ESSENDON'S finals hopes have been dealt another massive blow as star defender Jordan Ridley was hurt in an upset 53-point thrashing from St Kilda.

Ridley was substituted out with a corked hip before the Bombers capitulated during the third quarter of the 17.6 (108) to 8.7 (55) loss at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.

SAINTS v BOMBERS Full match coverage and stats

The Saints piled on seven goals to one during the decisive period, including three majors to skipper Jack Steele, as Essendon failed to fire a shot in one of the most important moments of its season so far.

It led to a third consecutive defeat for Brad Scott's side and sixth in its past eight games, leaving it in a precarious position in a hotly contested race for finals spots.

Sitting third at the end of the bye rounds, Essendon could finish this weekend out of the top eight with four home and away matches left to play.

Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera starred for St Kilda, which is out of finals contention but has won three of its past four games in a late-season purple patch.

Dashing playmaker Wanganeen-Milera had 30 disposals and six score involvements at half-back, and capped off a fine display with his first goal of the season.

Cooper Sharman kicked three goals and had 10 marks in a career-best performance, while Jack Sinclair (28 disposals), Riley Bonner (22) and veteran Zak Jones (22) were all busy.

Skipper Steele (21 touches) and ruckman Rowan Marshall (27 disposals, eight clearances) led from the front.

Anthony Caminiti (three) and Tim Membrey (two) also kicked multiple goals as St Kilda racked up their second-highest score of the season.

The Saints' conversion rate - 23 scores from 43 forward entries - and accuracy were superb, highlighted by Owens, Membrey and Caminiti all nailing goals from deep in the same pocket.

Essendon captain Zach Merrett (24 disposals, one goal) never stopped trying in a well-beaten side, while Dylan Shiel kicked two goals.

Resplendent in revived "candy stripes" jumpers for the club's retro round theme, the Saints produced a hot start and led 5.1 to 2.3 at quarter-time.

They repeatedly poked holes in Essendon's defensive structures and took seven marks to two inside 50m in the opening term.

Three goals in as many minutes briefly gave the Bombers the lead midway through the second quarter but St Kilda steadied and took a nine-point advantage to the main break.

Essendon's pressure dropped away during the crucial third quarter as St Kilda piled on the first six goals of the term and took a stranglehold on the contest.

In a telling statistic, the Saints finished with a massive tally of 133 uncontested marks while winning the contested mark count 16-5.

Double jeopardy for the Bombers
After last week's last-minute loss to Adelaide, the pressure was on for Essendon ahead of Saturday's clash. Entering the round eighth on the ladder, the Bombers, who had been in the top eight since round seven, simply had to win to shore up their finals chances. Instead, they barely turned up. Kicking just three goals to the Saints' 10 in the second-half, the Dons struggled to put any pressure on their opponents and were beaten soundly around the contest. With contests against fellow finals aspirants to come in the last month of the season, every win for the Bombers from here on out becomes even more precious.

Saints' triple treat
St Kilda fans in the stands were seeing triple on Saturday afternoon, with a trio of Saints kicking three goals each. Captain Jack Steele, in his best performance under Ross Lyon, capped off a 21-disposal, four-clearance performance with his three goals, while Anthony Caminiti kicked a career-high three in his first game since returning from an ankle injury. But it was Cooper Sharman who stole the show, with his aerial ability all over the ground overshadowing his three goals.

ST KILDA           5.1    7.2    14.4    17.6 (108)
ESSENDON         2.3    5.5     6.7     8.7 (55)

GOALS
St Kilda: Caminiti 3, Sharman 3, Steele 3, Membrey 2, Higgins 2, Owens, Butler, Marshall, Wanganeen-Milera
Essendon: Shiel 2, Draper, Durham, Duursma, Jones, Merrett, Stringer

BEST
St Kilda: Marshall, Steele, Wanganeen-Milera, Sharman, Sinclair
Essendon: Merrett, Duursma, Durham, Caldwell

INJURIES
St Kilda: Nil
Essendon: Jordan Ridley (corked hip)

SUBSTITUTES
St Kilda: Hugo Garcia (unused)
Essendon: Archie Perkins (replaced Jordan Ridley in the third quarter)

Crowd: 39,761 at Marvel Stadium