ST KILDA coach Ross Lyon was thrilled with the performance of his star midfielder Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, going as far as saying he'd like "eight of him" on his team.

Wanganeen-Milera had game-changing moments in the Saints' two-point win over Essendon on Friday night, including a centre bounce goal on the run to give his side the lead right before three-quarter time.

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But it was a contested ball in the dying moments that stood out for Lyon. 

"I loved his 50-50 contest at the end. I think that's underrated with Nasiah, his ability to compete and halve contest. He went back with the intercept. So, yeah, just critical moments."

The contest left the star hunched over on the ground in the dying seconds of the game.

When asked about whether he was injured, Lyon played down the incident.

"Yeah, it was that 50-50 ball," he said. "But he did an (TV) interview, so I think there's no SCAT test."

In an interview with Channel Seven, the star was asked about his plans at season's end when he comes out of contract.

The 22-year-old has attracted interest from both clubs in his home state, South Australia.

"Obviously it's a decision, everybody knows about it ... I've spoken to my manager and family as well, they're included in my decision," Wanganeen-Milera said.

"I'm just focused on finishing the season off and giving my all to this football club, giving my all, playing week in, week out."

Friday night's win against Essendon made it four in a row for the Saints, but all of those wins have been decided by single-digit margins.

"I thought it was a struggle all night. I thought we, again, showed great spirit. Our fight to the end has been really strong," Lyon said.

"Disappointing first quarter. We just turned it over a lot. I thought we just overused the ball in the conditions and against their pressure.

"We lifted our intensity … we looked a bit more composed as the game went on. I thought their midfield, we struggled to handle (Sam) Durham and (Andrew) McGrath. But in the end, we found a mix that worked. 

"I thought some of our forwards were lively, like (Cooper) Sharman and (Jack) Higgins, with opportunity. I thought our leaders stood up again, like (Jack) Sinclair and Higgins and 'Nas' and (Rowan) Marshall.”

For the undermanned Bombers, Brad Scott said he was "ecstatic" with his young side's effort and intent.

"I think we've got to be careful about being, you know, sort of overly happy. I mean, we came here with a plan, we wanted to execute that plan. You can't execute any plan unless you have a really high level of effort and intent," he said.

"So that bit I'm ecstatic with. I think there's a lot to like. But we're really trying to improve parts of our game and we really did take steps forward in a lot of areas tonight. There's a lot to like in terms of the foundations of the way that we want to play."

The Bombers had to play out the second half without key defender Jayden Laverde, who was subbed out in the second term with a hip injury, adding to Essendon's long injury list.

Scott was asked how the loss of Laverde impacted the outcome of the game. The defender's direct opponent Sharman went on to kick three goals following the incident.

"Yeah, he's important for us. I mean, he's a warrior, Laverde," Scott said.

“I think he'll be OK, but he just got a nasty knee in the leg, and he just couldn't function. He doesn't concede ever, Jayden, and we conceded a goal because he couldn't run. So we just had no choice but to sub him out.

"How much of an influence did it have? Well, some influence, but we go to a defence that's made up of young guys, and they acquitted themselves really well. So it's not like we fell apart."

The Bombers played their 15th debutant for the season in 18-year-old Rhys Unwin. Scott believes the experience his young side is getting as a result of its extensive injury list is invaluable.

"We're asking a lot of first, second, third, fourth, fifth gamers to play key roles in our team. And it's really encouraging that they can execute plans, they can play really important roles, and they can do it over a long period of the game," he said.

"Because I think in this game you can see young players do – they have moments, and a lot of our young players have moments, but they fought it right out as well. So that is really pleasing."