AFL Essendon v West Coast: Bombers make it three as Darcy Parish reveals his future plans
Essendon young gun Darcy Parish has declared he’s not going anywhere – and his signature may be enough to convince a star teammate to stay at Bomberland.
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Star Bomber Zach Merrett’s brilliant form and unrelenting passion for the club have heightened chief executive Xavier Campbell’s belief he will remain at Tullamarine.
Merrett and breakout midfielder Darcy Parish are Essendon’s top re-signing priorities and both are putting together excellent seasons to the halfway point.
“I think the boys are going pretty well. It’s hard to judge them on anything but their application, both on field and off field,” Campbell told SEN.
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“I see a bit of it, but listening to Josh (Mahoney) and Ben (Rutten) talk about Zach’s elite mindset and what he brings to the group; he’s been a big part of the growth in the first part of this year – and Darcy’s the same.
“It’s been clear to see him come on, so you can only judge them on that and I think when things are going well like that, and the intent and effort is there from the boys, the rest takes care of itself.
“I feel pretty confident but that’s up to Josh and Adrian (Dodoro) to work through over the coming weeks.”
Merrett’s situation is of greatest interest, given he’s a restricted free agent, rival clubs were circling last year and he told the Herald Sun this month “I haven’t made my mind up yet”.
The 25-year-old also said he wanted to see more stability from the Bombers, who have walked from one controversy to the next in his eight seasons there.
“It’s hard to have a problem with someone when they’re being honest, and that’s the only way Zach knows it – he’s a straight shooter,” Campbell said of Merrett’s comments to the Herald Sun.
“It wasn’t surprising, because they’re the same discussions he’s had with all of us at different points over the last few months, so none of us had an issue with that at all.
“Zach’s been fantastic for us this year and I feel very confident he’s going to be part of our future.”
A big part of Campbell’s confidence, he said, was because he had “never seen” Merrett’s passion so “high” for Essendon.
Only this weekend, Parish pledged his future to the club in a huge show of faith about the Bombers’ direction under Rutten.
Moments after the club’s victory over West Coast pushed them into the eight for a day, Parish made clear he wasn’t going anywhere.
Parish had been keen to assess if he was to be handed more midfield time before he signed, with clubs including Geelong circling the Winchelsea junior star.
Parish has averaged 35 disposals, nine clearances and 8.5 score involvements in the past six weeks, handed more responsibility when Dylan Shiel was injured.
He said he was determined to sign with the club given its improvement and his own role.
“For me it was just about playing footy and playing my role for this club,” he told ABC Radio.
“The contract talks will take care of themselves. I haven’t really been talking too much about it and playing my role but I am sure it will all happen. I love this club and love these people here and it will all take care of itself hopefully.”
Zach Merrett’s decision on re-signing as a restricted free agent is surely easier given the club’s cultural and tactical improvements.
Four-time Hawthorn premiership star Jordan Lewis said on Fox Footy he believed Merrett should sign up immediately as a show of leadership in the club’s direction.
“He should sign up now,” he said.
“The decision that he’s got to ask himself is he is 25 years of age, what does he want out of the rest of his career?
“If he leaves this Essendon side and I bet your bottom dollar that when they start to play finals and whatever side he goes to aren’t playing finals, he’ll regret the decision.
“If I’m Zach Merrett, he knows the figures that are on the table, I’d be signing on the dotted line as soon as possible.
“They’re the most watchable side in the competition at the moment, they’ve got great youth, he’s playing fantastic football alongside Darcy Parish, I cannot see a reason why he would leave that footy club.”
THREE IN A ROW IN DONS’ INCREDIBLE FIGHTBACK
– Brad Elborough
Maybe the season really has turned around for Essendon.
The Bombers turned around a 29-point deficit to upset West Coast by 16 points at Optus Stadium on Saturday night.
In doing so, they won their third consecutive game, for the first time under coach Ben Rutten. They go into Sunday inside the top eight.
It took Jake Stringer a while to get into the game, but his two final-term goals were crucial.
But former Eagle, Alec Waterman, cruelly kicked the goal with six minutes to go to put his new side 15 points ahead and cement the 12.14 (86) to 11.5 (71) victory.
Earlier in the season, the Bombers lost three games by less than a goal, to Hawthorn, Sydney and Greater Western Sydney.
However, they found a way against Fremantle in Round 9, the first victory of their current streak. And after they looked gone against West Coast, they piled on seven of the last eight goals of the game for a famous victory.
THIRD QUARTER TURNAROUND
Known as the premiership quarter, the third term has not been a strength for Essendon this season.
Going into this game, they had lost eight of 10 third term, including the past six.
So when they trailed West Coast by 17 points at the main break, the Bombers looked in trouble.
When Josh Kennedy kicked the first goal after the main break, his third, and the margin blew out to 25 points, the threat of floodgates opening was real.
And those floodgates did open, with the Bombers kicking the last four goals of the term.
Darcy Parish and Zach Merrett’s good work in the midfield started to reap rewards.
Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti started getting busy in attack and when Stringer knocked one through from the boundary line from a set shot, the margin fell back into single figures.
Nik Cox failed to kick his second goal for the term, just before the siren, leaving the margin at three points at the final break.
ONE IN, TWO OUT
The Eagles missed two of their stars in the second half.
While they welcomed back dual All-Australian Elliot Yeo, Tim Kelly and Oscar Allen sat and watched the game unveil from the bench, injured.
Kelly had 11 touches in the opening term and helped the home side open up a narrow two-point lead at the first break.
But a Merrett tackle in the centre square at the opening bounce of the second quarter ended with Kelly in an uncomfortable splits possession.
He limped off the ground minutes later and was subbed out with a knee injury.
Kelly has been crucial for the Eagles in the absence of Yeo and Luke Shuey due to injury, averaging more than 27 possessions per game this season.
Yeo played his first game since Round 11 of last season, missing the Eagles last eight games of 2020, including the one-point loss to Collingwood in the Elimination Final.
Allen landed awkwardly from a marking contest late in the second term and didn’t see any ground time in the second half due to a head injury.
WASTED CHANCES
The Eagles sharpshooting forwards were on song early and ended the first half with an accurate 9.0 om the board.
The Bombers had three more scoring shots in the first two quarters, but trailed by 17 points.
Jake Stringer, returning from injury, had just two handballs in the first quarter. When he finally got his chance in the second, he slaughtered both shots on goal.
Eagle Josh Kennedy didn’t, making him pay after taking a contested mark and kicking his second goal for the term from a tight and difficult angle.
McDonald-Tipungwuti and Kyle Langford made the most of their rare chances in the last two minutes of the term to kick goals and make the margin manageable.
SCOREBOARD
WEST COAST 3.0 9.0 10.5 11.5 (71)
lost to
ESSENDON 2.4 5.7 9.8 12.15 (87)
GOALS
Eagles: Kennedy 3; Waterman 2; Ryan, Sheed, Cripps, Petruccelle, Darling, Ah Chee
Bombers: Stringer 3; Hooker 2, McDonald-Tipungwuti 2; Cox, Langford, Jones, Snelling, Waterman
BRAD ELBOROUGH’S BEST
Eagles: Sheed, Naitanui, Hurn, Gaff, Redden, Rotham
Bombers: Merrett, Parish, Langford, Heppell, Laverde, Stringer.
BRAD ELBOROUGH’S VOTES
3 — Z Merrett (Bombers)
2 — D Sheed (Eagles)
3 — D Parish (Bombers)
INJURIES
Eagles: Kelly (knee), Allen (head)
Bombers: Wright (calf, replaced in selected side by Jones), Zerk-Thatcher (head).
Umpires: Margetts, Dalgleish, Johanson, Fry.
Venue: Optus Stadium
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