Gold Coast v Essendon: Bombers close to finals return after huge win
Essendon has one foot in the top eight after demolishing Gold Coast. This is what needs to happen in the final round to lock in a finals appearance.
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Ben Rutten says Essendon’s best football belongs in September but is not allowing himself to dream of finals action just yet.
Essendon jumped into the top eight for just the second time in 2021 after a dominant 68-point thrashing of the Gold Coast at GMHBA Stadium on Sunday, with a Jake Stringer masterclass sinking the sorry Suns.
If the Bombers beat Collingwood next weekend they are all but assured of a finals berth — and they will take irresistible momentum into the clash with their bitter rival with four wins from their last six matches.
“My attitude is we turn up tomorrow and be as prepared as we have been. We know we are playing Collingwood, don’t have any certainty on when or where that will be just yet, but we are going to turn up and play our best footy. It’s as simple as it is at the moment,’’ he said.
“We are just really keen on finishing the year strong and our focus is really pretty narrow at the moment.’’
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Rutten always felt that the Bombers would finish with a wet sail in 2021.
“The back half of this year or the last half a dozen weeks has been really important for us. We’ve started getting a little more stability with our personnel and playing a more consistent brand of footy,’’ he said.
“That’s something we knew at the start of the season, we knew we were going to have some new players playing for us whether that be old Essendon players playing in new positions, new players who came to our club via trade and new players that we picked up through the draft.
“That takes time to build some cohesion and some consistency. That’s going to be important for us going into next week.”
Rutten paid tribute to Stringer, who finished with five goals, 19 disposals, 12 contested possessions, four clearances, five inside-50 entries, five marks and a goal assist.
“He’s been a really strong contributor for us and I think we all know what Jake can do and what he is capable of, but I’ve really just been proud of the way he has presented himself at training, particularly throughout the back half of the season, that’s been the catalyst for his more consistent form,’’ Rutten said.
“Today he hit the scoreboard, last week he didn’t hit the scoreboard at all but had a really strong performance for us, defended really hard, his pressure, his work at centre bounce was great.
“He’s having a really well-rounded impact most weeks now and that’s been important to us.”
Rutten said skipper Dyson Heppell and Andrew McGrath emerged unscathed in their comebacks from injury while the Bombers would adopt a wait-and-see approach with Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti.
Meanwhile, Gold Coast senior coach Stuart Dew described the “really disappointing” loss as an “immature performance” after the Suns failed to back up from their win over Carlton last week.
“We want to be a consistent footy club and today again showed that we’re not. It was a bit of an immature performance, we feel. We’ve got to pick ourselves up and go again,” Dew said.
“We want to finish the season with momentum, and that was as far back as 10 weeks ago. We’ve had some good wins and some poor losses. I guess that highlights our need to finish the season strong, to springboard.’’
Defender Jack Bowes had hamstring tightness post-match while Sean Lemmens was subbed out with a corked leg.
STRINGER INSPIRES GOLD COAST DEMOLITION
A Jake Stringer-inspired Essendon has one foot in the finals after blowing the Gold Coast off a windswept GMHBA Stadium with a 68-point victory on Sunday.
Stringer monstered the Suns in the middle of the ground and then terrorised them when he went forward in an imperious best-on-ground performance to lift the Bombers temporarily into the top eight with their fourth win from their past six outings.
To stay there at the end of Round 23 and play finals for the first time since 2017 — and have a shot at their first post-season win since 2004 — the Bombers only need to beat Collingwood next weekend. .
With Stringer playing some of the best football of his career, the Bombers will not die wondering.
He was the dominant figure on the ground in the first half with three goals, 10 disposals, six contested possessions, four clearances, three inside-50 entries and two marks to his name.
By the time the full-time siren sounded, he had five goals, 19 disposals, 12 contested possessions, four clearances, five inside 50 entries, five marks and a goal assist.
Four unanswered goals in the third quarter handed the Bombers a commanding 60-point lead at the last change as the Suns went goalless, with their brief period of competitiveness in the first term a distant memory.
Gold Coast was simply woeful. The effort from the win over Carlton last week was missing as they returned to the rubbish they served up against Melbourne a fortnight ago.
It was all Essendon in the second term as they kicked the first five goals of the quarter on the way to a 34-point buffer at halftime.
The ball use from the Bombers was much sharper with more handball as they ran into the wind. Stringer and Matt Guelfi kicked two goals apiece for the quarter while Alec Waterman and Sam Durham chimed in for the rampant Dons.
The only resistance from the Suns came through a goal to Brayden Fiorini as the they were unable to handle the considerable lift in intensity.
The teams were locked at 14-14 at quarter-time after a scrappy opening term when the Bombers had the stiff breeze at their backs.
The Suns got numbers back in defence to stifle Essendon’s attacking thrusts that were also hampered by Essendon kicking it too long, too often.
The Bombers kicked the first two goals of the match through Stringer and Archie Perkins but Gold Coast wrestled back the momentum, hit some targets and got their noses in front via goals to Joel Jeffrey and Josh Corbett.
STRINGER COULD BE FINALS WRECKER
Some of the teams already ensconced in the top eight will be hoping that results do not go the way of the Bombers over the next week or so. At their best, Essendon plays a brand of football that would worry any side – just ask the Bulldogs.
The fearlessness of youth and the confidence that comes with genuine momentum combined with a quality midfield and a true matchwinner like Jake Stringer would make the Bombers a tricky side to play in September.
BOMBER BUTCHERS SWITCH IT UP
Sometimes you just have to play smarter, not harder.
Essendon was guilty of butchering the ball in the first term when the Bombers bombed it long and expected the wind to do the work as the Suns picked them off with ease. But the Bombers switched their game style to more run-and-carry with plenty of handball in the second term, which left the Suns backline all at sea.
Some of the passages of play resembled a training drill with the Gold Coast defenders glorified traffic cones.
TOUK FLIES FLAG FOR SUNS
Touk Miller accumulated 30 disposals or more for the 15th-straight match.
It has been a wonderful individual campaign for the midfielder, who must be rewarded with All-Australian honours. What Stuart Dew would give for more players with his work ethic, courage and skill level.
On many levels, it has been another disappointing season from the Suns, but Miller has been a shining light. The gap between the Gold Coast’s best and worst football is still far too wide with too many quarters when they go completely missing.
FINAL ROUND FRENZY
Round 23 will be like finals come early with most games having a say in who makes the top eight or where teams will finish inside the top eight.
The top four play each other – Geelong v Melbourne and Bulldogs v Port Adelaide – while Brisbane’s clash with West Coast could decide if the Lions earn the double chance.
The Giants and Bombers will also be fighting for their lives when they take on Carlton and Collingwood respectively.
SCOREBOARD
BOMBERS: 2.2, 8.8, 12.12, 14.14 (98)
SUNS: 2.2, 3.4, 3.6, 4.6 (30)
GOALS
BOMBERS: Stringer 5, Guelfi 2, Waterman 2, Perkins, Durham, Hind, Smith, Clarke.
SUNS: Jeffrey, Corbett, Fiorini, Townsend.
GREG DAVIS’S BEST:
BOMBERS: Stringer, Parish, Merrett, Draper, Hind, Redman
SUNS: Miller, Fiorini, Anderson, Swallow
INJURIES:
BOMBERS: Nil.
SUNS: Lemmens (corked leg)
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Greg Davis’s votes:
3. Jake Stringer
2. Darcy Parish
1. Zach Merrett
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