Exciting and ruthless Essendon right in hunt for finals berth after smashing Port Adelaide

EXCITING, bold and creative. Essendon were in scintillating form against Port Adelaide and after that performance, the Bombers are well and truly in the mix to feature in September.

Cale Hooker booted five goals in the first half to put the game beyond Port Adelaide’s reach. Picture: George Salpigtidis

DON’T book that September holiday yet, Bombers.

After two years in the finals wilderness, Essendon can go into next week’s bye with the burning confidence that it has the game that can take it to finals.

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Bold, fast and creative — the recipe for a September berth was served up on a platter by the rampant Bombers on Saturday night, delivering a 70-point blow to hot favourite Port Adelaide at Etihad Stadium.

It was as assertive and emphatic as they have been all season.

Bombers coach John Worsfold declared earlier this year that he feared some of his returning players were “feeling the pinch” and had “hit the wall”.

If they’d hit it back then, they’ve crashed through the brickwork and are on the open road with the ruins in the rearview mirror.

And any sense of speedometer went out the window somewhere along the way.

Cale Hooker booted five goals in the first half to put the game beyond Port Adelaide’s reach. Picture: George Salpigtidis

The Bombers were fast and fearless — quick on transition, handballing freely and delivering blistering ball movement with dangerous effect as they launched a vicious first-quarter assault and their best-ever first term against the teal brigade.

At the start of the round Essendon were 12th on the ladder, Port Adelaide fifth.

Someone forgot to tell the Bombers.

They made the Power pay, kicking their first nine goals from turnover in their most fruitful first half of the season to give Port Adelaide a taste of the medicine they had administered to Hawthorn a week prior.

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Cale Hooker — who has borne his fair share of criticism in recent weeks after a move into attack — was backed by his coach last week.

He wasn’t a forward, they’d said. He looked lost, they’d said.

But Worsfold had been firm — in attack was where he would stay.

And Saturday night was the night that he looked like he truly belonged inside the forward 50, delivering his best performance since making the shift from defence with five first-half goals and countless repeat efforts.

Zach Merrett had the ball on a string again, finishing the game with 37 disposals. Picture: Getty

Confidence is a valuable commodity in footy.

Joe Daniher kicked four goals of his own but at times was a decoy for Hooker.

With Hooker finding his groove up forward and Daniher kicking straight, it just went to show what this forwardline — that has struggled to score heavily in recent times — is capable of.

Anthony “Walla” McDonald-Tipungwuti again did what he does best, creating from nowhere and at one point even channelling former Bombers high-flyer Gary Moorcroft.

And when former Jobe Watson chipped in with his first goal since his return to football as the margin blew further out of the Power’s reach, the roof was almost lifted off Etihad Stadium.

Conor McKenna has improved by the week and was polished when he streamed through the middle, while young gun Zach Merrett and skipper Dyson Heppell looked like they’ve been waxing off one another for years.

The man they call “Walla” booted four goals. Picture: Getty

Port Adelaide squandered its opportunity to stay in touch with the competition’s top four, allowing Essendon — which finished the game with twice the disposal count — to win the ball with ease and continuing its inability to string together consecutive wins.

It wrested back momentum in the third term but failed to capitalise, allowing Essendon to demolish the Power’s previously solid average of 73 points-against per game and hand the visitors their highest score conceded for the season so far.

In a season where percentage will count, it could come in very handy.

Essendon’s post-bye run of 10 games includes just two matches against top eight sides and two interstate trips — quite a nice prospect for the Bombers to ponder as they put the feet up and enjoy a week’s rest.

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Essendon: Merrett, Hooker, Heppell, McDonald-Tipungwuti, Daniher, Hurley, McKenna

Port Adelaide: Westhoff, Gray, Wines, Ebert, Trengove, Wingard, Boak

Originally published as Exciting and ruthless Essendon right in hunt for finals berth after smashing Port Adelaide