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Round 17 begins with a bang, as two in form, and speedy, teams – the St Kilda Saints and the Essendon Bombers – do battle on a Friday night at Etihad Stadium! Join us on The Roar for live scores and a blog from 7:50pm AEST.
It’s hard to imagine that either of these teams would have many complaints after their brilliant Round 16 victories.
The Saints, coming off three straight victories, played Richmond in the second annual ‘Maddie’s Match’, and came away massive winners.
They smashed a deplorable Tigers outfit in the first half, before taking their foot off the accelerator in the second to eventually win by 67 points.
Essendon, too, had a comfortable victory of their own, dispatching archrivals Collingwood to the tune of 37 points. A good weekend for both teams, evidently.
Friday night’s match, though, will be a much tougher assignment for both sides. St Kilda is sitting 9-6, in seventh spot, whilst the Dons are 7-8 and in tenth position.
While St Kilda’s win against the Tigers was probably as good a win as any in recent years, the team from Tullamarine have shown themselves to be a formidable opponent in most rounds this season, and will be desperate to get a win to keep their finals chances alive.
Essendon’s forward line is going to be a big threat, with Orazio Fantasia and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti two players in particular who have been in form this season.
The Saints, though, have their own group of talented small forwards, with Jade Gresham and the rapidly improving Jack Billings a duo whom have been omnipresent as of late.
St Kilda’s defence, led by Jake Carlisle, will be tested against the Bomber’s aforementioned small forwards and their aerial threats – namely Joe Daniher.
The midfield battle will be led by the usual suspects: Jack Steven (who was magnificent in this fixture last year) and Zach Merrett, to name but a few.
St Kilda’s biggest frustration heading into this weekend’s footy is the absence of forward Tim Membrey, who has been banned for two rounds after an incident in Round 16.
The team from Sandringham will also have a debutant, with last year’s draftee Josh Battle (who is actually still completing Year 12) set to run out with the seniors for the first time.
Billy Longer is out with an injury, whilst Tom Hickey is back in the side.
There’s just the one change for the Saints’ opponents, with Essendon resting Jobe Watson for tonight’s clash; meaning Craig Bird set to play his first senior game of the season.
Prediction
This is going to be a cracker of a game. While both sides tend to thrive on the grounds of Docklands, I’m going to say it’ll be St Kilda who’ll take home the four points. Narrowly (probably literally, given their accuracy issues), and quite possibly by under a goal. It’s going to be a beauty.
St Kilda by 5 points.
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