AFL Round 9 Essendon v Sydney: Bombers hold off late Swans charge to jump back into the top eight
Zach Merrett has dodged a suspension for a swinging arm on Nick Blakey, but the Bombers have confirmed the worst for Nick Bryan. Plus, how hard will the Bombers go at the mid-season draft?
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ESSENDON star Zach Merrett’s Brownlow Medal eligibility remains intact as the Bombers confirmed Lewis Hayes had torn his ACL in the club’s fourth season-ending injury in six weeks.
Merrett had been under MRO scrutiny for his collision with opponent Nick Blakey but slow motion replays showed he made contact with the ball as well as the Swans defender.
He was cleared by MRO boss Michael Christian on Sunday night and will be available to take on the Western Bulldogs in a Saturday night clash that could see the Dons climb to 6-3.
Blakey left the field for a head injury assessment and did not return, but the Swans confirmed late on Saturday night he had passed a concussion test
It will allow him to take on Carlton on Friday night at the SCG.
The AFL has suspended a trio of players in recent weeks for careless strikes, with Conor Nash, Patrick Voss and Lewis Melican all handed three-week bans.
But Merrett was attempting to win the ball and had his eyes on the Sherrin as Blakey approached from the other direction in the eight-point victory.
Slow-motion replays show that while he clipped Blakey high he also knocked the football over his head.
Melican, Voss and Nash also used a swinging arm to fell their opponents while Merrett would argue he used a duty of care
Essendon climbed back into the top eight on Saturday night and has a chance to jump even higher ahead of a huge clash against the Western Bulldogs on Saturday night at Marvel Stadium.
The club will have to find a replacement for key back Hayes, who tore his ACL in his AFL debut.
Veteran defender Jayden Laverde had 32 possessions in a VFL clash against Sydney across the weekend so is the likely replacement for Hayes.
Top ten pick Elijah Tsatas had 41 possessions in the VFL after being dropped by coach Brad Scott, so the Dons’ depth will give the senior coach choices.
Hayes was carried off the ground by medical staff in the third quarter after landing awkwardly after a marking contest.
Scott said it was “almost certain” Hayes was the third Bomber to suffer the injury this year alongside ruckman Nick Bryan and rookie forward Tom Edwards.
The club has two more weekends to consider state league talent ahead of the May 28 mid-season draft but will strongly consider taking players with all four picks.
Mid-season draftees are handed a $60,000 contract so the Dons would need to shell out a quarter of a million dollars in their salary cap but it would be a wise investment given the club’s record.
Mid-season picks at Essendon include Will Snelling, Massimo D’Ambrosio, Sam Durham Jye Menzie, and last year’s selection Saad El-Hawli.
The club strongly considered Richmond VFL wingman Sam Davidson but in the end passed on him, with the Dogs securing him in the national draft.
“Lewis Hayes looks like an AFL player but it’s almost certain he’s done an ACL as well,” Scott said.
“So I don’t know how you handle all of this other than to say that you face adversity and have to come through it. Five debutantes this year and with the way it looks it will be more.
“We think we have got some other players in the VFL that are ready but it’s devastating for Haysey because he’s worked so hard to get this opportunity and he looked right at home,” he said.
“He knows and I have told him he can acquit himself really well at AFL level.”
Match report: Dons hold on – but not without heartbreak or MRO concern
Essendon and Sydney just don’t produce average games of footy.
The Bombers prevailed in an eight-point thriller in a game which once looked like it was going to be a comfortable victory.
Held goalless in the last term, and to just two for the second half, the Bombers managed to hold off a stirring threaten comeback which didn’t look likely when they trailed by as much as 39 points.
Nate Caddy gave another glimpse into why he’s considered the most exciting key forward prospects in the competition with an equal career-high three goals.
The Bombers have now moved to 5-3 on the season while the Swans have fallen behind in their bid to play finals footy after last year’s grand final appearance at 3-6.
OH, AARON
If anything summed up Sydney’s day in front of goal it was Aaron Francis’ miss midway through the term quarter.
After a one-on-one contest with Zac Reid, the ball hit the deck, which the former Bomber swooped on and looked to kick a certain goal.
From just several metres out, his snap sailed high and wide much to the delight of Essendon supporters.
Late in the contest with the game in the balance, the Swans had chances but missed opportunities which were more than gettable.
CLASS FROM THE DEBUTANT
Archer Day-Wicks has shown a few tricks at VFL level for the Bombers and he brought them to Marvel for his first career goal.
As the ball bobbled round in Essendon’s forward 50, the first gamer moved cleanly through the congestion sidestepped and opponent and snapped on his left foot as the ball bounced through.
It was a moment which sparked tears from family members in the crowd who were there to witness the wonderful moment.
The No.6 pick in last year’s Rookie Draft was clean throughout the game and finished with six disposals and a goal.
There was also a special moment for Saad El-Hawli who kicked his first AFL goal in the first term.
When the Bombers were up and running in the first half, El-Hawli showed his cleanliness on the wing in his first game starting on the ground.
Scoreboard
ESSENDON 3.1 9.1 11.4 11.5 (71)
SYDNEY 1.1 2.4 5.10 8.15 (63)
BEST
Bombers: Martin, Reid, McGrath, Caddy, Durham
Swans: Grundy, Warner, Blakey Roberts,
GOALS
Bombers: Caddy 3, Merrett 2, Day-WicksDurham, El-Hawli, Kako, Perkins, Redman
Swans: Hayward 2, Campbell, Grundy, McInerney, McLean, Sheldrick, Co. Warner
INJURIES: Dons: Hayes (knee). Sydney: Blakey (HIA)
Umpires: Dalgleish, Fisher, Johanson, McGinness
Crowd: 43,799
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
BRAYDEN MAY’S VOTES
3. Nic Martin (ESS)
2. Zac Reid (ESS)
1. Grundy (Syd)
Originally published as AFL Round 9 Essendon v Sydney: Bombers hold off late Swans charge to jump back into the top eight
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