“Massive failure”: Huge Saints loss has Dons facing big list questions

Kane Cornes thinks that Essendon shouldn’t be worrying about playing finals footy after their 108-55 loss to St Kilda at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.

The Dons, who are still eighth for now, were heavily favoured against the then 15th-placed Saints but were no match for Ross Lyon’s side, particularly in the second half when they shipped 10 goals while scoring just three.

The huge loss came despite the Dons having more clearances (43-46) and clearances than the Saints (29-32) with the defeat caused by a lack of pressure and allowing their opposition to take uncontested marks at will.

The loss was Essendon’s sixth defeat from their past eight games and he described their post-bye capitulation as a massive failure from where they were previously with both finals and top-four hopes.

With their season slipping away, Cornes thinks that Essendon must be thinking about where their list is at instead of playing finals with some list calls set to surround some of their big-name players.

“It’s a massive failure from where they have been,” Cornes said on AFL.com.au's The Round So Far.

“I thought win a final and it’d be a pass mark, others had higher expectations but that’s near on impossible. They’re not going to start favourites in any of their remaining games with the way that they’re playing.

“So, make some decisions about your list. What are you doing with Darcy Parish? Why is he playing in this side?

“I don’t know if he’s in there when he’s fully fit, let alone half fit. He had no clearances and was ineffective.

“What are they doing with Draper? He was absolutely torched by Rowan Marshall today.

“Are they re-signing Stringer? What are they going to do there? 

“Is there serious interest in other players, like with Peter Wright, what are they going to do?

“They’ve got some serious questions facing them over the next four months.”

While the Dons still sit inside the eight for now, Cornes is certain that they won’t be breaking their drought of not having won a final since 2004 given their current form.

Instead, he thinks that all of their energy must go into improving their list to ensure they can clear that hurdle in 2025.

“Now it is unfortunately not about playing finals and winning a final,” Cornes said.

“It’s about what decisions are they going to make at the end of the year to clear the hurdle that they haven’t been able to jump.”

The Dons will be desperate to bounce back next Sunday against Fremantle at the MCG while the Saints host the resurgent Lions at Marvel Stadium on the same day.