The 2025 AFL season's Round 23 match sees the Essendon Bombers face off against the St. Kilda Saints in a Friday night clash at the Marvel Stadium.
Essendon captain Zach Merrett was set to play his 250th AFL game but has now been ruled out of the Saints clash with a broken hand. The injury happened during the Bombers' 44-point defeat in the last match against the Geelong Cats.
The Bombers are currently in the midst of some of the worst patches of form, sitting 15th, having also lost all their past five matches -- only the bottom-two placed Kangaroos and West Coast share a similarly poor record.
Essendon may also be without veteran Dylan Shiel, who faces a possible suspension for shoving Geelong’s Mark O'Connor. The shove caused O'Connor to collide mid-air with Bombers' Luaman Lual. Although Lual escaped unscathed, Shiel’s action put his own teammate at risk of injury.
Meanwhile, St. Kilda, although out of the finals race, have won three straight matches -- all against teams below them on the ladder (North Melbourne, Demons and Richmond).
In their latest, hard-fought 56-52 win over the Tigers, forward Jack Higgins celebrated his 100th game for St Kilda by scoring his 200th career goal -- and he did it against his former club. He's enjoying a career-best season and extended his 2025 goal tally to 43.
The Sporting News looks at the key details ahead of this game, including how to watch the match, kickoff times, and the latest lineup news.
Essendon vs. St Kilda free live stream, free-to-air channel
- Live Stream: Kayo, Foxtel, Seven Plus
- TV Channel: Fox Footy
- Free-to-air: Seven Mate
Kayo Sports, 7 Plus and Foxtel are providing both live and catch-up coverage of Friday's match. The clash will also be available on TV in Australia via Fox Footy and the free-to-air channel on 7 Mate.
Fans can stream Essendon vs. St Kilda on Kayo, which is currently offering a free trial for new subscribers, so you can essentially watch this game and others this week for free. The match will also be streamed on the AFL website.
Essendon vs. St Kilda start time
- Date: Friday, August 15, 2025
- Start Time: 7:20 p.m. AEST
- Venue & Location: Marvel Stadium
The AFL Round 23 game between Essendon Bombers and St Kilda Saints will be played on Friday, August 15, at the Marvel Stadium in Melbourne.
Here's how that kick-off time translates to the various Australian time zones:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| Australian Eastern Standard Time | Fri, Aug. 15 | 7:20 p.m. |
| Australian Central Standard Time | Fri, Aug. 15 | 6:50 p.m. |
| Australian Western Standard Time | Fri, Aug. 15 | 5:20 p.m. |
AFL 2025 fixture schedule this week
Friday, August 15
| Fixture | Venue | Time (AEST) | TV/Livestream |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essendon vs. St. Kilda | Marvel Stadium | 7:20 p.m. | Seven, Fox/Kayo, Binge |
| Fremantle vs. Brisbane | Optus Stadium | 8:20 p.m. | Fox Sports 3/Kayo, Binge |
Saturday, August 16
| Fixture | Venue | Time (AEST) | TV/Stream |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Coast vs. GWS Giants | People First Stadium | 12:35 p.m. | Channel 7, Fox Sports 3/ Kayo |
| Carlton vs. Port Adelaide | Marvel Stadium | 1:20 p.m. | Fox /Kayo |
| Hawthorn vs. Melbourne | MCG | 4:15 p.m. | Fox/Kayo |
| Adelaide vs. Collingwood | Adelaide Oval | 7:35 p.m. | Fox/Kayo |
Sunday, August 17
| Fixture | Venue | Time (AEST) | TV/Stream |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Melbourne vs. Richmond | Ninja Stadium | 1:10 p.m. | Fox/Kayo |
| Sydney vs. Geelong | SCG | 3:15 p.m. | Seven, Fox Sports 3/Kayo |
| Bulldogs vs. West Coast | Marvel Stadium | 4:40 p.m. | Fox/Kayo |