For the majority of the GFL game it looked like St Albans could stage the upset of the round, but it was not to be, Newtown piling on four goals to none in the last quarter.
After a tense first quarter, it was St Albans which drew away in the second when it kicked against the breeze.
Through the midfield, Marc Dragicevic and Jarron Booth both moved the ball forward quickly, putting extra pressure on the Eagles' defence.
For Newtown & Chilwell, poor disposal was costly, with turnovers across half forward allowing St Albans the corridor.
"We need to work on our disposal if we are to be a much better side," Newtown & Chilwell coach Simon Sutterby said.
"I thought that it really cost us during the second and third quarters, especially."
With a 16-point lead at three-quarter time, St Albans coach Steve Clark pleaded with his players for one more quarter of football.
It was to no avail, the Eagles storming home, controlling all aspects of the game.
"It just shows that when we play our best football we are a very good team," Sutterby said.
"We just need to do it more often and become more consistent in the way we play."
With a loose man in defence for St Albans, it looked like the Eagles may struggle to find a forward option.
NEWTOWN & CHILWELL came from the dead in a thrilling last quarter to defeat the winless St Albans by 13 points at St Albans Reserves
"It is not a tactic that we have come across yet this year," Sutterby said.
"I think it is a very defensive move and something not a lot of teams will employ.
"We just had to work ourselves through it, because there was going to be some space in other parts of the ground."
When George Verco kicked the first goal of the final quarter, the Eagles were well and truly in the game.
Another two quick goals to the Eagles put the game level.
With the game slipping out of the hands of the Supersaints, a forward thrust to gain some momentum was cut short when Chris Chubb dropped a mark 30 metres out from goal.
It turned out to be a costly error, as the Eagles continued to dominate the last quarter, with halfback flanker Chris Moreland kicking the winning goal with five minutes to go.
The result left Eagles coach Simon Sutterby relieved.
"It was a really scary game," he said.
"We lost last week and we thought we could have won it, so we really needed to win this week.
"It was a credit to the players to win when their backs were against the wall.
Bradley Green (Geelong Advertiser)
May 11th, 2009
Last Modified on 13/11/2009 11:25