ST KILDA has returned to the winners list for the first time since its stunning season opener triumph over Adelaide, dispatching a battered and bruised Essendon by 52 points at Windy Hill with thanks to a show-stopping, three-goal haul from Jesse Wardlaw in her 75th game.

The Saints exploded onto the scene with a three-goal opening term – which almost went unanswered before Sophie Alexander put through a much-needed major on the siren – to fly in the face of their past three weeks, keeping Essendon to just one goal for the game to bank the win 1.2 (8) to 9.6 (60).

BOMBERS v SAINTS Full match coverage and stats

Although buoyed by the return of Bonnie Toogood through suspension, the Bombers were dealt two early injury blows to Jess Verbrugge (ankle) and Georgia Gee (neck) before quarter-time which sapped away their strength as the Saints ultimately flourished with fresher legs.

Wardlaw’s 21 disposals and three goals arguably took top billing, however the class of Ash Richards (19 disposals, two goals), grunt of Tyanna Smith (21 disposals, eight tackles) and superb defensive shutdown from Paige Trudgeon on Toogood were all pivotal as Nick Dal Santo’s side got its season back on the rails after a testing few weeks.

Steph Wales (24 hit-outs, 10 tackles) battled gallantly in her second game back from an ACL injury to lead her side’s charge alongside Steph Cain (23 disposals) and Madison Prespakis (22), yet the sharp Saints couldn’t be curbed.

Right from the first bounce, St Kilda’s ferocity was evident. As the tackling pressure and intensity in tight driven by the likes of Smith, a trademark Jaimee Lambert (26 disposals, nine tackles) – who may come under MRO scrutiny after a crunching tackle on Toogood late in the game – and Hannah Priest (two goals) came to the fore, the goals, a scarcity for the Saints over the past few weeks, came flowing in.

Richards’ game only got better after she fired through the first of the afternoon in the game’s initial minutes, while Wardlaw provided her side with an early spark with a brilliant goal on the run to celebrate her milestone match in style.

It wasn’t just aggression getting it done for the Saints. Their measured ball use and connection across the ground bypassed Essendon’s structure behind the ball on multiple occasions, allowing them to stream into attack and put the Bombers backline under duress.

As the match descended into more of a grind, Essendon’s patience wore thin. Hurried shots at goal and several missed opportunities which sailed out on the full in the swirling conditions had the Bombers without a score to their name in the second term.

Frustrations reached a tipping point when Georgia Patrikios was marched to the goal-line off the back of a 50m penalty to push the margin out beyond three goals, and salt was rubbed into the wound as Richards’ brilliant buzzer-beater on the boundary put her side ahead by 26 points at the main break.

Ill-discipline from the Bombers again reared its head to feed Wardlaw her third goal via a 50m penalty to open scoring in the third quarter, and it wasn’t long before she again hit the scoreboard to land a demoralising blow to the beleaguered Bombers.

Toogood was moved on-ball in an attempt to rev up Essendon’s engine room, but it was too little, too late as ex-Bomber Amber Clarke fired through a late major to put the cherry on top of an emphatic win away from home.

Where, oh where, to play Wardlaw?
There’s been no question as to Jesse Wardlaw’s stardom across the competition, but exactly where to play the star Saint has been a conundrum for Nick Dal Santo over the past few seasons. Recruited to the club as an All-Australian key forward, Wardlaw dominated in the position last season, yet also added an unexpected string to her bow with pinch-hitting roles in the ruck. Those cameos became more permanent, and to promising effect, however the consequence meant the Saints were often starved of a tall target when transitioning into attack. Today in her 75th game, Wardlaw’s impact up forward (three goals, 21 disposals) and presence coming out of the arc (six marks) were a particular highlight as Dal Santo and the Saints opted for Bec Ott and inclusion Rene Caris for ruck duties to allow their forward counterpart to thrive. Today’s success certainly doesn’t mean putting a line through Wardlaw’s ruck role, but it’s more food for thought for Dal Santo as the Saints look to continue their march. If only there were two of her.

Lack of discipline costs Dons
It was a tough day at the office for Natalie Wood’s side through injury and the ferocity of their opposition, however the Dons senior coach will be hoping to tidy up some of her side’s discipline as they eye off a prospective finals campaign. Essendon gave away multiple 50m penalties throughout the course of the afternoon, with two resulting in majors to Georgia Patrikios and Jesse Wardlaw, which both came at times were the Saints’ resolve was being tested. Speaking to Fox Footy at three-quarter time, Wood focused her address on getting a positive response from her side while under duress, which Essendon certainly took in their stride with a much-improved close to the game. Interestingly, last year’s feisty clash between the Saints and Bombers at Windy Hill was also complete with several 50m penalties against the latter which turned the tide in the low-scoring scrap.

Up next
Essendon will head west to Fremantle next Saturday to Fremantle Community Bank Oval on Saturday in the hopes of avoiding three consecutive losses. Meanwhile, St Kilda will return home to RSEA Park on Sunday as it comes up against Richmond, who remain in the hunt for a first-up win for 2025.

ESSENDON         1.0         1.0         1.0         1.2 (8)
ST KILDA            3.2         5.2         7.3         9.6 (60)

GOALS
Essendon: Alexander
St Kilda: Wardlaw 3, Richards 2, Priest 2, Patrikios, Clarke

BEST
Essendon: Wales, Nanscawen, Prespakis, Cain, MacLachlan
St Kilda: Wardlaw, Richards, Lambert, Trudgeon, Smith, Priest, Watson

INJURIES
Essendon: Verbrugge (ankle), Gee (neck)
St Kilda: Nil

Crowd: 2640 at Windy Hill