ST KILDA will contest its second pre-season competition Grand Final in five years after claiming a thrilling three-point win over Essendon in Friday night's semi-final at Telstra Dome.
It was a tight affair all evening but the crowd of 26,079 was treated to a heart-stopping finale. The lead changed four times in the final term before it rested the Saints’ way when the siren rang.
The 1.12.13 (94) to 1.12.10 (91) win means the Saints will next week meet the winner of Saturday night’s Adelaide-Hawthorn semi-final, giving the club a chance to add more silverware, having acquired the pre-season trophy when it triumphed over Geelong in 2004.
St Kilda was the slightly more experienced side on Friday night, despite being without Max Hudghton, Fraser Gehrig, Justin Koschitzke, Brendon Goddard, Sam Fisher, Matt Maguire and James Gwilt.
But Essendon – missing Matthew Lloyd, Dustin Fletcher, Adam McPhee, Nathan Lovett-Murray, Andrew Lovett, Leroy Jetta and Ricky Dyson – refused to be intimidated, fighting hard from the outset.
In another positive, the Saints were able to inject game time into Nick Riewoldt, Lenny Hayes, Adam Schneider and Luke Ball, although Ball played only after halftime and in short bursts. Also pleasing for Saints fans was the presence and form of ruck duo Michael Gardiner and Steven King; both moved well, and Gardiner finished with 19 hitouts, while King added 12 hitouts to his 17 possessions.
Riewoldt kicked three goals after starting alongside Mal Michael, and was frequently rotated. He shrugged off suggestions his knee troubles are more serious than advertised, but ended the match on the bench undergoing ice treatment.
Hayes was one of the Saints' best with 21 possessions, while former Swan Schneider picked up 20 and showed his value as an off-season acquisition. Harvey was serviceable in his second NAB Cup clash for the season, compiling 16 touches.
Clinton Jones was again in good form, while Sam Gilbert was given the tough ask of stopping Bomber spearhead Scott Lucas. The young defender kept the talented goalkicker to two goals, with the primary scorer for the Bombers being the emerging Jay Neagle, who snuck under the radar to kick four.
The first half had been a close-knit encounter, with the difference drifting out only as far as 13 points. St Kilda scored the first goal of the game via acting skipper Leigh Montagna, but the Bombers nailed the last of the half with rookie Dean Dick booting one after the siren to secure a seven-point advantage. Riewoldt, while periodically spelling on the bench, slotted his three in the first half, while Stephen Milne – after starting the match on the pine – had two to his name.
The match remained tight across all lines; Nick Dal Santo was entertaining in his tough duel with Damien Peverill, while Steven Baker closely shadowed goalsneak Alwyn Davey. The Saints were slightly on top in the clearances and hit-outs, but Matthew Knights’ men had managed to equal them with inside 50 deliveries.
The Saints looked to be getting the upper edge in the third, and after Michael Gardiner opened the term with a goal and Jarryd Allen nailed a supergoal (after receiving a 50m penalty), they were 12 points clear.
However, their young opposition refused to be out-muscled and responded smartly through Neagle, the promising forward slotting the second two of his four goals to level the square at three-quarter time.
Essendon exploded out of the blocks in the fourth and had two majors on the board quickly, with Patrick Ryder more than atoning for his earlier 50m penalty with a pair of six-pointers inside 60 seconds.
But Dal Santo steadied the Saints with a converted set shot at the 10-minute mark, and the margin was inside a goal. Teammate Shane Birss repeated the dose shortly after, adding a goal to his screamer, and the lead changed hands again.
Enter Courtney Johns, who stole it back for the Bombers before former Cat Charlie Gardiner shanked a set shot and the difference was three points, Essendon’s way. With less than two minutes to play, St Kilda’s David Armitage earned his chance to shine after winning a free kick deep in attack; he split the big sticks, and the Saints were home.
Essendon will now play a NAB Challenge match next Friday against either West Coast at Subiaco (if Hawthorn loses to Adelaide in the other semi-final on Saturday night), or Collingwood at Shepparton (if Adelaide loses to Hawthorn).
Essendon: 0.1.6 1.7.6 1.9.10 1.12.10 (91)
St Kilda: 0.3.0 0.8.2 1.9.10 1.12.13 (94)
GOALS
St Kilda: Supergoals: Allen. Goals: Riewoldt 3, Milne 2, Dal Santo 2, Montagna, Baker, Gardiner, Birss, Armitage
Essendon: Supergoals: Hille. Goals: Neagle 4, Welsh 2, Lucas 2, Ryder 2, Dick, Johns
BEST
Essendon: Neagle, Stanton, Peverill, Nash, Welsh, Ryder, Watson
St Kilda: Hayes, Jones, Dal Santo, Schneider, King, Birss, Gilbert, X. Clarke
INJURIES
Essendon: TBA
St Kilda: TBA
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Chamberlain, Jeffery, Stevic
Official crowd: 26,079 at Telstra Dome
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of the clubs or the AFL.
