away, it was another home-and-away, we're (six)-seven and what are they? 2-11."

Speaking of Riewoldt's determination, Lyon said: "It was self-evident ... He covered a lot of ground, that's his trademark.

"His willpower stands out and the great ones - (Nathan) Buckley, Craig Bradley and Robert Harvey - that's what tends to stand out with them."

Lyon said it was "probably a fair call" that on the performance, his team would probably have struggled against a top-eight side.

"You can only beat what is put in front of you, I just keep it in the context of three debutants," he said.

Lyon admitted he "felt sick" when Hayes, then dominating the game, went down with his injury in the first term.

It was a back-related hamstring problem and Lyon was confident that Hayes would be available for next Saturday night's match against North Melbourne.

"If it was a grand final, he probably would have come back on," Lyon said.

Dockers coach Mark Harvey was grim-faced afterwards.

"It was an ugly game, it would be fair to say, and it was up for grabs throughout the course of the game," he said.

"The game was there to be won."

Asked what stood out in his team's performance, Harvey added: "our inability to be able to hurt them on the counter attack when they wanted to play tempo football and then flood, we couldn't pierce that."

Fremantle lost key defender Luke McPharlin in the third term with possible cracked ribs and Harvey said it unsettled the defence, but would not use that as an excuse for the loss.

Dockers tall utility Matthew Warnock will come under video review for an ugly incident in the first term.

Saints midfielder Luke Ball was courageously running back with the flight of the ball when Warnock's elbow collected him.

Ball's teammates rushed in to remonstrate, but there was no further incident.

Ball was back on the field by the end of the first term.

Earlier, Pavlich was appointed to the AFL's Laws of the Game committee as the current players' representative.

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