AFL round 14: Irving Mosquito’s endearing remark during Hawthorn Hawks clash
He’s slowly becoming a fan favourite among Essendon supporters, and AFL prodigy Irving Mosquito has given his followers another reason to smile.
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Essendon Bombers coach John Worsfold has revealed an endearing midgame remark from rookie Irving Mosquito during Thursday’s comeback victory over the Hawthorn.
Trailing by 36 points at halftime, Essendon were staring down the barrel of an embarrassing defeat following a lacklustre first half at Adelaide Oval.
However, the Bombers mustered their biggest AFL comeback since 2013, winning the round 15 encounter 13.9 (87) to 10.11 (71).
Essendon were explosive after the main interval, scoring four consecutive goals to immediately reduce the deficit and reignite the contest.
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After the final siren, Worsfold revealed he didn’t say a word to his players at halftime, handing over the duties to assistant coach Ben Rutten.
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“Most of it was instructional around, ‘This is how it’s going to look when we get out there’, in terms of how we’re setting up,” Worsfold said.
“But the bulk of it was, ‘Believe in what we’ve been working on, believe in the way we want to play, forget about the first half – we can’t do anything about that – so let’s just be positive about the way we want to take the game on in the second half’.
“I’m proud of the way they’re committing to what we’re trying to build and what we’re working towards, and I’m proud of the fact they were able to not run out in the second half disappointed and flat, but still believing in, ‘Let’s commit to what we’re trying to work towards and if it happens, it happens’.
“You could just see early in that third quarter, they got a feel for what our best footy looks like and what we’ve been training and committing to – and they got excited about it.
“I think ‘Truck’ asked Irving Mosquito when he came off in the third quarter, and he just said, ‘How much fun is this!’”
“That shows they started to feel the rewards of the hard work they’ve been putting in.”
Mosquito made his AFL debut against the Richmond Tigers last week during Sir Doug Nicholls Round, and immediately made an impact by scoring two classy goals and a behind.
The 20-year-old forward had less of an impact on Thursday, but still contributed three marks, eight disposals and a behind.
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Essendon’s Joe Daniher played his first game of the season against the Hawks after battling a debilitating groin injury which has kept him out of action since Round 9 in 2019.
Returning from 460 days in the AFL wilderness, the key forward finished with three goals from six shots and also snatched 10 marks to be one of the best on ground.
“I feel really good and I’ve got the training in, so I’ve been working hard and hopefully continue to play out this year and keep moving forward with this footy club,” Daniher told Fox Footy after the game.
“The boys’ support has been fantastic, so I had to come out and help them out tonight so it feels good.”
The win sees the Bombers climb back up to ninth on the ladder, and their finals campaign still has a heartbeat.
— With Tyson Otto
Originally published as AFL round 14: Irving Mosquito’s endearing remark during Hawthorn Hawks clash