IT WAS a result that few would have seen coming given recent form, but St Kilda got back on the winner’s list with a comprehensive 9.6 (60) to 1.2 (8) victory over Essendon on the weekend. The Saints piled on the first three goals of the contest, and while the Bombers responded late in the first term, only kicked two behinds to the Saints’ 6.4 (40) in the last three quarters.

St Kilda coach Nick Dal Santo has been frustrated with his side getting smacked around the contest, but taking on the Bombers, the Saints matched them, with statistics suggesting the teams were evenly match in midfield. Fortunately for the visitors, they had eight less turnovers (63-71) and critically 17 more inside 50s (46-29) to really deny the Bombers any chance of kicking a winning score.

Dal Santo said he was “really pleased” with the win, and the playing group was well aware of how much of a challenge travelling to Windy Hill would be to take on an Essendon side that was 3-1 for the year and regaining skipper Bonnie Toogood.

“We came here knowing that the Bombers had been a really good team, we really respected their first month of football, we knew it would be a big challenge, they obviously bring back their captain in Bonnie today as well so we had to be up for the fight, and this ground is often challenging given the wind,” Dal Santo said.

“I thought we handled ourselves really well, and even in the phases of the game when we didn’t have full control, I thought we showed lots of grit just to hold up really strongly, particularly in defence, and just being able to manage moments and then being able to manage the scoreboard in our favour which we haven’t been able to do this season consistently.”

On Toogood, Saints defender Paige Trudgeon did a great job in quelling the Bombers’ skipper, with the key forward finishing with 13 disposals, four marks and seven tackles, but most critically, not having a score involvement.

“I thought she was really good,” Dal Santo said. “I think she’s a young, developing key defender. “I think she’s got some really high level qualities which you probably saw today. “She’s like a lot of our players with growth and upside and we’ll continue to work with her and help her in all of those areas, but if nothing else, she’s a great competitor and I thought she competed really strongly today.”

Given the Saints’ recent form, it was important the visitors started well against what could have been a vocal home crowd at Essendon’s spiritual home of Windy Hill. Dal Santo said though it was a focus, that is an element that is always a focus, regardless of the venue or opposition.

“It’s always nice to try and shop early and cash in,” he said. “It was lovely to put a little bit of scoreboard pressure on the opposition which we probably haven’t done as much as we would have loved to this season. “We kicked three in the first quarter, I was disappointed in giving that goal up to the Bombers after the siren at quarter time, but that’s also football. we made a couple of little errors that we need to tidy up, but we scored early and then I thought we progressed with that.

“Probably would like to score a little bit more, and we’ll work through the inside 50s and how we get conversion, but I can’t be too greedy, I was really pleased with our contest and thought our ball movement was better.”

St Kilda has a strong chance to go back-to-back and even its 2025 season ledger when it hosts the winless, last placed Richmond at RSEA Park on Sunday, while Essendon heads west to tackle Fremantle in a bid to snap its two-game losing streak, both of which came at home.