Saturday April 19, 7.40pm
Etihad Stadium
Overview:
St Kilda faces its biggest test of the year against Essendon this weekend, yet while the task is a daunting one, the Saints have enough quality to trouble Mark Thompson’s men.
St Kilda’s defensive endeavour prior to last week was nothing short of exemplary, and in order to test the Bombers, it needs to rediscover the relentless pressure and intensity that was evident against Melbourne, GWS and West Coast.
At the forefront of Alan Richardson’s thoughts will be how to limit the influence of Jobe Watson, Dyson Heppell and Brent Stanton. All three are in the primes of their career and have the potential to collect 30+ disposals each. Their clean ball-use coupled with a seemingly insatiable appetite to find the ball makes them a lethal trio on their day.
Losing Nathan Wright to a broken fibula puts a dent in St Kilda’s back-line, but perhaps a bigger concern is the omission of David Armitage due to a knee injury sustained last week.
RELATED: Armo to miss
Armitage adds significant grunt to the Saints engine room, and without him the younger brigade of Luke Dunstan, Jack Newnes and Tom Curren will be forced to step up to the challenge.The fact Essendon is coming off a six-day break and a trip to Perth favours St Kilda, however with Paul Chapman and Dustin Fletcher rested for their trip west, the Bombers remain a substantial threat should the Saints be below their best.
Stat focus:
- Essendon is ranked first in the AFL with a disposals efficiency of 78 per cent.
- The Saints are ranked equal 16th in the league for one percenters, while Essendon is ranked 18th.
- The Bombers have collected more disposals than any team in 2014, while the Saints are ranked 12th in this category.
- Essendon is ranked last in the AFL for inside 50s this season
- Nick Riewoldt has taken more marks than any other player in the league this year with 46, one ahead of Essendon’s Cale Hooker.
- Dyson Heppell is ranked second in the league for uncontested possessions, averaging 22.5 per game.
- Essendon has won 11 of the 17 clashes between these two teams at Etihad Stadium.
Injury list:
St Kilda:
Sam Fisher (hamstring) – test
Lewis Pierce (back) – 4 weeks
Sam Gilbert (foot) – 5 weeks
Nathan Wright (leg) – 10-12 weeks
David Armitage (leg) – 1 week
RELATED: Fisher returns
Essendon:
Patrick Ambrose (quad) – 3 weeks
Tom Bellchambers (ankle) – test
Alex Brown (ACL) – season
Lauchlan Dalgleish (achilles) – indefinite
Courtney Dempsey (hamstring) – TBA
Dustin Fletcher (soreness) – available
Will Hams (hip) 4 weeks
Nick Kommer (knee) – 2 weeks
David Myers (illness) – available
Patrick Ryder (ankle) – test
St Kilda 7.8 (50) defeated by Adelaide 20.16 (136)
Essendon 9.6 (60) defeated by Fremantle 18.5 (113)
What we say (St Kilda coach Alan Richardson):
Essendon certainly had some trying conditions over there (Perth), there is no doubt about that. A few guys didn’t travel so they are likely to bring in some fresh faces back into the team.
We are not really going to worry about the opposition, given that we had a really disappointing week with our effort and our intensity, that’s our focus. We are just concentrating on our own footy.
We were really disappointed with last week and we look forward to the opportunity to do something about it against the Bombers.
Running hot:
St Kilda: Farren Ray
Ray is arguably St Kilda’s most underrated player. He’s collected 20 or more disposals in each of his last 12 games and provides great run and composure on the wing.
Against Adelaide last week, Ray registered five tackles, demonstrating that he is far more than an free-wheeling accumulator and that his defensive capabilities have improved greatly over the last couple of years.
Essendon: Dyson Heppell
The 2011 Rising Star amassed 35 disposals against Fremantle last weekend and poses a significant threat to St Kilda if it elects not to track the classy left-footer closely.
Heppell reads the play exceptionally well, and complements the tenacity of Jobe Watson and the precise skills of Brent Stanton perfectly.
Watch out for:
St Kilda: Jack Steven
20 disposals in his return from injury last weekend was a sign of things to come for the 2013 Trevor Barker award-winner. He spent plenty of time forward against the Crows, and will slowly progress back into the midfield as he solidifies his fitness base.
At his best, Steven is an electric and prolific ball-winner capable of tearing a game apart.
Essendon: Jackson Merrett
Already 2014 shapes as a breakout year for the crafty half-forward. Having never collected 19 disposals in a game prior to round one, Merrett has done this in three out of four matches this season, including a best on ground 35-possession effort against the Blues a fortnight ago.
Last time they met:
Round 14, 2013 at Etihad Stadium
St Kilda 13.13 (91) defeated by Essendon 19.14 (128)
Disposals: Jones (31), Watson (37)
Goals: Riewoldt (3), Gumbleton (4)
Patrick Ambrose (quad) – 3 weeks
Tom Bellchambers (ankle) – test
Alex Brown (ACL) – season
Lauchlan Dalgleish (achilles) – indefinite
Courtney Dempsey (hamstring) – TBA
Dustin Fletcher (soreness) – available
Will Hams (hip) 4 weeks
Nick Kommer (knee) – 2 weeks
David Myers (illness) – available
Patrick Ryder (ankle) – test
Last week:Alan Richardson says improved effort is the key against Essendon this weekend: http://t.co/UuMA6XMjQL
— St Kilda FC (@stkildafc) April 17, 2014
St Kilda 7.8 (50) defeated by Adelaide 20.16 (136)
Essendon 9.6 (60) defeated by Fremantle 18.5 (113)
What we say (St Kilda coach Alan Richardson):
Essendon certainly had some trying conditions over there (Perth), there is no doubt about that. A few guys didn’t travel so they are likely to bring in some fresh faces back into the team.
We are not really going to worry about the opposition, given that we had a really disappointing week with our effort and our intensity, that’s our focus. We are just concentrating on our own footy.
We were really disappointed with last week and we look forward to the opportunity to do something about it against the Bombers.
Running hot:
St Kilda: Farren Ray
Ray is arguably St Kilda’s most underrated player. He’s collected 20 or more disposals in each of his last 12 games and provides great run and composure on the wing.
Against Adelaide last week, Ray registered five tackles, demonstrating that he is far more than an free-wheeling accumulator and that his defensive capabilities have improved greatly over the last couple of years.
Essendon: Dyson Heppell
The 2011 Rising Star amassed 35 disposals against Fremantle last weekend and poses a significant threat to St Kilda if it elects not to track the classy left-footer closely.
Heppell reads the play exceptionally well, and complements the tenacity of Jobe Watson and the precise skills of Brent Stanton perfectly.
Watch out for:
St Kilda: Jack Steven
20 disposals in his return from injury last weekend was a sign of things to come for the 2013 Trevor Barker award-winner. He spent plenty of time forward against the Crows, and will slowly progress back into the midfield as he solidifies his fitness base.
At his best, Steven is an electric and prolific ball-winner capable of tearing a game apart.
Essendon: Jackson Merrett
Already 2014 shapes as a breakout year for the crafty half-forward. Having never collected 19 disposals in a game prior to round one, Merrett has done this in three out of four matches this season, including a best on ground 35-possession effort against the Blues a fortnight ago.
Last time they met:
Round 14, 2013 at Etihad Stadium
St Kilda 13.13 (91) defeated by Essendon 19.14 (128)
Disposals: Jones (31), Watson (37)
Goals: Riewoldt (3), Gumbleton (4)
