‘Never seen this’: Bombers called out over ‘really strange’ implosion

Essendon has the footy world scratching its head with even coach Brad Scott flummoxed by one aspect of his team’s loss to Carlton.

Gonna be a ling week. Photo by Josh Chadwick/Getty Images.

Essendon has the footy world scratching its head over how they were so convincingly beaten by the Blues on Sunday night.

The highly anticipated showdown between the soaring sides ended with the Blues emerging as the clear challenger to the Swans for the 2024 premiership, while doubts have been cast over the Bombers’ legitimacy as flag contenders.

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Even Bombers coach Brad Scott admits he was unable to explain how his team had such a dominance in forward fifty entries — without anything to show for it on the scoreboard.

The Bombers were wasteful in front of goal, booting 9.16 (70) to Carlton’s 15.6 (96), but that doesn’t tell the whole story with the Dons finishing the game with 61 forward fifty entries compared to Carlton’s 40.

Gonna be a ling week. Photo by Josh Chadwick/Getty Images.

Footy legend Leigh Matthews said it was “amazing” to see a team lose with those numbers.

“They’re very strange numbers when we know Essendon had 61 inside fifties for only nine goals,” he said on Channel 9.

“And Carlton only had 40, but kicked 15 goals. That is just an amazing set of numbers.”

Essendon more than doubled the Blues in the third term but couldn’t force any significant scoreboard pressure.

Peter Wright and Kyle Langford had little impact, both failing to kick goals, while Jake Stringer kicked just one major.

Scott was equally as perplexed by the stat.

“We certainly dominated parts without converting on the scoreboard,” he said.

“You don’t need me to reel off all the stats, you can look at those yourself, but some of those numbers I have never seen in a loss.

“That’s on us, it’s two weeks in a row we’ve been really poor converting our opportunities forward of centre.

Todd Goldstein of the Bombers and Tom De Koning of the Blues. Photo by Josh Chadwick/Getty Images.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do on that but I sit here at roughly the mid-point of the season thinking the foundation of what we’re doing is something to build on.”

Former Geelong star Josh Jenkins also said on SEN on Monday morning: “Some of the key metrics were weirdly in favour of Essendon, but when you were watching the game, it clearly looked like Carlton were in control”.

Aside from a brief period in the third quarter, the Blues were in total control of the match from the first siren.

The Dons, led by Nic Martin shifting forward, closed within three goals but the Blues flexed their muscles with four goals in quick time to start the fourth quarter.

Essendon now has losses to top-eight contenders Sydney, Port Adelaide, Gold Coast and Carlton, as well as a draw to Collingwood on Anzac Day.

Impressively for the Blues, they kicked 96 points with spearheads Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay combining for just three goals.

Carlton has a chance to edge closer to cementing a top-two finish when it takes on Geelong after the bye while Essendon hosts a Harley Reid-less West Coast in a fortnight.

— with NCA NewsWire

Originally published as ‘Never seen this’: Bombers called out over ‘really strange’ implosion