Essendon grits teeth and finishes over the top of Sydney Swans to move inside the top eight
When Essendon needed a midfield game breaker in its arm wrestle against Sydney, No. 1 draft pick Andrew McGrath gave Bombers fans a taste of what is to come.
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Value for money, that’s what Essendon gives its fans.
The Bombers moved into the top eight, for how long who knows, with a 10-point win over Sydney on the back of four-goal final quarter surge which followed three quarters of enough peaks and troughs to make a mountain range.
SCROLL DOWN TO SEE WHAT THE COACHES SAID
The Bombers are not an easy watch, but when the siren blows and they’re in front, it makes that 120 minutes worth of head shaking and nail biting and “why did he do that?” screaming sort of OK.
A sunny Saturday at the MCG, against a team they had to beat to stay in the September hunt, had everything their season has.
They were winning, they were losing, they were in control, they turned the ball over almost comically. They were also dominated at times by the Swans who saw a weakness in one key area, the ruck, and went to town.
But the Bombers also have Jake Stringer, who, in the hot as heck final term, followed an out-on-the-full mung shot at goal with an attempted screamer at the top of the goalsquare which he followed up by kicking a goal off the ground which put his team 15 points up.
There was a bit of everything in Jake, just like there was from the Bombers, who could yet make the finals. But no-one can even guarantee what they serve up next week, so good luck with your predictions.
WALLA WALLA NOPE, YEP
It was only a point but a storming final quarter run from Essendon barometer Anthony McDonald did more than add a digit to the Bombers score. The man they call ‘Walla’ took three bounces down the members wing, found himself inside forward 50, stopped, propped, evaded a tackler, then took a shot. He missed, but he had the entire MCG, and his teammates, up and about. The Bombers were also able to earn a repeat entry from the kick-out, and Darcy Parish kicked the goal that gave his team an eight point buffer, which proved crucial.
BACK TO THE BIG MAN DRAWING BOARD
Expect a few more brainstorming sessions from the Bombers coaching staff this week to address the absence of Tom Bellchambers. Zac Clarke was recalled for his first game since Round 8, delivered very little, and his lack of impact was nearly catastrophic. Sydney dominated the clearances, especially in the centre, with Clarke’s direct opponent Aliir Aliir, also a part-timer, having eight alone. Shaun McKernan also rolled through there, but his forward absence impacted the Bombers more than his value in the ruck helped.
THE LAST POST
Footy fans don’t forget much, ever. Sydney defender, and noted goalpost climber Dane Rampe copped a round of boos every time he touched the footy, which got louder as the game went on, from Essendon supporters after his antics in the Round 8 match, which the Swans won by just five points.
ONE WEEK FOR HEP
Essendon captain Dyson Heppell was a late withdrawal with a foot injury, replaced by Kyle Langford, who plenty thought was harshly dropped in the first place. It’s expected Heppell, who was wearing a moon boot at the MCG, will miss just the one week and be back for next Saturday’s clash with North Melbourne.
ESSENDON 2.3 4.5 7.5 11.10 (76) def SYDNEY 1.2 3.6 7.8 9.12 (66)
Goals: Essendon: D Zaharakis 3 J Stringer 2 S McKernan 2 A McDonald-Tipungwuti D Parish K Langford O Fantasia
Sydney: L Parker 2 S Reid 2 J Rose N Blakey T McCartin T Papley Z Jones
Russell Gould’s Best: Essendon: McGrath, Zaharakis, Shiel, Hurley, Stringer, Parish
Sydney: Heeney, Kennedy, Aliir, Rampe, Lloyd, Hewett
Umpires: Jeff Dalgleish, Andrew Mitchell, Robert O’Gorman
Official Crowd: 60,199 at MCG.
RUSSELL GOULD’S VOTES
3 — Andrew McGrath (Ess)
2 — Isaac Heeney (Syd)
- — David Zaharakis (Ess)
‘OUTSTANDING’ McGRATH HAS DONS ON TRACK: WOOSHA
THE path towards becoming an “awesome” team will continue to throw up frustrating moments for Essendon supporters, but coach John Worsfold and his players will stay the course.
For a second straight week the Bombers came from behind in the final term to scrap a win, this time outlasting Sydney by 10 points at the MCG in a victory which thrust Essendon into the top eight.
It was a win Worsfold conceded came with moments of madness even he couldn’t comprehend, but also showed the sort of resilience and character he knows feeds into creating a team capable of contending.
Worsfold lamented a lot of “unforced errors” in the game, particularly early, but credited his young midfield, including Andrew McGrath, for standing up when it mattered as the Bombers piled on four last-quarter goals to snatch the points.
“It was one of those games where a lot of players looked average at times, but young (Andrew) McGrath, some of his game breaking or line breaking stuff in that last quarter was outstanding,” Worsfold said.
“He could have been the hero if he nailed a couple of kicks, but he got the ball and really took the game on which had a massive impact for us.
“I was pleased with the way the guys stuck to what we were trying to achieve, even though it took us a while to get there.”
After 10 rounds Essendon had just four wins and Worsfold was under mounting pressure to keep his job.
But a month later the Bombers have jumped to 8-8 and the coach said he wouldn’t be deterred from the path he was on with a growing team.
Worsfold pointed to his young midfield group — including the likes of McGrath, Zach Merrett and Darcy Parish — who he said, with more time together, had “lots of improvement” to come.
“We are working pretty hard on where we want to get to, and we are not there yet, and we understand that,” Worsfold said.
“I’m frustrated at times, and our supporters get frustrated, but this is about trying to win the ultimate and not just be a good team. We have to stay committed to that.
“We are not going to make short term decisions to satisfy being a good team. We have to become an awesome team that can challenge the whole competition.”
Worsfold confirmed captain Dyson Heppell, who was a late withdrawal with a foot issue, should be available for next week’s clash with North Melbourne.
STAYING PUT? LONGMIRE BUOYED BY YOUNG SWANS
SYDNEY coach John Longmire’s enthusiasm for his next generation of stars is almost enough to put to bed any doubt about where his future lies.
Despite being linked to the North Melbourne coaching job, a contract extension at Sydney could easily be the next deal he signs as a crop of gun youngsters grows under his tutelage.
Sydney rolled out the youngest team in the AFL this weekend and ran Essendon to 10 points at the MCG with the likes of Tom McCartin, James Rowbottom and Jordan Dawson among the team’s best.
“I just want to keep developing the kids and they are coming through this year,” Longmire said.
“They are getting opportunities and they are performing well.
“We are the youngest team for the round and we think we have some positive signs with some players coming through who are building the foundation for a reasonably strong team.
“We’re flat and disappointed when you lose, we hate that. But what the team is doing is being pretty competitive and they are showing some signs that they can really build upon their footy … that’s a real plus, regardless of the scoreboard.”
The Swans slipped to 7-9 and making finals became a much harder task. But Longmire maintained that would always be his team’s goal.
“Clearly we want to keep making finals. We have been one of the only teams in the past decade to do that, and that’s what we are about,” he said.
“But we still have to go forward as a team, and we feel like we are doing that.”
Longmire said Aliir Aliir’s dominant display playing out of position in the ruck would allay some fears about filling that role with Callum Sinclair sidelined for some time with a shoulder injury.
“Our preference is to play him down back, but he’s like another midfielder with his ground level clearance work,” he said.
“If you do it week in, week out, it can be taxing. But it’s good to have that versatility.”
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