Essendon’s clash with St Kilda at Marvel Stadium this Saturday shapes as one of the most tantalising fixtures of the season so far.
In the early stages of the season, both sides have showcased some exciting footy, with the Bombers scoring over 100 points in each of their two games and the Saints producing a big win over reigning premiers Collingwood last weekend.
Ahead of the Easter Saturday matchup, let’s look over the factors that could dictate the day.
Recent history
The last six matches between the two sides have been split at three wins apiece, with the Saints taking the most recent encounter in the corresponding fixture last season.
Essendon had recorded back-to-back wins against the Saints in 2021 and ’22, including a 75-point thrashing in the first of the two games.
Charged by a combined 12 goals between Cale Hooker (five), Jake Stringer (four) and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti (three), the Bombers piled on the pressure at Marvel Stadium, rebounding from their 0-2 start to the 2021 season.
The 2022 round 14 fixture saw the Bombers claim a 35-point win off the back of a four-goal haul from forward Peter Wright, but St Kilda would bite back the following year in their 150th year celebration game.
Fuelled by a fast start after booting the opening five goals, the Saints had to withstand a late charge from the Bombers, with Jye Caldwell’s late heroics almost edging his side over the line.
Kicking away in the final minutes, the Saints held on to record an 18-point win in a typically tense contest between the two sides.
Clearance and contest
A big tick from Essendon’s start to the season has been their clearance work, and they’ll need to bring that again on Saturday.
Along with kicking an accurate 17.5 in the season-opener, the Bombers had 40 clearances to Hawthorn’s 31 in round one and doubled their centre clearance count (18 to nine).
Despite last week’s defeat to an in-form Sydney, the Bombers can take some confidence from their growing inside game, this time winning the clearance count 43-33 and generating plenty of scoring opportunities from the centre bounce.
Similarly, the Saints were powered by 11 clearances from ruck Rowan Marshall last week – the Bombers’ pairing of Sam Draper and Todd Goldstein will be looking to quell that influence on Saturday to get the Dons going from the stoppage.
Returning faces
While each side will be missing their key targets up front with Peter Wright and Max King sidelined to suspension, their replacements could play key roles on Saturday.
For the Bombers, their midfield has been boosted by Darcy Parish’s return from a hamstring injury, while Jake Kelly’s recovery from illness will steady up the defence alongside Mason Redman, set to go after serving his one-week suspension.
With Wright out, the Bombers have elected to stick to their guns with Kyle Langford and Jake Stringer as their forward spine, with Draper likely to lend a hand when he isn’t required in the centre of the ground.
With experienced goalsneak Dan Butler and rookie-listed tall Anthony Caminiti returning to the Saints lineup, the Dons’ defence will need to be wary of the Saints’ mix forward of centre.
The Bombers and Saints will face off at Marvel Stadium this Easter Saturday, with the first bounce set for 4:20pm AEDT.
