The Western Bulldogs' 40 year wait to lift a trophy is finally over as boom recruit Barry Hall inspired the AFL's battlers to NAB Cup glory at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night.

It might only be a pre-season premiership win but long-suffering Dogs' fans certainly enjoyed it as 42,381 fans packed Docklands to see Rodney Eade's team confirm themselves as the number one challengers to reigning AFL premiers Geelong this season.

Hall booted seven goals - to take his tally to 17 in three games - to claim the Michael Tuck Medal for best afield as the Dogs won 2.13.8 (104) to 0.9.10 (64) to hand St Kilda their second grand final defeat in six months following last year's heartbreaking loss to the Cats on that last Saturday in September in the big one.

With this year's pre-season decider pitting together the two Victorian clubs that between them have won just two premierships - with the Dogs one and only success being way back in 1954 while the Saints' only flag was in 1966 - there was far more riding on this result than usual.

For the Dogs it was their first grand final and first premiership of any description since winning the old night series competition - which was only open to those teams that didn't make the finals - back at the old South Melbourne ground in 1970.

The Saints had at least won this competition in 1996, 2004 and 2008 so this time the emotion was behind the Dogs - who have somehow managed to lose six preliminary finals in the past 25 years, including the past two without making a grand final in the real stuff.

However the decision to give Hall another chance - after the Swans' 2005 premiership captain was dumped by Sydney last year following his inability to control his on-field temper - could be the smartest decision the Bulldogs have ever made.

In four matches last year against the Saints, the Dogs managed just 32 goals and lost all four encounters as they could only manage seven goals in the most painful of those four defeats - in last year's preliminary final.

But on Saturday night the Dogs kicked a massive 15 goals in total against the AFL's best defence.

Hall gave the Dogs an electrifying start by kicking the first two goals of the match against the club where he began his career as the Dogs kicked the first four goals of the game before Saints' skipper Nick Riewoldt - his team's only viable forward all night - kicked his team's first.

The Dogs led by 22 points at quarter-time and it should have been more considering they had 32 more possessions and nine more forward entries for the term as midfield stars Ryan Griffen, Matthew Boyd and Adam Cooney dominated.

But the Saints worked their way back into the game in the middle terms and when Stephen Milne goaled at the seven minute mark of the third they were within three points.

However a magical three goal burst in three minutes - including a nine point goal to Shaun Higgins - meant the Dogs led by 15 at the last change.

And after Riewoldt had kicked his fourth to reduce the margin to ten points early in the last term, Hall announced himself as potentially the greatest recruit in the Dogs' history by single-handedly ending their 40 year premiership drought.

The big spearhead booted an incredible five goals in the final term alone to show Dogs' fans just how badly they had been missing a genuine marking target in the past few years.

And with chants of "Barry, Barry" ringing around the ground, the performance of the Dogs and Hall in particular sent a huge warning to all rival clubs that the Dogs' days of heartbreak might finally be over.

ST KILDA: 0.1.1, 0.3.5, 0.7.10, 0.9.10 (64)
WESTERN BULLDOGS: 0.4.5, 1.5.6, 2.7.7, 2.13.8 (104)
SUPER GOALS: St Kilda:
Bulldogs: Higgins, Hahn
GOALS: St Kilda: Riewoldt 4, Gram, Geary, Goddard, Milne, Koschitzke
Bulldogs: Hall 7, Higgins 2, Murphy, Everitt, Griffen, Akermanis
BEST: St Kilda: Goddard, Riewoldt, Dal Santo, Blake, McQualter, Gilbert
Bulldogs: Hall (Michael Tuck Medalist), Griffen, Boyd, Cooney, Higgins, Gilbee, Lake,
INJURIES: St Kilda: S Fisher (ankle)
Bulldogs: Hahn (fractured eye socket), Ward (groin), Eagleton (back/hamstring)
UMPIRES: Chamberlain, Rosebury, Stevic, Pannell
REPORTS: Nil
CHANGES: Nil
CROWD: 42,381 at Etihad Stadium