Essendon and North Melbourne played exhilarating footy that requires AFL to rethink potential rule changes
ESSENDON has kept its faint finals hopes alive with an electric win over North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium in one of the games of the season as both teams played an exhilarating brand of footy and produced the best scoring half since 2009.
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THIS was the most significant game of a sleepy season.
If Gillon McLachlan hasn’t already caught the first half of Essendon’s win over the Kangaroos, footy’s head-honcho simply must hit play as soon as he slips his feet under his Docklands desk on Monday morning.
Because what we saw in the first 60 minutes just might restore our faith in the game and trigger a rethink on the emergency intervention designed to overhaul the look of footy.
AS IT HAPPENED: BOMBERS WIN IN AN ABSOLUTE CLASSIC
MATCH CENTRE: SUPERCOACH SCORES FROM BOMBERS v ROOS
Forget about the rule changes and slashing the rotation numbers for a second, Gil, and just enjoy this one.
It was some of the most exhilarating, breathtakingly-skilled and riveting end-to-end football we have seen not only this year, but maybe for a few seasons.
In a snoozy year, we got a heart-starting shootout under the roof.
And it has come at the perfect time.
The two teams slammed home 23 goals in the first half alone as slick midfielders Zach Merrett and Shaun Higgins drilled passes like sweetly-hit three-irons.
Clever forwards Orazio Fantasia and Shaun McKernan (four goals) and Mason Wood (three goals) curled home tight-angled snaps from the boundary line and Jake Stringer (three goals) and David Myers never looked like missing with their huge hoofs from outside 50m.
And Essendon defender Adam Saad weaved around opponents like a speed skater.
In the last term, the former Gold Coast Suns line breaker took six bounces, burning off three North Melbourne opponents on a torching run up the middle.
It was another promising day for the Bombers’ three star recruits and Smith in particular is probably leading the club’s best and fairest.
We have fallen asleep during plenty of Friday and Saturday night games this year, sending TV ratings into a tailspin and prompting some big calls and serious fears about the congested state of the game.
Footy boss Steve Hocking said on Channel 9 on Sunday it was time to act.
But only hours later, fans were on the edge of their seats everywhere under the roof as the Roos unsuccessfully tried to claw back a 12-point deficit at three-quarter time.
But, as they say, the game was the real winner.
The 45,580 crowd was the biggest attendance at Etihad this year and they saw a belter.
In the end, the Bombers kept their faint finals hopes alive, chalking up their third-straight victory and seventh triumph of the season with a 17-point win.
They have won five of their past six games, the Bombers.
Merrett was brilliant in the middle, Stringer continued his encouraging month, Saad and Brendon Goddard were rudders in defence and together Michael Hurley and Cale Hooker did a fine job on Coleman Medal leader Ben Brown.
Emerging Bomber Kyle Langford, who was taken pick No.17 in the 2014 national draft, also played one of his best games as a hybrid midfielder-forward.
He can hit targets, take strong marks and use his big frame to impact the contest.
But maybe Hurley’s form is the most significant given his modest season.
The Bombers’ pressure was right up again, they looked more dangerous on the outside of the midfield and they capitalised with plenty of talent inside 50m.
North has defended well all year but they conceded 125 points, their biggest score of the year.
The Kangaroos started brightly, and Higgins (31 touches) was exceptional again as former Greater Western Sydney midfielder Paul Ahern also took his chance gathering 22 possessions in the place of absent tagger Ben Jacobs.
Wood also took another major step forward without Jarrad Waite after starting the year in the VFL.
North Melbourne is outside the eight on percentage, but has a favourable run home to finals.
But the story at Etihad was so much bigger than the four points.
Should we just cast aside these dramatic rule changes and let it evolve, like so many players and coaches say?
After the shootout, Brad Scott and John Worsfold both said they were open to changes — if they were trialled successfully first.
“We are at a point where we have got to at least investigate opportunities to make the game look better,” Scott said.
He said both teams had still been able to “manipulate numbers around the contest and behind the ball”.
“If you take away that option from a coaching group, you know, potentially a lot more games will look like it did today.”
Worsfold also said he favoured change, but only if the league “practised it first” in preseason or at a lower level.
“Don’t have your head in the sand and say because it’s always been that way that will always be the best way, so I’m open to explore change,” he said.
“But very considered change and generally the change is best on a practice field so have a look at things first to see what the unintended consequences might be out of it — that’s my view. Practice it first basically.”
So glad we made those rule changes. Wait what?
— Nathan Buckley (@ncb_cfc) July 1, 2018
Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley was blunt on Twitter.
“So glad we made those rule changes. Wait, what?” Buckley said.
Sydney premiership coach Paul Roos said the biggest issue in the game is improving the pathway systems, to improve the development and skills of juniors across the country.
And the players put on an outstanding display yesterday.
“We haven’t seen a grassed ball or a kick along the ground all day, and they have kicked their shots on goal,” Roos said on Triple M.
“It’s an elite-skill game.”
What changes would Roosy make?
None, he said.
Over to you, Gil.
ESSENDON 6.2 13.6 15.8 19.11 (125)
NORTH MELBOURNE 7.2 10.4 13.8 16.12 (108)
CLARK’S BEST
Bombers: Merrett, McKernan, Fantasia, Heppell, Hooker, Myers, McGrath.
Kangaroos: Higgins, Cunnington, Ahern, Wood, Anderson, Wright.
GOALS
Bombers: Fantasia 4, McKernan 4, Stringer 3, Myers 2, Bellchambers, Merrett, Smith, Baguley, McGrath, McDonald-Tipungwuti.
Kangaroos: Wood 3, Cunnington 2, Brown 2, McDonald 2, Hrovat, Ziebell, Atley, Turner, Clarke, Ahern, Dumont.
INJURIES
Bombers: Nil.
Kangaroos: Jacobs (concussion) replaced in team by Ahern, Wood (leg).
UMPIRES
Margetts, Schmitt, Harris.
CROWD
45,580 at Etihad Stadium.
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