The Essendon Bombers and St Kilda Saints will meet on Friday night in a match that sadly looks destined to be a dead rubber. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog from the match in Round 21 of the 2018 AFL Season at Etihad Stadium, starting from 7:50pm AEST.
Unfortunately for Bombers fans and neutrals who might have liked this match to be a little more interesting, last week’s loss to Hawthorn has effectively ruled Essendon out of finals contention.
That’s not to say there isn’t a mathematical chance, certainly there is. But they would at a minimum need to win all three of their remaining matches, and even then would need an enormous amount of luck to scrape in.
Probably the most likely scenario would be that whoever of Sydney or Melbourne loses this week goes on to lose all of their remaining matches.
However they would also need North Melbourne (Bulldogs, Adelaide, St Kilda) and Geelong (Hawthorn, Fremantle, Gold Coast) to both lose at least two of their last three.
Under those circumstances the Dons could sneak into finals if they beat not only the Saints tonight but also Richmond next week and Port Adelaide in the final round.
Yeah… it ain’t happening. Sorry ‘Dons fans.
Instead this one is more likely to impact post-season draft picks more than anything else. A loss to St Kilda, which would be the expected result, will keep alive the possibility they could finish in the bottom three.
Meanwhile whether it’s Adelaide or Essendon picking first in November will come down to which of the two sides finishes the season most strongly.
Prediction
Essendon easy.
Essendon by 36 points.
Join The Roar for live scores and a blog from the match between the Essendon Bombers and the St Kilda Saints in Round 21 of the 2018 AFL Season at Etihad Stadium on Friday night, starting from 7:50pm AEST.
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
MATCH REPORT Essendon was far too strong for St Kilda on Friday night at Etihad Stadium, with a comprehensive 43-point victory. The Bombers needed a strong win to keep their finals hopes alive and they certainly delivered, despite being down to no rotations in the last quarter due to injury. Adam Saad was felled with concussion following a strong Nathan Brown bump which will likely result in a suspension. Brendon Goddard will need to await scans to see the extent of the damage on his knee, while Cale Hooker had minor soreness in his own knee at the end of the game. Orazio Fantasia's hamstring could be a sneaky story over the weekend, given his history with soft tissue injuries. Andrew McGrath had a career-high 33 disposals while Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuit kicked a career-high five goals, while the likes of Zach Merrett (36 disposals), Heppell (29 disposals, 11 marks) and David Myers (29 disposals, nine marks, two goals) also starred for the Bombers. From St Kilda's perspective, Nathan Brown's likely suspension should see Hugh Goddard make his long awaited senior return next week. Seb Ross had another career-high disposal count with 43, while Jack Steele was also strong above head. Lewis Pierce had 18 disposals, five marks and 27 hitouts but faded like many of his teammates late in the game. With just two games left, Essendon has everything to play for. A game against Richmond certainly won't scare them and you'd almost pick them to defeat the reigning premiers. The Saints have two games left in the season and they'll both be tough against Hawthorn and North Melbourne. Ultimately, it was another Friday night fizzer at Etihad Stadium but it keeps the door ajar for Essendon.
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
FULL TIME: Essendon 18.14(122) - St Kilda 11.13(79) That's the end of this Friday night contest. The result surprised no one and while the Bombers will be happy with this convincing victory, there were a number of injuries to come out of tonight. St Kilda won't be getting any Friday night fixtures at this rate, and they have cemented themselves as the most disappointing team of season 2018. Two players kicked the first goals of their careers and Lewis Pierce was great in the ruck early but faded late. They were the only good signs. Thanks for joining me tonight, I'll be covering the GWS/Adelaide clash tomorrow night for those that are keen to join me again. Have a good night all!
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
Q4 -00:48 BEHIND (Essendon) Bruce is excited still. Stringer missed. Essendon - 122 St Kilda - 79
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
Q4 -2:08 GOAL (Saints) Ben Paton takes the mark on a tight angle from about 45 metres out but is composed enough to drill it home. That's his first career goal and his family are certainly justifiably excited. Essendon - 121 St Kilda - 79
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
Q4 - 4:56 BEHIND (Saints) It was a messy forward 50 entry and Sinclair missed a pressured soccer kick from outside the goal square. Essendon - 121 St Kilda - 73
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
Q4 - 6:56 GOAL (Essendon) I've lost count on how many shots Kyle Langford has had on goal, but it was a lovely finish from 50 on the right half-forward flank. He has developed nicely this season. Essendon - 121 St Kilda - 72
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
Q4 - 7:16 GOAL (Essendon) David Myers takes another mark inside 50. He massages it through from 48 metres. Essendon - 115 St Kilda - 72
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Looking at the free kicks wonder if Richardson will raise noise of affirmation to deflect another lousy performance
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
Q4 - 9:40 GOAL (St Kilda) Marshall gets a free kick in the goal square and kicks it through the middle. Essendon - 109 St Kilda - 72
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
Q4 - 10:34 GOAL (Essendon) AMT takes a questionable mark, it probably hit the ground and didn't go 15. He has kicked a career-high five goals tonight. Essendon - 109 St Kilda - 66
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
Q4 - 14:44 BEHIND (Saints) Billings could've kicked a goal from 15 metres out, instead he chose to play on and snap. I'm starting to see why it frustrates people. Essendon - 103 St Kilda - 66
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
Q4 - 15:08 BEHIND (Saints) Ben Paton has a snap on goal but misses. It's the first scoring shot of his career. Essendon - 103 St Kilda - 65
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
Q4 - 15:40 GOAL (Saints) Ben Long takes a speccy on Tim Membrey, it's their main highlight for the night. He kicks his first, don't be surprised if the Saints end up within 20 points of the Bombers tonight. Essendon - 103 St Kilda - 64
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
Q4 - 16:53 GOAL (Saints) Jack Newnes takes a nice mark against the complaining Zaharakis. He has been kicking goals this year and that doesn't change tonight. Essendon - 103 St Kilda - 58
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
Q4 18:04 Dan McKenzie gives away the free kick to Travis Colyer. They have the same hair and both wear a number in the 30s.
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
Q4 18:59 Orazio Fantasia has hamstring awareness and Cale Hooker has ice on his knee. Essendon has no one left on the bench for rotations, not that it matters. They could choose to do a "GWS" and play 16 men on the field at some stage.
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
Q4 - 19:40 GOAL (Essendon) If you left the room and just missed the start of the last quarter, you missed Devon Smith kicking a goal. Handy fantasy points for those that way inclined. Essendon - 103 St Kilda - 52
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
THREE QUARTER TIME This has been extremely disappointing from the Saints. They had a chance on the big stage of Friday night footy to show the world that they have the potential to rise next year, and they haven't been bothered since halfway through the second quarter. Heppell, Merrett, Myers, Fantasia and AMT have been the key players tonight for the Bombers, while McKenna slowed down that quarter with the ball spending much of its time in Essendon's attack. Ross and Pierce have been the only shining lights for St Kilda. This game is over, but keep joining me for the final quarter. The words are better than the footy. Essendon - 97 St Kilda - 52
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
Thank you kind sir
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
Q3 - 1:22 BEHIND (Essendon) Orazio Fantasia gets yet another opportunity for the Bombers, and whatever the word that represents six points in AFL football has left my vocabulary after the last few shots on goal. Essendon - 97 St Kilda - 52