SOMETIMES, the big-ticket items are enough in themselves to get you over the line. Like a 60-metre, on-the-run torpedo goal from Dustin Fletcher.

Other times, teams can grind out a win with little things making the difference, like a defensive tackle by Alwyn Davey, who ran down James Gwilt in the last quarter when the momentum had shifted and St Kilda started to surge.

The turnover spilled to Matthew Lloyd, who drilled a 40-metre goal that opened the floodgates and helped the Bombers swamp the Saints by 31 points, the margin midway through the quarter stretching to 40.

But when you have both the big and the small — in both the magnitude of the act and the stature of players — aligning, the result is all the more impressive.

From a slow and low-scoring start, with only three goals scored in the first term, Essendon leapt ahead in the second with a six goal-to-two effort.

Nick Riewoldt, being manned up by Fletcher, was covering plenty of ground up forward beside Justin Koschitzke and the Saints' size and athleticism looked as if it could be decisive. Brendon Goddard was playing as a loose man in defence and doing more to rebound St Kilda than Essendon youngster Patrick Ryder, who was playing the same role at the other end.

But come the start of the second, Ryder pushed forward from half-back and broke the shackles with a fine goal that was followed by a Davey conversion from a set shot — after Xavier Clarke's knee connected with his head as they fought for a ground ball. The Bombers were in front for the first time.

Stephen Milne gave the lead back to the Saints with a goal from the centre bounce, but Davey again did the hard yards and laid a tackle on Goddard that led to the ball spilling and, via a Lloyd pass, finish in the hands of Scott Lucas. Lucas kicked his second of three goals and the Bombers were not headed again.

Without the suspended Fraser Gehrig, the Saints struggled to find a passage to goal as Adam McPhee closed up the arc, but much of their trouble was getting the ball inside 50.

Robert Harvey's running belied his 35 years. The veteran showed again that he would have strong dibs on the title of the hardest worker in the competition. But around him, his teammates, in the words of coach Ross Lyon, found new ways to "butcher the ball", which had much to do with the pressure the Bombers put them under.

With Lucas and Lloyd again combining well up forward, bookending Mal Michael and Fletcher at the other, the small brigade around them mopped up well whenever the ball hit the deck.

Angus Monfries is starting to prove a real handful for opponents. He was one of many Bombers who made sound decisions and found the intended targets.

Fletcher was wearing Riewoldt like a glove; Mark McVeigh was fierce and fiery (a finger gesture to the crowd in the last quarter might find him lighter in the wallet); Andrew Lovett was creative and elusive up forward, although so was his accuracy. Three straight-forward misses in a row brought a worrying sweat to Bomber brows.

Damien Peverill usually mans up on a tough opponent and, as a result, often slips under their guard. He did so again in the last quarter when he and Brent Stanton put on a clinic.

The pair constantly set up teammates with their hard running and joined the party themselves when Peverill ran off half-back and kicked down the wing to Stanton, who drilled a goal. By that stage the margin was 40 points and the Saints fans were heading for the early train.

The Dons have a tough short turnaround playing Collingwood on Wednesday, while the Saints next face a tricky journey to Port Adelaide.

ESSENDON 1.2  7.3  11.8  15.9  (99)
ST KILDA 2.4  4.6  7.9  9.14  (68)
GOALS Essendon: Lloyd 3, Lucas 3, Monfries, Peverill, Lovett,
Slattery, Stanton, Laycock,  Davey, Ryder, Fletcher. St Kilda: Riewoldt 4, Milne 3, Blake, Harvey.
BEST Essendon: Peverill, Stanton, Davey, McPhee, Lovett, Fletcher. St Kilda: Harvey, Hayes, Goddard, Riewoldt, Blake, Gram.
INJURIES Essendon: Winderlich (hamstring) replaced in selected side by  Johns. Hille (chest), Jetta (groin). St Kilda: Brooks (hamstring) replaced in selected side by Gwilt. SFisher (hamstring).
UMPIRES Kennedy, M Nicholls, Jeffery.
CROWD 47,605 at Telstra Dome.