AFL Round 20 St Kilda v Essendon: All the analysis and news as the Saints blow Dons away with third-quarter blitz

The third quarter has long been known as the premiership quarter. For Essendon on Saturday, it was the pretender quarter, writes SAM LANDSBERGER. Here’s how it all fell apart.

The third quarter has long been known as the premiership quarter.

For Essendon on Saturday, it was the pretender quarter.

In 31 spiritless minutes, the Bombers were exposed as not only a fake finalist, but a fraudulent football club that is nowhere near contending for a flag … let alone winning a final for the first time in 20 years.

St Kilda took 149 marks (16 contested) on a day of aerial dominance that appeared to mark the end of Essendon’s season.

Essendon spent more than two months entrenched in the top four and left itself vulnerable of falling to 11th entering round 21.

By the time the final siren rang on a 53-point loss, the Bombers had opened the door for all of Western Bulldogs, Melbourne and Hawthorn to leapfrog them on the ladder.

That conversation engulfing Essendon before calendars have even turned the page to August shows how sharply season 2024 as unravelled.

Anthony Caminiti celebrates one of his three goals against the Bombers. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos

Coach Brad Scott’s team has now lost three consecutive games for the first time this season and six of their past eight matches.

And on a week where the Herald Sun revealed James Hird was eyeing a return to senior coaching, there must have been a contingent of members who stormed out of Marvel Stadium on Saturday wishing it was their club instead of Port Melbourne chasing Hird.

They also must have wondered who is their Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera? At 21, the silky Saint screams future All-Australian. He is a No.11 draft pick that has overperformed.

Essendon has six battling top-13 picks – Archie Perkins, Zach Reid, Nik Cox, Ben Hobbs and Elijah Tsatas – who have all underperformed. Mostly, they look like B-graders at best whereas Wanganeen-Milera’s performance against the Bombers was one for the ages.

In fact, so much of what Wanganeen-Milera did on Saturday was symbolic. Kicking inside 50m he lowered his eyes, whereas Essendon lowered its colours.

The highlight came when ‘Naz’ fired a rocket pass to Dan Butler 45m from goal, ran on to receive a handball from Butler on his left foot and proceeded to finish from 48m on his right boot after selling candy to bypass Jayden Laverde.

When Nic Martin foolishly turned the ball over in the corridor, it was Wanganeen-Milera who made Martin pay by finding Mitch Owens inside 50m.

Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera picked Essendon apart with his kicking. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Even Mason Redman made simple errors by foot. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos

When Anthony Caminiti threaded a set-shot goal from the boundary line, it came after a sweet pass from Wanganeen-Milera to set up yet another clean entry.

Wanganeen-Milera’s first mistake was probably his 19th disposal when he butchered it to Harry Jones. But seconds later, Zach Merrett gave the ball back to St Kilda and Cooper Sharman plucked his team’s 10th mark inside 50m.

Compare that to Essendon, whose mid-forward connection was as strong as Joe Biden’s with the American people.

It never let up. Even Darcy Parish’s simple 20m kick to Martin inside 50m in the final minutes was given too much air and was intercepted by Butler.

The Bombers had more entries, but it felt like they had forgotten their house keys and could never really get inside.

Late in the last quarter and they had taken just five marks inside 50m (finished with seven). The Saints clunked 22 – double their season average and their most in almost three years – and converted as if the ground had no behind posts.

The big men go at it on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos

The Bombers’ blame belonged to both the goalkickers and the ball winners.

Peter Wright is a best-and-fairest winner who might be on borrowed time in the AFL side after back-to-back goalless weeks.

The combination of Wright with Jake Stringer and Nate Caddy has not worked. Compare that to the no-frills pairing of Cooper Sharman and Anthony Caminiti who looked more like Tom Hawkins and Jeremy Cameron.

Parish looked pedestrian and simply should have returned through the VFL. The Saints – and in particular Rowan Marshall – caught the Sherrin as if it were a tennis ball.

Owens played like the player Nathan Buckley believed should’ve beaten Harry Sheezel for the Rising Star and Cooper Sharman played his way to another contract as he channelled.

And Ross Lyon’s Saints are channelling some serious momentum to take into a summer that suddenly has a lot more brightness in the forecast.

Brad Scott and Essendon had no answer for St Kilda’s third-quarter blitz. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Scoreboard

ST KILDA 5.1 6.2 14.4 17.6 (108)

ESSENDON 2.3 5.4 6.7 8.7 (55)

MAX HATZOGLOU’S BEST Saints – Sharman, Steele, Marshall, Wanganeen-Milera, Owens, Caminiti, Sinclair. Dons – Caldwell, Duursma, Durham, Shiel, Merrett.

GOALS Saints – Sharman 3, Steele 3, Caminiti 3, Membrey 2, Higgins, Owens, Butler, Marshall, Wanganeen-Milera. Dons – Shiel 2, Draper, Duursma, Durham, Jones, Merrett, Stringer.

INJURIES Saints – Nil. Dons – Jones (corkie), Ridley (hip).

UMPIRES: Rosebury, Whetton, Toner, McGinness.

39,000 at Marvel Stadium

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

MAX HATZOGLOU’S VOTES

3 Sharman (Saints)

2 Steele (Saints)

1 Marshall (Saints)

Originally published as AFL Round 20 St Kilda v Essendon: All the analysis and news as the Saints blow Dons away with third-quarter blitz