ESSENDON has won a spot in the top eight by ending St Kilda's unbeaten streak, pipping the Saints by two points in a thriller at Docklands on Sunday evening.

The Bombers became the first team to beat St Kilda in 2009 when they held on to record a 16.14 (110) to 16.12 (108) victory after Nick Riewoldt squandered a chance to win the match after the siren.

The Saints had cut back a third-term 43-point deficit to trail by just three points when Riewoldt marked with nine seconds remaining on the clock.

The Saints skipper, who had already booted two goals for the game, lined up 50m out on a 45-degree angle after the siren sounded, but his kick slewed to the right, registering a point and sparking wild celebrations from the Bombers and their fans.

The match produced extraordinary performances from both sides, with the Saints coming from nowhere to claw back a massive deficit and the Bombers hanging on bravely in the fourth quarter despite being heavily bruised and battered.

By the end of the match, the Bombers had Jobe Watson (leg soreness), Dustin Fletcher (hamstring), Courtenay Dempsey (hamstring), Brent Stanton (quad/hip), Andrew Lovett (leg) and Paddy Ryder (knee) all compromised, with Fletcher missing the entire second half and Ryder most of the last term.

Watson was phenomenal in the first half and brave in the second for 37 touches, Angus Monfries kicked four goals, and Tayte Pears was terrific against Riewoldt.

For the Saints, Lenny Hayes had 10 tackles, Nick Dal Santo topped the possession count with 27, Leigh Montagna was tough around the stoppages, and Justin Koschitzke was a powerful force up forward.

It looked like the Bombers were in for a long afternoon when the Saints banged through the first two goals of the game – through Dal Santo and Sam Fisher – with their first two kicks of the match.

After Adam Schneider slotted their third, the Saints were 19 points clear – and the game had only been going for 14 minutes.

The Bombers hit back through Jay Neagle, who was found unopposed in the goalsquare, before Fisher demonstrated further ability in his uncustomary role up forward with his second at the 22-minute mark.

The last two goals of the quarter went Essendon's way courtesy of Ryder and Fletcher, and the Bombers evidently took heart from the fact they trailed by just five points, playing like a side that was five goals in front for much of an electrifying second term.

The Bombers kicked seven goals to two in the second quarter, St Kilda only managing to drag the half time margin back to 20 points courtesy of late goals to Koschitzke and Riewoldt, the latter's coming after the siren.

Some tireless work by Watson, who had 21 touches to the long break, and sharp shooting by Monfries helped the Bombers open up a 33-point lead in the shadows of half time.

They Bombers didn't take a backwards step in the third. They replicated the Saints' first-quarter start with two goals in the first two minutes, which went unanswered until Stephen Milne was gifted a goal from a Brent Prismall turnover after seven minutes.

Former rookie Jarrod Atkinson kicked the Dons' next after a terrific two-bounce run from the centre-square, which was followed up by majors from Lovett and Ryder.

Some inaccuracy from the Saints saw them miss two opportunities to cut their 43-point deficit before Milne finally found the space between the long posts at the 23-minute mark.
 
While Prismall snared his second, it was the Saints that ran out the term stronger with the final two goals, leaving the margin at 29 points with a quarter to play.

The Bombers lost Ryder in the opening stages of the fourth, which further compounded their already-restricted bench, and St Kilda pounced, kicking all five goals in the last term. Unfortunately for Riewoldt and his teammates, a sixth proved elusive, and the Bombers survived to record a memorable victory.

Next week, the Bombers take on Fremantle at Subiaco Oval, while St Kilda takes on North Melbourne in its penultimate home-and-away match of the season at Docklands.

Essendon    3.3    10.6    16.9    16.14 (110)
St Kilda         4.2    7.4      11.10  16.12 (108)

GOALS
Essendon: Monfries 4, Neagle 2, Ryder 2, Prismall 2, Fletcher, Hurley, McPhee, Watson, Atkinson, Lovett
St Kilda: Milne 3, Koschitzke 3, Schneider 3, Fisher 2, Riewoldt 2, Armitage 2, Dal Santo

BEST
Essendon: Watson, Monfries, Pears, Atkinson, Hurley, Stanton, Prismall, McVeigh
St Kilda: Koschitzke, Hayes, Dal Santo, Montagna, Milne, Gram

INJURIES
Essendon: Reimers (general soreness) replaced in selected side by Davey, Fletcher (hamstring), Dempsey (hamstring), Stanton (quad/hip), Ryder (knee), Watson (leg soreness)
St Kilda: Nil

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Stewart, Grun, Ryan

Official crowd: 41,410 at Docklands

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.