It was about halfway through the second quarter, and St Kilda was just six points clear of an Essendon team they had taken care of much more comfortably back in round nine.

Riewoldt was leading hard and fast for the ball – Patrick Ambrose trailing by a step or two – when Seb Ross steered a neat pass towards him from just outside the 50-metre line.

Riewoldt takes these marks. He takes them all the time. He takes them every week, which is probably why four Essendon players paused, as if already starting to set up for his shot.

Then, Ambrose got a hand to the ball. Riewoldt couldn't quite hold onto the mark. The Saints' skipper did keep his feet, though, and wound up with the ball more securely in his hands.

When he looked up towards goal he saw a teammate running towards the top of the goal square. It was Ross, who had presumed nothing, while everyone around him stopped.

His goal put St Kilda two goals clear, and said a little about what had happened, for a St Kilda team that hung around for as long as it needed to even when things weren't going well.

And for an Essendon side that could – should, would – have taken those most important last few steps.

The Bombers played with pluck, all game. They ran, they handballed, they took chances, and while they made mistakes they didn't seem too paranoid about trying again.

They didn't let St Kilda get away in the first half, finishing 10 points behind with plenty of optimism for more after the long break.

There was Zach Merrett's persistence and poise. Darcy Parish's over-the-shoulder snap and general get-up-and-go.

Michael Hartley's willingness to go for marks in defence, saving goal after goal, was another plus. Marty Gleeson's confidence, too.

Orazio Fantasia got a piece of play moving from half-back with a deft handball, then was the one to kick inside 50 after zooming through the middle.

He was totally unpredictable – but energetic and even more, exciting.

Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti got a break from the backline, had 12 possessions, laid three tackles, kicked a goal and notched up four inside-50s in his brand new life as a forward.

The good thing for the Saints was that they were the team in front, without having to do anything too outlandish, or stretch themselves particularly far.

They had players winning the ball when it mattered, and when they needed to slow Essendon down: Jack Steven, David Armitage, Jack Newnes, Leigh Montagna, Ross.

When Essendon made a mistake or turned the ball over, as their one-handball-too-many play occasionally brought about, they were generally able to take the ball back and find a way to score.

The positive for them, really, was in what had not happened: Josh Bruce had been kept to one point, Tim Membrey one goal from five kicks, and Riewoldt to one goal.

They had some work to do however, and that's when things got even more interesting.

Essendon's urgency increased dramatically at the start of the third quarter.

They moved the ball even more quickly, they kicked the ball long, they flew for pack marks and dragged a few of them in, though neither Sam Michael nor Joe Daniher were able to finish off.

Fantasia scored his second goal on the run and Jayden Laverde ran Shane Savage down in the best and worst possible spot – the top of the goal square – and put his side in front 10 minutes in.

The Saints needed to find a way back. And they did. They scored two quick goals to regain the lead, moving the ball to better spots and finding space against opponents who had been very good at containing them in one-on-one situations.

They slowed the pace of the game, from helter-skelter down to mere helter. They scored a third goal in a row, to get their lead back to where it was.

They made Essendon chase them once more. The Dons made mistakes, and they were able to make them pay.

They got the ball more often to Membrey, in one-on-one situations, and he made his shots for goal count.

Daniher and McDonald-Tipungwuti teamed up – twice – to keep the Bombers in it but for all that effort, the red and black whirlwind gained them just one point. The missed shots cost them, and continued to cost them throughout the last term.

A Mitch Brown snap levelled the scores halfway through, after he had missed a much simpler set shot. Daniher almost headbutted the roof taking a mark, but sprayed his set shot wide.

Essendon got close again, then led again. They did much of the eye-catching, they shook the game up, they had all the chances they needed to win it, and then one or more.

St Kilda kept holding on though, under extreme heat. They forced the ball forward. They scrounged one goal through the reasonably quiet Mav Weller in the goal square and they held the Bombers further back when he snapped another, over his shoulder and still against the flow.

They finally felt safe enough when Jack Steven completed a near-perfect quarter to score his first.

He had twelve clearances for the game. Twelve. Five in that last term. He insisted that his team hold on.

The Saints weren't the flasher side, or the most exciting. But they were something much more important: the winning one.

St Kildas were able to take those last few steps, the one able to play until the end, and finish their work off.