Now things are getting serious.

St Kilda, the grand finalists of the past two seasons, are winless after three rounds. And, worse than that, they are looking slow and one-dimensional, their play devoid of any flair.

Essendon took it up to them at Etihad Stadium on Sunday in a way that exposed the Saints' stolid, worthy, yeomanlike style of play. Their forward movements inched forward painstakingly, the fluency all but gone from their systems.

James Hird's troops, by contrast, played with a verve and joy. Whenever they intercepted a St Kilda attack and turned the ball over, whoosh, it was whisked down the other end in the blink of an eye. Some passages were simply breathtaking.

At one stage in the middle of the second quarter, after St Kilda's David Armitage had missed a goal from 35 metres out, Mark McVeigh quickly took the kick in, bravely went up the middle where he found Cale Hooker. The big defender moved the ball forward without hesitation, found his skipper Jobe Watson who got the ball on to Paddy Ryder who handballed to Michael Hurley for an exhilarating goal. The move, which took about 16 seconds, was a thing of beauty.

The Bombers kicked eight goals in the first quarter and had notched 13.4 by half-time, a score notable for the fact that St Kilda was its opposition and also how accurate they were. The reason for this was simple: because their teammates moved the ball with such speed and precision, Essendon players were repeatedly having shots from close range, straight in front.

Up in the radio commentary box, former Essendon coach Matthew Knights - deposed late last year in a coup that delivered Hird to the club - could not disguise his admiration for the team he once led. He said the difference between the two teams was glaring: Essendon used brisk ball movement, a lot of run and link-up handball. St Kilda was more about waiting, finding a free player and gaining yardage that way.

Essendon also had myriad avenues to goal, with seven goalkickers in the first half and 10 in total. The Saints, meanwhile, relied heavily on Nick Riewoldt, Stephen Milne, Ryan Gamble and others. Gamble, the former Geelong man was woeful, and substituted in the third quarter. Milne was not a whole lot better while Riewoldt, in his 200th game, at least presented a target up forward until he hit his head on the ground, had to go off, and was never quite the same after that.

The Bombers' score of 21.10 (136) was the highest conceded by St Kilda for almost three years, since Brisbane hammered 21.15 (141) past them in Round 9, 2008.

To give you an idea of how miserly, and thoroughly effective, the Saints' defence has been in the past two seasons, consider that of the 53 games the club has played since Round 1, 2009, only five times has the opposition reached triple figures.

That figure is in danger of blowing out considerably this season unless coach Ross Lyon can get his players to re-commit to the club philosophy of individualism being sacrificed for the greater team good.

Brendon Goddard typified the Saints' problems. He's had, by his standards, a lacklustre start to the season and, today, Jobe Watson had the better of him when the Bombers' captain moved forward - and kicked three goals. Watson would drag Goddard back to the goalsquare, nullifying the influence of the Saints' playmaker.

When, late in the second term, Goddard was moved to the other end of the ground, to mind Dustin Fletcher, the Saint was gifted a free-kick 15 metres in goal. Inexplicably, he missed the set shot. He looks out of sorts.

Key onballer Lenny Hayes was missing with a season-ending injury, of course, but for all of Hayes' undoubted qualities, pace and precision ball movement are not among them. That's what the Saints are missing; not valiant footsoldiers who'd dive on a grenade.

It's true, there are 19 rounds to go and it's also true that many teams have begun the season in worse shape than the Saints, yet gone on to play meaningful roles in the finals. But the signs are worrying; the vibe among the players strangely downbeat. Whether or not that's the fallout from the summer of discontent: the nude photos, the 'St Kilda schoolgirl' saga, the disastrous New Zealand trip, the Ricky Nixon episode, or a combination of all the above, who can really say?

The Saints get a chance to lick their wounds during a bye next weekend, then a fixture against Brisbane at the Gabba in Round 5 ought to give them win No.1. But then they meet Carlton then Hawthorn, and that's when we'll discover whether this start to the season is just a hiccup, or something far more serious.