AFL 2022 Essendon v Adelaide: All the news, result, stats

Essendon has shaken off a determined Adelaide outfit including Taylor Walker, who stirred up a hostile crowd, but caretaker coach Blake Caracella says the Bombers have a pressing issue.

Ronny Lerner

6 min read

April 10, 2022 - 6:30PM

News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom

AFL

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Adelaide forward Taylor Walker has come out the other side of his racist slur controversy “a better person”, according to coach Matthew Nicks.

Walker played his first game on Sunday after serving a six-game suspension for racially vilifying Indigenous SANFL player Robbie Young last year.

The former Crows captain was also fined $20,000 for the incident.

Walker was one of Adelaide’s best players in their four-point loss to Essendon, kicking a game-high four goals to go with 18 disposals (10 contested), six marks and nine score involvements, and Nicks said the players embraced his return to the team.

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Jake Kelly, Jye Caldwell, Nicholas Martin and Tex Wanganeen celebrate the first win of the year for the Bombers. Picture: Getty Images

“I know he’s a better person. We all make mistakes,” Nicks said post-match.

“He’s now got a better understanding about everything in that space.

“As a footy club we’re doing what we can to educate ourselves and others and Taylor has been the leader in that.

“So today it was great to see him back out there for our group as an important leader ahead of the ball, it was a real bonus for us.

“He’s really important to our group, he straightens us up, his experience he brings ahead of the ball, he helps those younger guys that are down there playing around him.”

The Bombers headed into the game without their coach Ben Rutten due to Covid protocols, but caretaker Blake Caracella confirmed Rutten would exit those protocols on Monday.

“It will be great to see ‘Truck’ (Rutten) back. We had him on FaceTime in the huddle after the game, so I hope he feels part of it,” Caracella said.

Caracella was “excited” to take the reins of an AFL team for the first time and revealed he had some guidance from Rutten during the game.

“I spoke to ‘Truck’ I think maybe twice during the game, and once at halftime as well. I think he was more nervous than me,” Caracella said.

“You are sitting in the big seat, but you’ve got a lot of help, got great assistants and the football staff around.”

Taylor Walker chats with Matthew Nicks in his return to the big stage. Picture: AFL Photos via Getty Images

The win came at a cost for Essendon, however, with Will Snelling, in his first game for the year, suffering another calf injury, and taking no part in the second half having just returned from a calf issue.

Caracella wasn’t sure if it was a recurrence of the same calf complaint, but forecast the Bombers would be without Snelling for “a short period”.

“He’s an integral part of our team and we’re going to miss him a lot,” he said.

Adelaide’s Mitch Hinge (hip) is in doubt to face Richmond next week, but in a boost, Paul Seedsman (concussion) is “improving rapidly”, having not yet played this season.

While Caracella was pleased with the win, Essendon have now conceded an average of 108 points per game this year, and the caretaker admitted that was “not sustainable at all”.

“There’s a bit of a connection issue at the moment,” he said.

But with the likes of Jake Stringer, Zach Merrett and Kyle Langford out injured, and Snelling unavailable for much of the game, Caracella was not only pleased with how his side produced 11 individual goalkickers, but also how the next level of players stood up.

Nic Martin continues to impress for the Bombers. Picture: AFL Photos via Getty Images

“Nic Martin has come in and played some amazing footy ... Tex Wanganeen is playing as well, (Alec) Waterman has come in, (Matt) Guelfi, (Brayden) Ham,” he said.

The Crows had two late chances to snatch a win, but Ned McHenry’s shot on goal from the goal square went out on the full, and Ben Keays’ last forward entry was marked by Essendon’s Mason Redman with seconds to go. Nicks said a lack of composure across the game ultimately cost his side.

“We just have to be better. There’s a time to execute and you need to punish the opposition for them getting things wrong and we didn’t do that today,” Nicks said.

“What pleases me with our group is we never give up ... they (Essendon) looked like they were going to open us up — we dug in.”

Bombers breakthrough despite persistent Crows

Despite missing coach Ben Rutten due to Covid protocols, Essendon is off the mark for season 2022 after sneaking home by four points against Adelaide in a Sunday thriller at Marvel Stadium.

In what was a tense arm wrestle all day, the margin never exceeded 16 points, and despite the Bombers seeming to be in control for most of the match, they were never able to shut the door completely on the persistent Crows.

Every time Essendon looked like taking the game by the scruff of the neck, Adelaide always found an answer and the Crows were kept alive thanks to their superior forward efficiency, despite having 15 fewer inside 50s (67-52).

Sam Draper celebrates kicking a team-lifting goal against the Crows. Picture: Getty Images

At the 19-minute mark of the third quarter, Adelaide became the first team to kick three goals in a row as they wrested back the lead for the first time since time on in the first term.

Essendon responded with the next eight scores, but again their inefficiency (1.7) cost them a greater lead, and their buffer was a slender seven points early in the final quarter.

After the Crows scored three behinds in a row, to trim the margin to four points, both sides went goal for goal in a nail-biting finish.

With one minute left, Adelaide youngster Ned McHenry had the chance to give his team the lead, but his snap shot from the goal square went out of bounds on the full.

The visitors had one last gasp at victory when Ben Keays booted the ball inside their forward 50, but Essendon defender Mason Redman was there to take the mark and save the day for the Bombers with just seconds remaining.

For Essendon, Darcy Parish (38 disposals) had a mountain of the ball and he was well supported by the likes of Nic Martin, Nick Hind, Andrew McGrath, Matt Guelfi and Jye Caldwell.

Taylor Walker kicks his first goal in his comeback match. Picture: Getty Images

Rory Laird also collected 38 touches for the Crows, while Jordan Dawson, Ben Keays and Matt Crouch came close to ensuring a different result for Adelaide.

Without Jake Stringer (hamstring), the Bombers were going to need others to step up in the goalkicking department, and in the end they got a very even spread, including 11 individual goalkickers with Peter Wright (three), Alec Waterman (two) and Archie Perkins (two) combining for seven.

Down the other end, the returning Taylor Walker, who received boos all afternoon in his first game back from a six-game suspension for racially abusing SANFL player Robbie Young, booted four majors while young teammate Josh Rachele (three) continued to impress in his debut year.

Adelaide’s Taylor Walker marks the ball in front of Jayden Laverde.

Darcy Parish drives the Bombers into attack at Marvel Stadium.

The win came at a cost for Essendon with Will Snelling, in his first game for the year, suffering another calf injury, and taking no part in the second half having just returned from a calf issue.

Adelaide’s Mitch Hinge also was subbed out due to a supected hip injury.

In Rutten’s stead, Blake Caracella improved the AFL caretaker coaches’ perfect record to 4-0 for 2022 with Carlton’s Ashley Hansen and Fremantle’s Jaymie Graham (twice) having already guided their teams to wins.

Having never previously started a VFL/AFL season 0-4, the 15.13 (103) to 15.9 (99) result saw the Bombers avoid their worst start to a year.

COSTLY ERRORS ALMOST UNDO DONS

In the third quarter in particular, some costly forward-half errors and decision-making from the Bombers allowed the Crows to stay in touch. Guelfi was streaming into goal by himself from 40m out, but instead of putting Essendon up by 18 points, he decided to pop it up to the goal square, and missed intended target Andrew Phillips.

Moments later, McHenry got the Crows within six points. And a few minutes later, Sam Durham dropped a simple mark in the centre square which led to a turnover and a converted Rachele set shot from 48m out to level the scores.

GUELFI MAKES AMENDS

Ten minutes later, Guelfi learned from his mistake, running to 40m and this time he nailed the goal to give the Bombers back the lead.

KEAYS TOUCH COSTS CROWS

Late in the second quarter, Adelaide looked like they hit the front against the run of play when Lachie Murphy’s snap shot bounced through from 40m out.

However, the score reviewer overturned the decision after determining Murphy’s teammate Ben Keays touched the ball in the goal square instead of letting it cross the goal line.

Four minutes later, Alec Waterman rubbed salt in the wound with a magnificent checkside set shot from the boundary on the siren to give Essendon an eight-point lead at halftime.