Head to head: Essendon 136 wins, St Kilda 63 wins, four draws
Last time: Essendon 14.9 (93) d St Kilda 11.15 (81), round eight, 2010 at Etihad Stadium
MISSING IN ACTION
Essendon
Darcy Daniher (adductor) - TBC
Ricky Dyson (knee) - test
David Hille (hamstring) - test
Jason Laycock (foot) - season
Anthony Long (hamstring) - 3 weeks
Tayte Pears (pancreas) - season
Taite Silverlock (leg) - season
Henry Slattery (ribs) - 1-2 weeks
Andrew Welsh (adductor) - test
John Williams (shoulder) - test
Mark Williams (ankle) - season
Jason Winderlich (hand) - 1-2 weeks
ST KILDA
David Armitage (knee) - indefinite
Raphael Clarke (hamstring) - test
Nick Dal Santo (broken nose) - TBC
Steven King (hamstring) - 2 weeks
Jesse Smith (ankle) - season
FORM
Essendon: LLLLW
St Kilda: WWWLD
SUMMARY
Essendon put a rough patch behind it last week when it knocked off North Melbourne but it is hard to see the Bombers building a winning streak any time soon.
Kyle Hardingham burst on to the scene with a four-goal effort in his debut match against North Melbourne but he will surely receive more attention from the uncompromising Saints this week.
Kyle Hardingham burst on to the scene with a four-goal effort in his debut match against North Melbourne but he will surely receive more attention from the uncompromising Saints this week.
St Kilda could have easily lost last week’s drawn game against Hawthorn but the Saints showed they have plenty of promising signs as they begin their run home to the finals.
Nick Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke are playing with some genuine chemistry in attack while Leigh Montagna, Lenny Hayes and Brendon Goddard continue their sterling jobs in the middle.
The Bombers are still a young team that struggles for consistency but an impressive showing this week could put them right on track for a strong finish to the year.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Jobe Watson has been key in Essendon’s victories against the Saints in the past two games. The Saints have tended to find it difficult to get a match-up right for him and Watson’s influence will be a key factor in this one.
Nick Riewoldt was always going to take a while to readjust to the tempo after his injury but he has been making steady improvement over the past few weeks. He should be back to close to his best now and the Bombers will be wary of him.
QUESTION MARKS
Do the Bombers have the wood on St Kilda? Essendon is the only team to have defeated the Saints both this year and last, a fact not lost on either side.
Where does St Kilda rank among the premiership contenders? A loss and a draw in the past two weeks has quietened the hype around the Saints.
WHO WILL WIN AND WHY
Recent history aside, the Saints are the superior team. Essendon performed well against North Melbourne last week but St Kilda is another story altogether. The Saints have the Dons covered all over the ground and should win this.
PREDICTION
St Kilda by 28 points
Chat with host Luke Holmesby and other fans in the AFL Match Centre on afl.com.au from 7.10pm Friday or join the conversation on Twitter: #aflbomberssaints
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
