James Ranson at Etihad Stadium
Essendon has caused one of the upsets of the season with a convincing 33-point win over a sluggish St Kilda, on a night where the one-time premiership fancy looked to be suffering a late-season meltdown.
The 16.12 (108) to 11.9 (75) win was set up by a seven-goal blitz in the first term as the Bombers thoroughly outplayed an inept St Kilda in every facet of the game.
The win was the Bombers' third consecutive over the Saints and was all the more impressive given it came without their in-from midfielder Jason Winderlich, who missed with a broken hand.
St Kilda's much vaunted defensive structures and tackling pressure looked anything but as the fleet-footed Bombers put the Saints to the sword with their willingness to link up and take on the tackler.
For Essendon, it was a spectacular performance as they racked up 434 disposals to 372 and showed the verve and run Bombers' fans had been after for weeks.
Dustin Fletcher showed again why age is no barrier, with a vintage defensive display as he rebounded superbly from defence with 24 touches, six marks and six rebound 50s.
Michael Hurley was equally impressive at the back and picked up 30 disposals and 13 marks as he roamed higher up the ground late in the game.
Brent Stanton (36) and Jobe Watson (30) provided the usual drive in the middle while second-gamer Kyle Hardingham showed promise and a springy leap again up forward, to boot two goals.
Youngster Ben Howlett (27) and Heath Hocking (30) put their hands up with ample support and run on a night of positives for the Dons.
For St Kilda, their flat, uncharacteristic display was marred with skill errors and save for Jason Gram (35 possessions and two goals), Leigh Montagna (35) and Lenny Hayes (32), the Saints could barely lay claim to a winner on the ground.
Nick Riewoldt, lining up on Cale Hooker, provided a lone hand for St Kilda up forward from very little supply.
His lack of output (two goals from 19 touches) was more about the Saints' impotency rather than his ineffectiveness on the night.
Interestingly, the Bombers went into the clash as the only side to have defeated St Kilda in 2009 and 2010.
The match pitted the league's best defence in St Kilda's against the worst, in what was a battle of two vastly contrasting styles.
The Bombers had conceded an average of 125 points a game in the past six and were playing against a side that certainly didn't allow goals to come easily.
Early on, Essendon's mosquito fleet hunted the bigger bodied Saints in packs.
If Nick Riewoldt's opening goal for the Saints looked like a bad omen for the Bombers, it turned out to be anything but.
Essendon's stifling pressure soon took its toll on a sluggish Saints side that seemed convinced merely turning up would guarantee the four points.
The Bombers on the other hand were slick, particularly by hand, and when Jason Gram's kick in hope out of defence found Mark McVeigh all on his own fifty metres out, the margin was soon out to 16 points.
Consecutive goals to David Hille, Angus Monfries (with his second) and Jay Neagle in the first term made it seven on the trot for the Bombers, and staggeringly, the lead was out to six goals at the break.
It was all Essendon as they racked up