St Kilda has dismantled Essendon by 53 points, 17.6 (108) to 8.7 (55) in a Bombers horror show and big blow to their finals hopes.
The Saints separated the game with a seven-goal third term that Brad Scott’s side couldn’t recover from as questions will come on Essendon in an ugly showing.
Rowan Marshall (26 disposals, 10 marks, 30 hit-outs, one goal) had his finger prints all over this one, while Jack Steele, Cooper Sharman and Anthony Caminiti all kicked three goals apiece.
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It marked the 10-1-7 Bombers’ third loss in a row, with their finals hopes now hanging by a thread, at risk to sliding as low as 11th by the end of the round pending other results.
The Saints have meanwhile won three of their last four games to improve to 7-11 and emerge as a genuine danger team for opposition finals contenders on the run home.
The 3-2-1 …
3. BOMBERS DEJA V AS FINALS HOPES IN PERIL
Is it déjà vu in the cruelest possible way for the Bombers?
A season once with so much promise for Essendon including having genuine top four hopes suddenly has the Bombers under threat of missing finals.
Saturday’s loss to St Kilda marked Essendon’s third loss in a row, while Brad Scott’s side could be as low as 11th by the end of the round pending other results.
It was a game the Bombers simply had to win, but they failed the test in a major way.
And it was the manner in which the Bombers lost that was perhaps most disheartening, dismantled by the Saints with a seven-goal third term to put the game away then and there.
“I think Ross Lyon said after last week: ‘We mightn’t be able to make the finals, but we’re going to enjoy being the Grinch’,” Demons great Garry Lyon said.
“Right now they are putting the Bombers and their supporter base into a world of pain.”
Of course, Essendon last year faded late in the season, dropping five of its last eight games to slide out of the top eight.
So is history repeating itself?
It comes ahead of a tough run home, where the Bombers face Fremantle (MCG), Gold Coast (Marvel Stadium), Sydney (Marvel Stadium) and Brisbane (Gabba) in a period we’ll learn plenty about Scott’s men.
“If Brad Scott called last week gory, this has been a horror show of all new proportions for Bombers fans,” Fox Footy’s Sarah Jones said at three-quarter time.
“Forget finals, if you have a look at the run home, it’s actually hard to see them winning any games based on the form they’re showing at the moment.
“With so much to pay for today, there’s going to be a lot of seething Essendon fans here at Marvel Stadium.”
2. ROSS’ GAME PLAN OUTSHINES DISARMS DONS
There was plenty to like from a Saints perspective, but Ross Lyon’s efforts in the coaches box deserve ample credit.
St Kilda went in with a clear game plan to disarm the Bombers from their usual uncontested marking game — a style they’ve used to great effect in recent wins.
And in Saturday’s clash, the Saints used Essendon’s own tactic against it, winning the uncontested mark count 133-95.
“One style of footy and game plan that’s been hatched through the week is standing up beautifully and the other has crumbled,” Demons legend Garry Lyon said on Fox Footy.
It effectively halted Essendon from being able to put any pressure back the other way or get a handle on the contest.
The Saints led in uncontested marks 68-53 at half-time in a part of the game Lyon urged Essendon to turn around if it was going to get control back.
But that discrepancy further ballooned out in the second half as the Bombers were unable get the game on their terms at any point for any sort of prolonged period.
“They’ve smacked them in the face again,” Lyon said in the second half.
“The pressure from Essendon is non existent because they can’t get any heat on someone when they’re taking uncontested marks.
“What we showed at half-time is not addressed.”
1. MERRETT ‘MIRACLE’ GOAL STUNS
It wasn’t Essendon’s day, but Zach Merrett produced one of the freakish highlights of the game – and a goal of the year contender.
Merrett early in the second quarter gathered the ball near the boundary line and kicked a dropped point from the tightest of angles.
The ball drifted back at goal in flight and sailed through the big sticks in one of the best finishes you’ll see.
“That is an absolute miracle! Gob smacking goal from Zach Merrett,” Fox Footy caller Anthony Hudson exclaimed.
So impressive was it that when Merrett charged to the bench after kicking the goal, he was told to stay out there by Bombers officials.
“The laws of physics were defied,” Demons great Garry Lyon added.
“When the ball loses the momentum forward and he kicks it in the manner he did, it starts to come back on itself.
“He’s kicked the conventional drop punt then it starts to lose momentum and draws back to the goalsquare.
“If he meant it, he’s a genius.”
AS IT HAPPENED …
There have been no late changes for Saturday evening’s clash, with Hugo Garcia (Saints) and Archie Perkins (Bombers) the respective substitutes.
After a couple of early misses, the Bombers stuck first blood through Xavier Duursma before Dylan Shiel added another to get off to the ideal start.
St Kilda responded with the next three goals though so wrestle back momentum its way and take a four-point lead at Marvel Stadium.
Mitch Owens kicked a fourth-straight Saints goal as alarm bells would be going off in the Bombers coaches box.
The Saints led by 16 points at the first break, 5.1 (31) to 2.3 (15).
The Bombers started clawing things back in the second term with the first three goals to regain the lead.
It included Zach Merrett kicking a miracle drop punt goal from the boundary line that swung back throug the big sticks in one of the highlights of the match.
“That is an absolute miracle!,” Fox Footy caller Anthony Hudson exclaimed. “Gob smacking goal from Zach Merrett.”
Demons legend Garry Lyon added: “The laws of physics were defied … if he meant it, he’s a genius.”
Cooper Sharman kicked an important steadying goal for the Saints late in the second term to push his side’s advantage back out to 10 points.
The Saints led by nine points at half-time, 7.2 (44) to 5.5 (35).
St Kilda picked up where they let off, kicking the first three goals of the third term including a brilliant finish from Anthony Caminiti from a tight angle.
“They’re hanging by a thread at the moment,” Hawthorn champion Jason Dunstall said of Essendon.
Jack Steele contributed two goals in a row to blow the Saints’ lead out to 32 pints, with Lyon bemoaning Essendon’s inability to stop St Kilda’s uncontested marking game.
“They’ve smacked them in the face again. The pressure from Essendon is non existent because they can’t get any heat on someone when they’re taking uncontested marks.
“What we showed at half-time is not addressed.”
The Saints got seriously hot in the third term amid a run of eight-straight goals, capped off by a dribble finish from Dan Butler.
The one-sided result prompted criticism from the footy world towards the Bombers with their finals spot at stake.
The Saints kicked the first two goals of the fourth term to further extend their lead to 50-plus points before Sam Draper responded with a much needed major to stem the flow of play.
The fourth term was ultimately a low-scoring one as Essendon couldn’t cut into the Saints’ lead.
The damage had already been done as Ross Lyon’s side cruised to a big victory, with Jack Higgins striking the final blow.
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