ST KILDA’S rollercoaster pre-season took an upwards turn at Telstra Dome on Friday night, when it won through to the NAB Cup grand final with a thrilling three-point win over Essendon.

With the game see-sawing all night it was the Saints, courtesy of a holding the ball decision against Angus Monfries, who got over the line after David Armitage slotted the winning goal with 51 seconds remaining.

In scenes more akin to home and away football, Essendon fans were left to pick up the pieces as St Kilda stormed into its second pre-season final in five years.

The first term was as uninspiring as any all pre-season, thanks to both sides’ inability to convert possessions into scores and skill errors all over the field.

The Saints scrounged three goals courtesy of Leigh Montagna, Nick Dal Santo and Nick Riewoldt to gain an early lead, while Brent Stanton did all he could to keep the Bombers in touch with 11 early touches.

After an early goal drought the floodgates opened in the second term as both sides went on the attack.

The Bombers turned to mid-sized forwards Andrew Welsh and youngster Jay Neagle who kicked two goals apiece, while David Hille chimed in with a supergoal to give the Bombers a 13-point lead. Neagle, the son of former Essendon wingman Merv, looked particularly impressive inside the forward arc, at one point out-marking Leigh Fisher before going back to calmly slot a goal.

The Saints stayed in touch courtesy of Nick Riewoldt and Steven Milne, who kicked four goals between them to cap off the midfield work of Lenny Hayes, Clinton Jones and Nick Dal Santo. Luke Ball, who came into the side for his first run of the year, spent the main break warming up out on the ground after not playing a minute of the first half.

Ball wasted little time getting into the action when set Michael Gardiner up for the opening goal of the third term two minutes in to cut Essendon’s lead to a point.

An 11-minute arm-wrestle ensued until a brain fade by Bomber Paddy Ryder afforded Jarryd Allen a 50-metre penalty and subsequent supergoal to push St Kilda 12 points clear.

Just when it appeared the Saints were gaining the ascendency, Essendon, through that man Neagle, fought back. The 20-year-old kicked two goals in four minutes, the second from a dubious free kick, to bring scores level at the final change.

The final quarter developed into a thriller.

It was only the pre-season but neither side gave an inch.

First it was Essendon through two goals to Paddy Ryder. The Saints hit back through Dal Santo and Shane Birss before a nine-minute stalemate was broken by Courtney Johns, who gave the Bombers a four-point lead with three minutes remaining.

It wasn’t to be enough. Tensions ran high in the wake of the holding the ball free against Monfries, a decision that Bomber fans will insist robbed them of a chance to win early-season silverware.

For St Kilda’s Armitage it was a case of right place, right time. It was a goal he will not forget.

Hayes, Dal Santo, Milne and recruits Adam Schneider and Steven King were stars for the Saints while Jay Nash, Stanton, Courtenay Dempsey, Andrew Welsh and Damien Peverill worked tirelessly for the Bombers.

As tight as the game was it was devoid of a number of stars.

St Kilda went in minus Justin Koschitzke, Sam Fisher, Max Hudghton and injured trio Fraser Gehrig, Matt Maguire and Brendon Goddard.

Essendon opted to rest stars Matthew Lloyd, Dustin Fletcher, Ricky Dyson, Adam McPhee and Andrew Lovett, while the injured Jason Winderlich is still some weeks away. 

Last week’s young heroes Bachar Houli, Sam Lonergan, Tayte Pears, David Myers and Leroy Jetta were given the week off.

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.