VENUE & TIME: Etihad Stadium, Friday 30 July, 7:40pm (AEST)
HEAD TO HEAD: Played: 199: Essendon 136, St Kilda 63
LAST TIME: Essendon 14.9 (93) d St Kilda 11.15 (81) at Etihad Stadium, Round 8, 2010
LAST TIME AT VENUE: As above
WALKING WOUNDED: In a blow for Essendon, midfielder Jason Winderlich will miss the clash with St Kilda after breaking his hand in the side’s three-point win against the Roos last week. Fellow onballer Ricky Dyson (knee), David Hille (hamstring) and Andrew Welsh (adductor) will face tests and could come in to boost the side. Henry Slattery (ribs) remains 1-2 weeks away while recruit Mark Williams and defender Tayte Pears will miss the rest of the season with ankle and pancreas problems respectively. For the Saints, no major injury concerns. Nick Dal Santo is nursing a broken nose after a clash with Campbell Brown - which saw the Hawthorn hard man suspended for two matches – but should be right to play. Ruckman Steven King (hamstring) is still two weeks away, Rafael Clarke (hamstring) will face a test while a return date for David Armitage (knee) remains uncertain.
FORM:
Essendon past five:
Round 17: Win, 18.14 (122) – 18.11 (119) v North Melbourne, Etihad Stadium
Round 16: Loss, 14.16 (100) – 20.12 (132) v West Coast, Etihad Stadium
Round 15: Loss, 14.19 (103) – 19.8 (122) v Melbourne, MCG
Round 14: Loss, 5.10 (40) - 19.10 (124) v Adelaide, AAMI Stadium
Round 13: Loss, 13.8 (86) - 14.18 (102) v Hawthorn, MCG
St Kilda past five:
Round 17: Draw, 14.3 (87) – 13.9 (87) v Hawthorn, Etihad Stadium
Round 16: Loss, 6.16 (52) – 15.10 (100) v Collingwood, MCG
Round 15: Win, 11.13 (79) - 10.5 (65) v Brisbane Lions, the Gabba
Round 14: Win, 15.10 (100) - 9.11 (65) v Melbourne, Etihad Stadium
Round 13: Win, 10.10 (70) - 6.10 (46) v Geelong, MCG
Essendon should feel rejuvenated after breaking a long drought against the Kangaroos last week. The Bombers snapped a six-game losing streak in the three-point win and with that, alleviated some of the pressure directed at coach Matthew Knights, for another week at least. The Saints on the other hand responded to a 48-point hammering from Collingwood a fortnight ago with a spirited draw against the Hawks, albeit a rather fortuitous one. The feeling that the Saints have started to slip back to the pack in the past two weeks, now sitting in third, has grown a little and they’ll look to start their surge to the finals against the Bombers.
WHO'S HOT: Jobe Watson was simply outstanding against the Roos last week in a clear best-on-ground display. Watson racked up 38 disposals, five marks and kicked two goals in the win and controlled the midfield channel for the Bombers. Another notable mention goes to Kyle Hardingham, who showed real athleticism and an eye for a big mark as he booted four goals on debut. Lenny Hayes has been in stellar touch for the Saints averaging nearly 30 disposals in the last three games. He showed his characteristic willingness to tackle last week, laying a game-high 11 in an interesting head-to-head battle with Hawk Sam Mitchell.
WE THINK: The inexperienced Bombers will have regained some confidence after last week’s four-quarter effort against the miserly Roos. The run and dare through the midfield looked to be back as well as the fierce tackling – such an integral part of the Dons good form earlier in the season. One key component will be missing though, in dashing midfielder Jason Winderlich. He injured his hand and will leave a big hole in the Bombers’ midfield having averaged 28 touches in the last five weeks. And although the Bombers have shown they can score, their propensity to leak goals remains a major concern, having conceded an average of 125 points in the past six weeks. Indeed the Roos posted the biggest losing score of the season, 119, in the three-point loss last week. Against the Saints, goals won’t come easily and alarmingly, Saints' captain Nick Riewoldt looks poised for a big one with three games under his belt, after returning from injury. The Bombers, having won the last two encounters between the two sides, remain the only team to defeat St Kilda both this year and last, with margins of 12 and two points respectively. That can only breed confidence but the Saints should still have too much and can't afford to lose further ground to the top two of Collingwood and Geelong, St Kilda by 25 points.