St Kilda demolished Essendon by 53 points, 17.6 (108) to 8.7 (55), in a horror show by the Bombers that left their finals hopes in tatters.
The Saints broke the game open in the third term with seven goals from which Brad Scott's side could not recover as questions loomed after Essendon's poor performance.
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Saint Rowan Marshall (26 disposals, 10 points, 30 hit-outs, one goal) had his fingers all over the place, Jack Steele, Cooper Sharman and Anthony Caminiti each kicked three goals.
It marked the third straight loss for the 10-1-7 Bombers, with their finals hopes now on a thread, at risk of going beyond 11 end of round waiting for another answer.
Meanwhile, the Saints have won three of their last four games to improve to 7-11 and have emerged as a very dangerous team for playoff contenders.
A season full of promise for Essendon, including a top four prospect, suddenly saw the Bombers under threat of missing out on finals.
It was a must-win game for the Bombers, but they failed the test in a big way.
And perhaps most disappointing was the manner in which the Bombers were defeated, dismantled by the Saints in that crucial third period of seven games.
“I think Ross Lyon said after last week 'we might not make the finals, but we'll enjoy being the Grinch',” said Demons boss Garry Lyon.
“Right now it puts the Bombers and their supporters in a world of pain.”
Of course, Essendon faded last year at the end of the season, dropping five of their last eight games to drop out of the top eight.
So does history repeat itself?
It's ahead of a tough run, where the Bombers will face Fremantle (MCG), Gold Coast (Marvel Stadium), Sydney (Marvel Stadium) and Brisbane (Gabba) in a time where we'll learn a lot about Scott's man.
“If Brad Scott called last week gory, this was a horror performance in all new parts for Bombers fans,” Fox Footy's Sarah Jones said at three-quarter time.
“Forget the finals, if you look at the home runs, it's hard to see them winning any game based on the form they're showing at the moment.
“With the big money for today, there will be a lot of Essendon fans here at Marvel Stadium.”
Originally published Essendon's AFL dreams dashed in St Kilda 'horror show'
