St Kilda has celebrated their 150th anniversary with a thrilling 18-point victory over Essendon in front of 69,255 vocal fans at the MCG, securing top spot on the AFL ladder.
The Saints raced to an early 34-point lead in the opening quarter, but Essendon slowly closed the margin before levelling the scores in the final term, threatening to pull off a huge comeback.
But a late blitz from St Kilda ensured they emerged 14.8 (92) to 11.8 (74) victors, extending their winning streak to three games. The last time St Kilda started a season 3-0 they went all the way to the grand final.
QUARTER-BY-QUARTER MATCH REPORT
There were no late changes for either side, with Ben Paton (Saints) and Nick Hind (Bombers) named the subs.
Bombers defender Mason Redman got things off to a horror start, conceding a pair of 50-metre penalties in the opening few minutes to gift St Kilda two early goals.
Essendon was indecisive and hesitant in the midfield, hardly posing a threat as the Saints kicked five consecutive goals, including four from turnovers, to race towards a 34-point lead. St Kilda was scoring in almost every forward 50 entry, while Essendon failed to register a score from their first five inside 50s.
“Essendon’s all at sea at the moment,” Nathan Jones said in commentary.
Jonathan Brown continued on Fox Footy: “They caught Essendon on the back foot.”
The Bombers started to rediscover their mojo towards the end of the first term, with Archie Perkins booting the side’s opening goal in the 21st minute.
Dylan Shiel brought the MCG crowd to life early in the second quarter with a classy triple-dummy goal, elegantly weaving his way through the Saints’ defence.
“What a ripper … goal of the round,” Brown said.
The Bombers raised their intensity after quarter-time, with both sides embroiled in a low-scoring arm wrestle in the second term, but Jack Higgins kept the Saints in a commanding position with a trio of goals.
Mason Wood was another standout performer for St Kilda in the first half, contributing 18 disposals, four inside 50s and a goal.
The stalemate continued in the third quarter, with neither side mustering a point for more than ten minutes before Archie Perkins broke the deadlock with a long range strike from outside 50.
The deficit was suddenly into single digits when Nic Martin booted a crucial goal late in the third term, but St Kilda immediately returned serve moments later when Dan Butler cruised through for a major of his own.
Butler kicked another goal, his third of the evening, a couple of minutes later, rubbing salt into the wounds by shoving over Massimo D’Ambrosio, which sparked a brief scuffle near the posts.
Essendon’s Jye Caldwell got the fourth quarter off to a flyer, kicking a miracle goal from an absurd angle near the boundary line, and the deficit was reduced to just seven points a couple of minutes later when Kyle Langford kicked his first major of the evening — albeit courtesy of a Jake Stringer falcon.
Caldwell’s miracle evening continued soon after, once again kicking an unlikely goal from the forward pocket, this time on his left boot, to even the scores.
Higgins settled some nerves in the Saints camp, booting his fourth goal to put Ross Lyon’s men ahead, and Jade Gresham doubled the lead a few minutes late with a well-directed snap.
With less than nine minutes left on the clock, Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera put the result beyond doubt by nailing a 50-metre goal, sending the MCG into a frenzy.
THE 3-2-1...
ROYALTY IN THE HOUSE AS SAINTS CELEBRATE THEIR BIG BIRTHDAY
There’s only one Tony Lockett.
The who’s who of the St Kilda Football Club gathered at the MCG as the Saints celebrated 150 years of history.
Favourite sons of the previous Ross Lyon era Leigh Montagna and Nick Dal Santo were inducted into the Hall of Fame. The pair accompanied Bill Mohr’s posthumous elevation to Legend status, seeing him become just the 10th St Kilda figure to achieve such distinction.
There was only one man that every Saints fan wanted to see on their big night. And there he was in the flesh at the MCG, making another rare public appearance.
Inside the inner sanctum, in the rooms with injured skipper Jack Steele before he was paraded out on field with the honour roll of St Kilda legends.
The Saints honoured the Premiership players of 1966 at a pre-game function and before the current day Saints entered the field to a guard of honour filled with former champions, captains, and the Saints faithful.
Riding the high of the pre-game celebrations, bursting out of the blocks to kick the opening four goals of the game, the spirit and swagger of the Saints were on full display on their big night.
“They’re all on board aren’t they?” former Lions triple premiership player Jonathan Brown said on Fox Footy.
“Ross the Boss has led the way and they’ve all got the buy-in, these younger players, they’re enthused.”
‘AA CONTENDER’ WHO’S TRANSFORMING THE SAINT’S BALL MOVEMENT
While the injury toll at Moorabbin has continued to mount, the Saints’ scintillating start to the season has brought the opportunity to many of their lesser lights. A chance that Mason Wood has taken with both hands and more.
The Kangaroos discard has found a home at the Saints since 2021 and established himself in the St Kilda team in the back half of 2022.
Averaging 22 disposals, 15 kicks, seven handballs, and six and a half handballs to start season 2023, triple premiership Lion Jonathan Brown said on Fox Footy that Wood’s form in the opening weeks, and his opening half against Essendon, would have him “in the All Australian team if it was getting picked after three rounds”.
“He’d be in the AA team as a wingman if they had to pick it right now,” Brown said.
“He had a big first quarter (12 disposals) … He’s a tall player too. He’s courageous in the air he can get back, he can kick goals as well and he’s a fantastic runner.”
Western Bulldogs games record holder Brad Johnson added: “361 metres gained in a half, So he’s going to go 600 plus … He’s just picked up (on his second half of last season) and he’s having a very good season so far.”
“It’s amazing what you can do and where you can go with a fresh start, He’s obviously got his body really fit and he’s playing a really important role,” former Essendon captain Jobe Watson said on Channel 7.
“He’s got the full athletic package,” Luke Darcy added on Channel 7.
Brown praised Wood as one of the catalysts of the Saint’s ball movement. He controlled the wings with Brad Hill and was an integral part of St Kilda’s running power along with how they’ve been able to adapt to Ross Lyon’s system so quickly.
“We spoke about it last week, (they) got about 20 players in and around 10 minutes of a 3k’er (time trial) which is elite for the AFL. To have half your list at that level, this is why they are doing so much damage to other clubs,” Brown said on Fox Footy.
“Their turnover game has been sensational.
“I love seeing the athletics contest between Collingwood and St Kilda because they can run these St Kilda boys.”
JYE DELIGHTS AND SETS HIS NAME ALIGHT
Champion Data’s Daniel Hoyne put Jye Caldwell on the agenda this week declaring him as one of the most “underrated players in the competition”.
“Last year there was no better midfielder in the competition turning one of his possessions into a score. He was better than De Goey and Bontempelli,” Hoyne said on SEN Sportday.
After crossing from the Giants at the end of 2020, Caldwell’s body let him down in his first season at Essendon, playing only three games in his first season at Tullamarine, including being brought back to play the Elimination Final against the Bulldogs in Tasmania.
Regular games in 2022 saw Caldwell establish himself as a young piece that the Bombers could build their midfield around in the new era under Brad Scott.
His impressive start to the season was amplified when he dragged Essendon back into the contest at the start of the fourth quarter with a pair of special goals from the boundary line.
“The one on the right was ridiculous, the one on the left, hard to even explain how that went through,” Luke Darcy said on Channel 7, as he leveled the scores at the MCG five minutes into the final quarter.
While St Kilda kicked away on their milestone night, Caldwell’s final quarter saw him stamp himself on the contest early, recording eight disposals including two goals.
His stat line at full-time read 18 disposals, 11 handballs, one tackle, and 2.1, as he continues to build into his AFL career to continue a promising start to the season.
“Jye Caldwell was on fire at the start of the last quarter, but outside of that, they didn’t really offer too much,” Johnson said on Fox Footy.
