What Went Down
Two sides that have had disappointing seasons, but are coming into the game with starkly different form lines. The Saints have won their past three games, although all of them came against arguably weaker opponents. In the last month, the Saints came from 46 points down against Melbourne to kill the coaching career of Simon Goodwin. Since then, they have beaten North Melbourne and Richmond in back-to-back weeks.
Essendon have lost its last 10 games in a row, and its last win came back in round 11 against Richmond. While Essendon fans are tired of the excuses, they have a long list of injuries that are undoubtedly keeping key players out of their side.
The Saints got on the board first through Jack Higgins, but the Bombers replied from the subsequent centre clearance through Peter Wright in his milestone game. Essendon then hit the front through mid-season draftee Liam McMahon. McMahon, who was previously on the Carlton and Collingwood lists, has kicked nine goals so far this season, including a four-goal haul against Geelong.
Essendon almost had a two-goal lead early in the game, but Durham’s snap on goal missed. As the quarter progressed, the Bombers continued to press forward, though they failed to take full advantage of their chances. Both Jye Menzie and Rhys Unwin missed shots at goal as Essendon continued to apply the squeeze on the Saints.
Finally, Rhys Unwin kicked straight, refistering his first snag in the league, ending a run of forward 50 entries without much luck for Essendon. However, the goal seemed to spark the Saints into attack, finally getting the ball into debutant Alex Dodson on a lead, but he also didn’t have his kicking boots on. Dodson then turned provider for Mason Wood, but his shot at goal fell short and was rushed through by Goldstein.
With less than a minute remaining in the quarter, the Saints almost got their second goal through Max Hall, but his shot was rushed through for a behind. This allowed the Bombers to wind down the final seconds of the quarter with an 11-point lead.
Jack Steele had a chance to reduce the margin back to five points, but he missed to the near side from his set shot. Jye Menzie then had a shot at goal at the other end from the Bombers, but he couldn’t take full advantage, again tugging his relatively easy set shot to the near side.
Cooper Sharman finally kicked the Saints’ second goal and the first goal of the second quarter after Jayden Laverde appeared to suffer a hamstring or hip injury. Laverde would return to the game briefly before being subbed out. Luamon Lual then managed to create a goal from nothing, soccering the ball off the ground, past two St. Kilda defenders to restore Essendon’s lead out to 11 points.
Jye Menzie continued his poor run of shots, missing a set shot from directly in front of the goal and only 15 metres out. Isaac Kako also had a snap at goal under pressure that also ran across the face. It wasn’t just the Bombers players that couldn’t find the goals, as Hugh Boxshall missed a set shot from a very gettable position. Kyle Langford broke the run of behinds after he crumbed a contest in Essendon’s forward line to extend the Bombers’ lead out to three goals.
Cooper Sharman finally got the third goal for the Saints after Langford turned the ball over at half back. The Saints then cut the margin down to six points as Jayden Nguyen gave away a downfield free kick to Jack Higgins. Essendon substitute, Saad El-Hawli found Matt Guelfi in the forward 50, but he pushed his set shot across the face of goal.
With less than a minute left in the first half, Mason Wood took a nice contested mark and cut the margin back to one point. Cooper Sharman almost put the Saints ahead with seconds remaining, but Jaxon Prior’s tackle did enough to throw off his shot. This meant that the Bombers went into halftime with only a one-point lead despite having much of the momentum.
At the start of the second half, Saints ruckman Rowan Marshall put his team in front after taking a mark after Todd Goldstein was blocked out of the contest by Alex Dodson. The Saints didn’t hold the lead for long as Archie Perkins put the Bombers back in front by kicking his team’s sixth goal of the game.
Rowan Marshall then had another chance to give the Saints the lead, but his snap went across the face of goal to even the scores. Archie Perkins then kicked his second goal to give the Bombers a six-point lead again. Max Hall could have tied the scores again, but his shot ended up hitting the post after coming back late.
Darcy Wilson then put the Saints ahead after a scrappy contest deep in the Saints’ forward line. Essendon’s stand-in captain, Andrew McGrath, tied the scores again, continuing the tight contest. Jack Higgins then had a chance to run into an open goal, or at least handball it off to a teammate, but zagged through two Essendon defenders instead and snapped around his body to give the Saints a six-point lead. Kyle Langford found Liam McMahon just outside of the goal square, before promptly kicking his second goal of the game to reduce the margin.
Wanganeen-Milera then broke from the subsequent centre bounce to again restore the Saints’ lead, burning away from his opponent, Andrew McGrath. The Saints were perfectly happy to run time off the clock at the end of the third quarter, giving them a six-point lead heading into the final quarter.
Liam McMahon started the fourth quarter hot, kicking his third goal to tie the scores again. The Bombers again pressed up against the Saints, similar to what they did in the first quarter, but again failed to take full advantage of their momentum. Cooper Sharman gave the Saints a single-point lead after grabbing the ball out of the ruck and snapping a shot from deep inside the Saints’ forward line.
Jye Menzie finally managed to find the goals after three successive behinds, though his shot appeared to travel over the goal post. Ben Hobbs then came a few centimetres away from extending the Bomber’s lead to 11 points, but his shot clipped the inside of the goalposts. Jack Sinclair then had a chance to tie the game, but his shot faded to the left. Hugo Garcia also had a shot at goal that also clipped the padding of the goal post.
Somehow, Mason Wood managed to find space in a packed forward line. Wood was able to take an uncontested mark, then walked off his line to snap it through the goals without having too much pressure. Cooper Sharman then kicked his third goal to give the Saints their biggest lead of the game at eight points.
After withstanding pressure from Alix Tauru, Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, and Callum Wilkie, Kyle Langford then cut the margin back down to just two points. Langford hasn’t played for the Bombers since Round 11, which was coincidentally their last win this season. Saints’ substitute Lance Collard had a chance to ice the game, but he missed his shot.
Zak Jones also had a chance to ice the game, but his drop punt floated across the face of the goal and went out of bounds. With less than 10 seconds left, Mason Redmond had a shot at goal that, had gone through, would have given the Bombers an impressive victory. Instead, the Saints held on to win by just two points.
Injuries galore
Coming into the game, Essendon was carrying 17 injured players, with the end of the season not coming quickly enough for the wounded Bombers. In the second quarter, Essendon lost key defender Jayden Laverde to a hamstring or hip injury. Laverde tried to soldier on after pulling out of a contest, but was eventually subbed out of the game.
However, Laverde wasn’t the only Bomber that suffered an injury, with midseason draft pick Liam McMahon suffering a fractured arm. McMahon, who previously spent time on the list at Collingwood and Carlton’s VFL side, had finally earned a chance at the AFL level through his performances and injuries to other Essendon players. Given the nature of the injury and the little time remaining in Essendon’s season, it’s unlikely that he’ll add to his tally of five AFL games this year.
That said, he has demonstrated a serious amount of goal sense in his time in the firsts, and should receive more opportunity in 2026.
Get out the slide rule
It feels like we never used to talk about how long kicks were before they were called marks. However, it seems to be a central point in a lot of games, with this one no exception. In the third quarter, Max Hall was awarded the mark on a kick that appeared to travel all of nine meters before it reached his hands.
Given how close this game was, the call and several other close calls made by the umpires are sure to be put under a magnifying glass.
Majestic Nas
Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera has been the talk of the Saints in the last few weeks. An undoubtedly talented player, Nasiah was an integral part of the Saints’ 46-point comeback against Melbourne a few weeks ago and was instrumental again against the Bombers.
This game saw both the best and the worst of the enigmatic Wanganeen-Milera. During the third quarter, he turned a relatively easy set shot at goal into a nightmare by trying to run around the man on the mark, only for his subsequent shot on the run to fall short from about 20 metres out.
However, he made up for it later in the game, taking the ball from the centre bounce and steaming forward to kick a wonderful goal for the Saints. Wanganeen-Milera was then involved in a heavy clash late in the game, where he appeared to suffer a head knock, but the midfielder played out the game.
Where he ends up in 2026 will remain a topic of discussion over the next couple of months, but this game emphasised just how important he is to the Saints.
It’s also worth pointing out that his direct opponent, Andrew McGrath, had a strong game, as well.
Sometimes maligned, McGrath collected 35 touches and laid nine tackles, so NWM certainly didn’t have things his own way, and it would be unfair to intimate he did.
Saints love a close contest
After a disappointing season, the Saints have now won their last four games in a row, starting a few weeks ago against Melbourne. While not against the best opposition, the Saints have now beaten Melbourne, North Melbourne, Richmond, and Essendon by nine points or less.
The Saints will face a tougher opponent next week and are unlikely to continue a streak, but they have still managed to get some momentum heading into the off-season.
Enough momentum to convince a couple of possible departures to recommit to the team? I’m certain good wins don’t hurt.
The run home
Due to the cancellation of their Opening Round clash, the Bombers still have two games remaining. Next week, they will face off against one of their fiercest rivals in Carlton at the MCG at the start of Round 24. The Bombers will then be involved in the final game of the home and away season against Gold Coast. While Essendon have very little to play for, the Suns’ final opponent could change depending on the result of that game.
Meanwhile, St. Kilda have one final game before it can close the book on season 2025. The Saints will face off against GWS in their last game of the season at Engie Stadium. This will be the stiffest opposition the Saints have faced since Geelong in Round 19, where they lost by 31 points.
If St. Kilda were to win, they would almost be guaranteed to finish 11th on the table, whereas a loss would still mean that results would need to go against them for them to fall. Assuming all the teams below them manage to win their remaining games, the Saints could still find themselves slipping as low as 14th.