Head to head: St Kilda 63 wins, Essendon 135 wins, four draws
Last time: Essendon 16.14 (110) d St Kilda 16.12 (108), round 20, 2009 at Etihad Stadium
MISSING IN ACTION
St Kilda
Steven King (hamstring) - TBA
Luke Miles (stress fracture fibula) - indefinite
Nick Riewoldt (hamstring) - 9-13 weeks
Essendon
Ricky Dyson (knee) - 3-5 weeks
Tayte Pears (arm) - 2-4 weeks
Kyle Reimers (thumb) - 2-4 weeks
Henry Slattery (bruised ribs) - TBC
FORM
St Kilda: WWLWL
Essendon: WLLWL
SUMMARY
Essendon could very well be going in to this game as the more in-form side. The Bombers just couldn’t run out the game against Port Adelaide last week but there were some impressive signs in that match as well as in the win against Hawthorn the week before.Jobe Watson is leading the way in the midfield while Scott Gumbleton is finding his feet as a forward target.
The same can’t be said for St Kilda’s Justin Koschitzke, who is struggling as the main man in attack for the Saints. To be fair, Koschitzke is not the only Saint battling at the moment. Nick Dal Santo and Leigh Montagna were quiet against Carlton on Monday night and the defence looked slow when chasing after Carlton’s speedy forwards.
The same can’t be said for St Kilda’s Justin Koschitzke, who is struggling as the main man in attack for the Saints. To be fair, Koschitzke is not the only Saint battling at the moment. Nick Dal Santo and Leigh Montagna were quiet against Carlton on Monday night and the defence looked slow when chasing after Carlton’s speedy forwards.
The Bombers may not have the consistency and experience of the Saints but they do have it over them when it comes to leg speed.
PLAYER TO WATCH
All eyes are on Justin Koschitzke after a quiet couple of weeks. He has huge responsibilities on his shoulders in Nick Riewoldt’s absence and needs a big game soon to silence the critics. The Bombers are looking a little undermanned in the back line and this could be Koschitzke’s day.
Fresh from kicking three goals last week, Alwyn Davey will be looking for more against the Saints. He is one of the quickest players in the competition and the Saints have shown vulnerability against small pacy forwards. He will be discussed heavily by St Kilda’s match committee.
QUESTION MARKS
Can the Saints play without Nick Riewoldt? They have managed to defeat two quality teams - Fremantle and the Bulldogs without their skipper but the Saints game plan is heavily reliant on him. The team does look different without him and the forward line structure is still taking time to adjust.
Can the Bombers outrun St Kilda? Essendon was one of just three teams to defeat St Kilda last year and they did so mainly through speed. If Matthew Knights’ team can get away to a good start and the confidence levels rise, they will be hard to catch.
WHO WILL WIN AND WHY
There is no danger St Kilda will be taking this game lightly and plenty of people down Moorabbin way have a point to prove. Essendon is a dangerous prospect but the Saints on the rebound will be a formidable force.
PREDICTION
St Kilda by 22 points
Follow Luke Holmesby’s inside view of St Kilda v Essendon at #afllsaintsbombers on Twitter.com from 4.40pm Saturday or @AFL_LHolmesby#aflsaintsbombers
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
