Australian Football

Match Report

Essendon has defeated St Kilda in a thrilling Sunday afternoon match at Docklands, holding off late attacks by the Saints to win by two points. The match swung like a pendulum throughout, with the lead changing many times but neither side ever really taking control. In the end, it was a matter of which team was in front when the final siren, and the coin came down the Bombers' way, after Adam Schneider missed two late chances to give St Kilda victory.

After an early rushed behind from St Kilda, the Dons registered the first goal of the match via Jake Carlisle at the four-minute mark. Josh Bruce responded with a major two minutes later and the Saints then attacked for a sustained period without much success, the net result being four more behinds before the ball travelled to the other end and Carlisle booted his second. David Zaharakis scored the Bombers' third at the 21-minute mark but Luke Dunstan closed out the quarter with a goal just before the first break, leaving the Saints behind to 2.6 to 3.2 at quarter time.

St Kilda opened the second term strongly, with goals to Jack Billings and Bruce within the first six minutes, and then dominated the next 10 minutes, with Bruce and Jack Steven adding further majors to take the Saints to a 20-point lead. Essendon responded strongly in the latter part of the second quarter and goals to Martin Gleeson, Patrick Ambrose and Brendon Goddard reduced the difference back to just one point in St Kilda's favour at the long break.

Defences were on top in the first eight minutes of the second half, a behind to Hickey of St Kilda the only reward for all the efforts of both sides/ Bruce broke the drought with his third but Carlisle match it with his third a minute later before the Dons added two further behinds to square the match at 50 apiece midway through the term. The two sides traded the next four goals before a major to Jack Lonie in the last minute of the term saw the Saints take a narrow five-point lead into the final break.

Behinds were the order of the first five minutes of the last quarter, two going to St Kilda and one to Essendon before a Zaharakis major levelled the scores once more at the six-minute mark. A couple of minutes later Bruce kicked his fifth putting the Saints a goal ahead once more, before a couple of Essendon behinds reduced the difference to four at the 15-minute mark. Schneider marked and had a chance to extend the margin beyond a goal at the 19-minute mark but his shot missed to the right. From the resulting kick-in, the Bombers swept the ball to the wing where Travis Colyer grabbed it and ran all the way to the 50-metre mark before kicking a goal that put the Dons a point ahead. Essendon added a further behind before St Kilda swept forward once more and Schneider grabbed the ball only 12 metres from goal. He put the boot to ball but somehow missed. Stanton added another behind for Essendon and the Saints made one final charge into the forward line but the siren sounded before they could take a shot at goal and the Bombers hung on to win by two points in a grandstand finish.

David Armitage (35 disposals and eight tackles) and Jack Steven (31 possessions, eight tackles) were fine players for the Saints, while Jobe Watson (30 possessions, Goddard (10 marks, 28 disposals) and Carlisle (four goals) were the chief architects of Essendon's win. 

The Bombers are ninth with three wins and face a tough challenge against Fremantle next Sunday while the Saints (16th) will be looking for a second win of the year when it takes on the glamour team of the year, the Western Bulldogs, at Docklands on the same day.

GOALS
St Kilda: Bruce 5; Billings, Lonie 2; Dunstan, Steven
Essendon: Carlisle 4; Ambrose 2; Zaharakis, Gleeson, Goddard, Zaharakis, Colyer

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
St Kilda: Armitage, Steven, Bruce, Lonie, Dempster, Hickey
Essendon: Watson, Goddard, Carlisle, Stanton, Ambrose, Hurley

BEST - THEAGE.COM.AU
St Kilda: Steven, Armitage, Bruce, Hickey, Dempster, Geary, Lonie, Newnes
Essendon: Watson, Carlisle, Fletcher, Ambrose, Howlett, Gleeson, Goddard

INJURIES
St Kilda: Nil
Essendon: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
St Kilda: Blake Acres replaced Shane Savage in final term
Essendon: Will Hams replaced Joe Daniher at three-quarter time

UMPIRES: Donlon, Bannister, Chamberlain

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Seven Network

COMMENTATORS: Dennis Cometti, Hamish McLachlan, Leigh Matthews, Luke Hodge, Nick Maxwell