Practice Match Reality Check: Saints Expose the Gaps | First Thoughts (Public Episode)
Our unbeaten pre-season run is over.
In our final hit-out before Round 1, Essendon went down to St Kilda in Ballarat and this one gave us a much clearer picture of where the side is really at.
Normally, First Thoughts is exclusive to our Patreon community. But as promised for pre-season, we’re releasing this one publicly.
In this episode we cover:
❌ The Concerns
A passive midfield beaten at centre bounce (9–18 clearances)
Poor use of the spare at stoppage
Zach Merrett behind the ball – lesson learned?
An eight-minute third-quarter lapse that broke the game open
✅ The Positives
Aggressive…
The skinny
The skinny isn't ready yet — notes appear once the transcript is processed.