Essendon came under fire early and it was a case of playing catch up football from that point on. Despite a strong third quarter of football, Essendon had allowed the opposition too much room early in the match and were unable to repair the damage as St Kilda coasted home 36-point victors.
“It was a disappointing performance tonight and we didn’t start overly well,” O’Donnell said. “It probably took the players ten minutes to get into the game and they need to learn to come to play.
“I think there were only a few players from tonight’s performance that can walk away from that match with their heads held high and that is definitely something that we need to repair before next week’s match.
“Next week’s match against Collingwood is sure to be a big occasion. The Anzac day matches generally tend to be and we will be expecting our guys to stand up and rise to it.
“I have faith that the boys can do it but they will really need to look at their games and work on them.
“I think the six day breaks have really hurt us a bit because we haven’t been able to have a real, hard training session during the week due to the short turn around. At least this week the boys will have a seven-day break going into the Anzac day clash next Friday at the MCG.”
Essendon struggled to contain the Saints' midfield who found space with ease. The end result being they added goals to the the scoreboard - and plenty of them.
Patrick Ryder had his work cut out for him in the forward line as a red-hot Nick Riewolt proved a popular target in the Saints offence. He shone under pressure and needed more of his teammates to lift and do the same if the Bombers were to reverse the growing St Kilda margin which had stretched to 44 points at the main break.
The Bombers put in a gallant fight in the third term as they reduced the margin. Dustin Fletcher was reliable in defence and the whole team lifted. Brimming with confidence, Essendon began to put their stamp on the game. Six goals straight to the Bombers for the term, and suddenly they were back in the match.
The switch in momentum was in large part thanks to David Hille who led from the front and inspired his teammates. Bachar Houli was also having a productive night with 19 possessions in the first three quarters of football.
Tension reached boiling point as a brawl erupted between the two sides as they made their way to the three-quarter time huddle.
Facing a 23-point deficit heading into the final term, the Bombers would need to put in a solid quarter of accountable football if they were to come out victorious.
St Kilda however had the perfect answer with a quick goal to Stephen Milne and the Saints went on the score an easy win.
Despite the disappointing result, O’Donnell highlighted the performance of Ryder who had his work cut out for him for the majority of the match.
“Paddy Ryder did well under siege,” O’Donnell said. “St Kilda had, I think, 17 more inside 50’s than our guys did so he obviously did well under pressure on a seasoned campaigner.
“David Hille also played well for us tonight. Although I don’t think it is up to his form in the first four matches of the season, I think he should be proud of his performance.
