St Kilda vs Essendon

That’s it.

After blowing the cobwebs off last Friday against Richmond in a match simulation that gave both players and fans their first external reference point of the preseason, this week presented another opportunity to build on those foundations against St Kilda.

With less than two weeks until Round 1, here are my key takeaways from the hitout — focusing on what the coaches may have shown with selection, what the system revealed, who stood out, and where progress is still required, as you’d expect at this stage of the year.

1st quarter.

It didn’t take long to see how both the early and main phases of the game would be played, with each side immediately sending extra numbers to the source, making clean exits from repeat stoppages difficult from the outset.

In this mode, St Kilda had the early edge, handballing from inside to out and then finding options by foot that controlled what happened next. Essendon, by contrast, looked to kick from first possession to gain territory, and more often than not it worked against them.

Last week’s first quarter showed some concerning signs in transition, and much of it came down to the choices Essendon made with ball in hand.

Without a genuine connector between the back and front halves — particularly when exiting the “dirty” area — forward entries were too shallow to reliably defend rebounds, with the ball bouncing out too easily.

While Richmond’s speed hurt them last week, this time it was St Kilda’s ball use that did the damage, controlling tempo and pushing their numbers from behind the ball further up the ground, which in turn made it increasingly difficult to penetrate once Essendon won it back.

With that, the Bombers backline, just like in the early stages last week, was forced to do a lot of defending.

Pleasingly, they were up to the task in contests, and when they were able to win the ball back—rather than just halve it (not win or lose it)—and break through the Saints’ wall, the key forwards showed their preseason form in the air as well as in front of goal, finishing with six shots from 12 entries.

In the front third, the coaches’ decision to back an inexperienced trio of half-forwards again was hampered by a midfield that really struggled once the ball was in motion, particularly through the middle of the ground.

Aside from Dyson Sharp — and occasionally Angus Clarke as a high half-forward, along with Archie Roberts rotating through the middle — most Bombers found it difficult to get from contest to contest, either to support outnumbered teammates or, better still, create an outnumber themselves, as the Saints’ work rate and spread stood out.

Defensively there were both positives and negatives.

On multiple occasions when transitioning from defence, Essendon rebounded through the same traffic the ball had just come through, rather than switching direction or even making slight changes to angles, not helped by decisions being made too quickly, which limited their ability to find the best avenue forward.

However, when they were able to generate deeper, more meaningful entries, the defensive structure behind the ball showed promising signs, forcing St Kilda on numerous occasions to play in straight lines, and making forward-half intercepts far more achievable and valuable.

2nd quarter.

The second term was almost the opposite of last week, with Essendon’s midfielders combining with Lachie Blakiston’s hitouts to at worst set up initial territory, or at best score directly from centre bounce (or centre throw-ups, as I’ll call them from now on).

Six centre clearances to zero, plain and simple, being smashed at the hardball first, meant winning the ball back became a priority. However, poor starting positions made scoring from the majority of the 18 intercepts for the quarter too difficult.

Once again, it was left to the backs and forwards to win contests post-clearance, helping turn around a -14 differential at quarter time to a +3 advantage by the end of the term.

Sharp again showed his potential ahead of the ball, with fellow youngster El Achkar stepping up alongside him.

While clearly beaten at centre throw-ups, the midfield showed a marked improvement at stoppages around the ground, with four of the six scoring shots for the quarter coming from clearance wins in both the front and back halves — notable given that defensive-half stoppages are traditionally the lowest-scoring source.

Tackling pressure remained strong in this 20 minutes, just as it had in the opening term, while inside 50 efficiency, helped by marks in the area, continued to look promising thanks to improved decisions with ball in hand.

3rd quarter.

Through the first half, Essendon was able to force the game into contests, denying St Kilda their preferred uncontested style that has been the hallmark of their system for years. The conditions likely played a part, requiring a simpler game style rather than over-possessing. Once the weather cleared, a weakness that has troubled Essendon in previous seasons re-emerged — opposition uncontested marks, particularly in the back two-thirds of the ground.

After only conceding 27 in those zones to half-time, the Bombers allowed 27 in the next 20 minutes of game time, with the midfield struggling to spread effectively between the arcs, allowing St Kilda unpressured chains that went too far unbroken.

Once again, the defenders were left to absorb the pressure and then rebound, with Andrew McGrath, Zach Reid, Jayden Nguyen, Zak Johnson, Jacob Farrow, and Ben McKay all switching from defensive to offensive roles to help win back territory.

After being badly beaten at centre throw-ups in the second quarter, the midfield this time were exposed at stoppages around the ground and inside 50, with four of St Kilda’s seven scores for the quarter coming this way — something an experienced midfield should absolutely not allow, particularly when inside the defensive 50.

4th quarter.

It didn’t take long to see that the heat Essendon brought for the opening three quarters was turned down early in the last.

Once the ball got outside, St Kilda had complete control and really started to play expansive football, stretching the game far and wide with ball in hand, pulling apart Essendon’s defensive layers and finding marking targets with space inside 50.

Team selection.

For months, Essendon fans have speculated about the opening round 23, and this week’s selected lineup — along with time on ground — gives a strong indication of who the coaches have in mind.

Xavier Duursma started as the medium forward in the first half, with Archie Perkins taking over after half time, primarily to finally get some game minutes in this preseason.

Questions remain over whether Archie May is part of the forward mix, given he came on late in the game after spending most of last week’s practice match on the bench

Down back, Farrow played 31 minutes of the first 60, Johnson just over 61 minutes of the game, Nguyen 57, and Kondogiannis 53, all preferred over their replacement option Saad El Hawli, who came on for the last quarter. This shows the likely backline combination alongside Andrew McGrath, Mason Redman, Zach Reid, and Ben McKay.

The midfield rotations look obvious, but it’s this area that holds the biggest concerns performance-wise, with the lack of leg speed affecting not just their ability to defend, but also their impact when they do get the ball in space, limiting the damage they can do to truly punish their matchups. While there were a few more options available who didn’t play, this part of the game hasn’t been a strength of theirs in the past either.

Shining bright.

Sharp offered more than a glimpse of his work rate and ball-winning ability, with post-clearance contests and quick decision-making standing out. More exposure to the sped-up tempo at stoppages will only help him build through the season.

Johnson showed his vision, decision-making, and execution with ball in hand, his want to take the game forward at every opportunity forcing teammates ahead of the ball to get moving. I’ve questioned his defensive efforts to date, with confidence in his own body looking like it was holding him back, but pleasingly this wasn’t an issue, and he showed a marked improvement when required to put his life on the line.

Nguyen shows no mercy when it’s his time to go, both defensively, standing under the incoming ball, and offensively, not holding back to receive on the outside and take the space in front. There are still some improvements to come one-on-one, but nothing unexpected at his age and development.

Lachie Blakiston’s agility in the air and at ground level got an early measure against two of the competition’s premier ruckmen, and there is plenty to like when he is given a clear run to jump, often getting the better of his opponents with his spring in the centre square. The ruck wrestle remains his biggest challenge, with body work and positioning a priority under experienced ruck coach Todd Goldstein.

Peter Wright’s hands have returned to their best over the preseason, able to stretch in front or above, and both practice matches have reinforced this. The icing on the cake has been his goal-kicking, providing tangible rewards for his work.

Kyle Langford held strong in front position, either marking or creating soft drops, offering predictable and reliable options for teammates to crumb below.

Now it begins.

Nothing will be, nor should it be, perfect at this time of year, as the coaches continue to search for and shape the pieces that best fit the structure they believe is needed to contend.

There are options and improvements to come at both ends of the ground, with youngsters looking to plant their flag and push for an opportunity, whether to start the year or, by midseason, step straight into the side.

The midfielders will need to regroup and quickly find consistency, not just week to week but quarter to quarter, as much of what happens ahead and behind falls back to them.

Upstairs, standards have clearly been set for non-negotiables within the system, drilled into the players below, and everything on display now shows the plan the coaches have been building over the preseason.

Go Bombers!