Brisbane have burst away from a gutsy St Kilda to claim a 21-point victory in an injury-marred game and enter their bye in the AFL top two.

The Lions needed to bounce back after losing to Fremantle and their clash with the Saints teetered on the brink before Brisbane kicked three of the final four goals to prevail 10.17 (78) to 8.9 (57) at the Gabba.

The victory came at a cost though, with skipper Dayne Zorko substituted out for Darcy Fort with a third-term hamstring injury while Darcy Gardiner had treatment on his back and failed to finish the contest.

St Kilda did brilliantly to fight out the game, with just two players on the bench in the final quarter.

They lost Mitchito Owens and Daniel McKenzie to concussion either side of half-time, with substitute Jarrod Lienert replacing Owens at the main break, while Zak Jones suffered a third-quarter hamstring injury.

Lions stars Lachie Neale (37 disposals, seven clearances, 460 metres gained) and Hugh McCluggage (33 disposals, seven clearances) were typically prolific.

Joe Daniher kicked three goals on his return and classy Keidean Coleman impressed, while Harris Andrews fought back after Max King kicked two early goals to quieten the Saints young gun.

Jack Sinclair (30 disposals, 642 metres gained), Brad Crouch (26 disposals, 10 tackles) and Jade Gresham (two goals, 21 disposals), were busy for St Kilda.

King booted the first two goals of the match, both from free kicks, while Daniher sprayed two early set shots.

Then, Brisbane received an unlikely gift late in the first term.

Daniher slammed through a goal from open play and in the aftermath, amid a scuffle, Brad Crouch slung Charlie Cameron to the ground by the neck.

Cameron was given a free kick straight in front of goal and he handed the Lions a quarter-time lead.

St Kilda brushed off the disappointment and led by 12 at the main break.

But they lost Owens when the youngster ran towards a contest and clashed heads front-on with Lincoln McCarthy, with the contact sending the young Saint flying, and he was substituted at half-time.

Early in the third quarter, Daniel McKenzie took a brilliant aerial mark but landed on his head and went to the bench for assessment.

The AFL score review system proved contentious, with McCluggage and Cam Rayner having goals chalked off in the third and fourth terms respectively.

But neither affected the outcome, as Brisbane kicked on from their three-point lead at the final change to overrun the depleted Saints.

Fyfe solid on return as Freo hold off Hawks

Nat Fyfe was the drawcard but it was Andrew Brayshaw who ended up being the hero as Fremantle overcame a brave Hawthorn to post a 13-point AFL win at Perth Stadium.

Brayshaw tallied 37 disposals, seven tackles, and he kicked the match-sealing goal with five minutes remaining to help the Dockers secure the 14.11 (95) to 12.10 (82) victory on Saturday.

Fyfe started in the middle of the ground in his first AFL match for more than 10 months, but he also spent significant stints up forward.

The two-time Brownlow medallist finished with 21 disposals, five clearances, and 1.2 in a promising display.

Brennan Cox, Hayden Young, and Luke Ryan combined for 32 marks in defence as the Dockers improved their record to 10-3 to move to equal top of the table with Melbourne.

Jaeger O'Meara finished with a team-high 30 disposals and nine clearances for the Hawks, while James Sicily (nine marks) was a rock in defence.

Dockers defender Blake Acres was in tears on the bench after appearing to tear his right hamstring in the final quarter.

Hawthorn's Sam Frost, who was playing as a forward, was also subbed off in the last term with a knee injury.

The Dockers booted the opening two goals of the match, but Hawthorn worked their way into the contest and made the most of their chances in attack.

The Hawks nailed four long-range set shots to go with Chad Wingard's late major from point-blank range to take a three-point lead into quarter time.

Fyfe had the chance to produce a memorable highlight late in the second quarter when he collected the ball in the pocket, but his dribble kick was never on track and went through for a behind.

Hawthorn's 10-point half-time lead was set up by their 32-21 advantage in inside 50s, with their forward-half pressure proving crucial.

Griffin Logue's efforts in making a contest up forward set up two goals to Dockers goalsneak Michael Walters early in the third quarter.

Fyfe bobbed up later in the term, sending the 39,428 crowd wild when he took a strong contested mark on the lead.

Although his shot sailed just wide, he got his first goal of the match a minute later with a volley from the goal line.

Fremantle turned for home with a handy 14-point edge, but the margin was just six when Luke Breust booted his second goal of the match with six minutes remaining.

Brayshaw stood tall when his team needed him most, soccering a ball through from five metres out while holding off his opponent.

The match was expected to test whether Fremantle could overcome their wet weather demons, but the rain stayed away and the contest was played in relatively dry conditions.

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