Essendon punishes slack Geelong to win by 17 points at MCG
ESSENDON deserved this win as it was tougher, bolder and more direct, but questions have to be asked of Geelong, which has slumped to three consecutive defeats.
AFL News
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
THERE’S no such thing as locking up in the country.
Back doors are left swinging open and keys are left in parked cars as country folk go blissfully about their business. It’s an admirable honesty policy.
The problem for Geelong is there’s no honesty policy in the AFL.
For three quarters the Cats’ dodgy team defence left everything unlocked and they were fleeced by 22 cat burglars in red and black.
The Cats finished with a final quarter fury that brought them to the cusp of a history-making comeback, but by the final siren it only served to raise more questions of a team that’s slumped to three consecutive defeats.
Such was the Cats’ laid-back attitude to start the Country Game, the only thing missing was the straw in the mouth.
Essendon kicked the first four goals of this match and eight of the opening 10.
The Bombers’ 6.2 (38) was their best first quarter of the year and by half way through the second quarter they’d established a 34-point lead that would prove enough.
Geelong, down by 40 points at three-quarter time, closed to within 10 points with 10 minutes to go, but five consecutive behinds at a critical juncture brought them unstuck.
In truth, Essendon deserved this. They were instinctive, bold and direct and they did it all at speed, slicing through the Cats like a hot knife through butter.
Geelong may be 5-3, but the critics are mounting by the week.
This was a mindset loss. At halftime, the Cats had 19 less possessions, but were losing the tackle count an incredible 52-13.
It is the Cats’ worst tackle differential — -39 — in a half since stats have been recorded.
Geelong had 12 players yet to lay a tackle at the main break and another eight with one each. At the same stage, the brilliant Zach Merrett had eight tackles to go with 18 possessions.
Joel Selwood’s first tackle came in the fourth quarter. Ditto for Patrick Dangerfield.
To use country slang, the Cats were as flat as a young-know-what’s hat.
Essendon played with energy and spirit. When Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti was taken out — legally — by Andrew Mackie in a marking contest, Cale Hooker rushed in to remonstrate.
Hooker then put his head over the next ball and set up a goal.
The Cats won contested ball (151-131), clearances (47-30) and inside 50s (56-46), yet the tackles finished 81-39 in Essendon’s favour and with the Dons racking up 57 more uncontested possessions they ran Geelong ragged.
Zach Merrett (33 touches), a back-in-form David Zaharakis (31) and Dyson Heppell (30) pulled the strings in midfield for a damaging mosquito fleet lurking in the attacking half.
McDonald Tipungwuti (three goals) was electric, and with Orazio Fantasia (three goals) and Josh Green (two goals) they repeatedly got in behind the Geelong defence.
If they didn’t, Joe Daniher was the commanding target whose mobility was a constant problem. There were reflex soccer goals, set shots and goals on the run from angles in a five-goal performance that won him the Tom Wills Medal for best on ground.
James Kelly, playing game 300 against his old side, fittingly wound back the clock in a composed display in defence.
Dangerfield’s move to the goalsquare to start the second half saw him kick two goals, but the Cats didn’t spring to life until the final half-hour.
As it stands, Chris Scott’s men are far too easy to play against.
That might be an issue with a draw that has the Western Bulldogs, Port Adelaide and Adelaide on the horizon.
ESSENDON 6.2 9.4 14.7 17.8 (110)
GEELONG 1.5 3.8 7.9 13.15 (93)
GOALS
Bombers: Daniher 5, McDonald-Tipungwuti 3, Fantasia 3, Stewart 3, Green 2, Hooker
Cats: Hawkins 4, Dangerfield 2, Menzel 2, Motlop, Stewart, Horlin-Smith, Parsons, Smith
BEST
Bombers: Merrett, Daniher, McDonald-Tipungwuti, Zaharakis, Fantasia, Hurley, Heppell.
Cats: Dangerfield, Hawkins, Mengola, Guthrie
INJURIES
Bombers: Zaharakis (TBC)
Cats: Stanley (knee)
Reports: Nil
Official crowd: 57,172 at the MCG
The elephant Port must still get out of the room
Port Adelaide planning to confirm its succession plan from Ken Hinkley to Josh Carr before round 1 is odd timing. This could and should have been done by now, as MATT TURNER writes.
Best 23 locked in? Crows unleash four-headed monster
If what we saw from Adelaide’s forward line on Friday is a sign of things to come, opposition defenders are officially on notice. Get all the intel as the Crows reveal more about their best side.