Essendon kept its finals hopes alive with an ugly win over North Melbourne on Saturday
IT WASN’T pretty but where there is a pulse, there is hope. And somehow Essendon can still make the finals despite a horror three quarters against North Melbourne.
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WHERE there is a pulse, there is hope.
As far as Essendon’s finals hopes go, that pulse looked close to flatlining at stages against North Melbourne but found some rhythm in the final quarter to keep the dream alive.
It was not a pretty 27-point win for the Bombers, and was far from convincing.
The 17th-placed Kangaroos fielded two debutants among seven players with fewer than 10 games. But the ever erratic Bombers, whose least experienced player was last year’s No. 1 draft pick Andrew McGrath (15 games), took a long time to get going.
GAME RECAP: HOW THE ROOS PULLED THE BOMBERS
For three quarters, they fumbled, could not hit a target by foot and struggled to take a mark.
In fact, Essendon had only 39 marks to three-quarter time. The AFL average is 23 a quarter.
Beaten in the inside-50 count 52-37 and struggling to work the ball out of defence, John Worsfold’s side did not resemble a finals outfit as North Melbourne got a sniff of a fifth win for the season.
The Kangas trailed by only seven points at the final change in a seesawing affair during which the lead had changed 12 times to that point.
But like good teams do, the Bombers found a way in the final quarter as the young Roos ran out of legs.
In the end, it was a procession that proved Essendon is very much capable of doing some damage this season.
It started with midfield dominance and finished with a forward line that was finally able to get to the right spots, take marks and kick goals.
The clearance count in the final term was 16-1 in favour of the Bombers and the inside-50 count 20-9. It was what a largely-Essendon home crowd of 40,359 — who had been getting increasingly restless — had been waiting all day to see.
Cale Hooker had been having a shocker in attack but turned his game and the fortunes of his team around.
He booted four goals in the first 17 minutes of the final term to break the game apart.
Prime movers Zach Merrett and David Zaharakis each had 10 touches for the term, while captain Dyson Heppell stepped up with four clearances after a quieter than usual day.
Worsfold said on Wednesday his side’s focus had been on consistency.
“If we’re not consistent then the finals will take care of themselves — we won’t be there,” he said.
Never have truer words been said.
Credit has to go to the Kangaroos, who showed plenty of heart, led by Ben Brown (six goals), Taylor Garner (25 disposals, one goal), Trent Dumont (28 disposals, one goal) and Sam Gibson (28 disposals, one goal).
But if Essendon continues to dish up what it did in the first three quarters at Etihad Stadium, Worsfold is right that his side will not be there come September.
With five games to go, finding that consistency is a very pressing challenge for Worsfold and his team.
Club champion Matthew Lloyd said this week that the Bombers’ best is as good as any of the top four sides.
It is.
But Essendon’s pulse could weaken very quickly if it doesn’t display a lot more of it.
chris.cavanagh@news.com.au
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