AFL 2020: Jacob Townsend guides Essendon to nailbiting win over Fremantle
After being overlooked in the draft and moved on by two clubs, Jacob Townsend already appears right at home at Essendon after is pivotal role ensured the Bombers clung to victory against Fremantle.
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Jacob Townsend is used to being written off.
He was overlooked until the rookie draft in his under-18 year, given away by Greater Western Sydney for a mere fourth-round pick in 2015, delisted by Richmond last year and then unwanted during the trade and draft period.
But like a cat, Townsend keeps landing on his feet.
Give the 2017 premiership player an opportunity and he will deliver more often than not.
Signed by Essendon during the pre-season supplemental selection period in December, Townsend has already proven a value buy after just one game.
At halftime of Essendon’s Round 1 clash with Fremantle, he was the second-ranked player on the ground with nine disposals, three goals and one goal assist.
The 26-year-old did not add to the goal tally in the second half, but saw less of the ball as the Bombers’ midfield took the foot off the pedal.
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Townsend had hoped to return to the midfield at Essendon after spending much of his time as a Tiger in attack.
But given his success on debut for the Bombers, expect him to be confined to the forward line for the time being.
STUNNING STURT
A Fremantle debutant – Sam Sturt – nearly proved a matchwinner for the Dockers as he kicked two late goals to provide Essendon with a major scare.
The No.17 pick in the 2018 National Draft, Sturt had six disposals and one goal to his name at three-quarter time before turning it on in the final term.
The Mt Eliza junior was collected high and late by Michael Hurley after taking a mark on the 50m line and kicked a goal from the resulting 50m penalty with 4:14 left on the clock to draw the margin back to seven points.
Jake Stringer responded for the Bombers at the other end, before Sturt took another strong mark opposed to Hurley and kicked his third goal.
An Andrew Brayshaw behind put the margin back to six points, with the Bombers getting out of jail as Fremantle failed to find a mark inside 50 with the final play of the match.
Essendon had lead by a game-high 28 points at the two-minute-mark of the third quarter.
SMALL FORWARDS
Townsend aside, Essendon’s small forward line left a little bit too be desired.
With Mitch Brown having departed the club over the off-season, Joe Daniher still on the sidelines and Shaun McKernan missing the match with illness, the 192cm Jake Stringer was the only recognisable tall target.
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The Bombers logged 41 inside-50s but managed just nine goals, with some of their better forwards failing to fire.
Orazio Fantasia kicked one goal from only six touches, while Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti was scoreless and had just four disposals to halftime before finishing with 11 disposals.
Jayden Laverde had the fewest disposals of any player on the ground with five, alongside one goal.
TALLS TO BOOST BOMBERS
Essendon expects to welcome back a trio of talls for its Round 2 clash.
The Bombers did not have a recognizable target in attack and were also caught short in defence at times but withstood a late Fremantle fightback to score a six-point win at Marvel Stadium.
Key-position trio Cale Hooker (hip), James Stewart (groin) and Shaun McKernan (illness) are all expected to be available to Friday night’s clash with the Swans.
Essendon coach John Worsfold said McKernan had been feeling “a lot better” on Friday, while Hooker needed only to prove himself on the track to be picked.
“I reckon he will (play), depending how much work he gets in over this weekend and whether he ticks the boxes to say he’s ready to play the minutes he would need to play,” Worsfold said of Hooker.
“He’s getting very close.”
Defender Conor McKenna was an emergency for the clash with the Dockers after taking time away from the club to return home to Ireland over pre-season, but Worsfold said he too was close to a return.
McKenna has been pushing to be moved forward this season, but Worsfold said Essendon had a greater need for him in defence.
“He thinks he can impact the game as a forward but he also understands he finished high up in our best-and-fairest as a backman and he has become a damaging backman,” Worsfold said.
“That’s where we think we need in terms of depth at the moment.”
The Bombers held a 28-point lead in the third quarter against Fremantle before dropping away in the final term, Worsfold saying he had expected his side to be “a bit rusty” after a pre-season interrupted by a string of injuries.
“The more disappointment was we didn’t capatalise on our ball dominance for two-and-a-half quarters, maybe three quarters,” Worsfold said.
“There’s always going to be passages of the game where that pressure comes up and it’s harder. Credit to Fremantle, they put a lot of heat on in that last quarter and were better in the contest and we didn’t play as well as we’d like.
“We’re disappointed with a few factors around that last quarter, but it’s just great learning for where we’re at and what we can work on improving in coming weeks.”
SCOREBOARD
ESSENDON 5.2 7.5 8.8 9.9 (63)
FREMANTLE 2.1 3.3 4.6 8.9 (57)
GOALS
Essendon: Townsend 3, Stringer 2, Snelling, Fantasia, Laverde, Smith
Fremantle: Sturt 3, Lobb 2, Walters, Colyer, Taberner
BEST
Essendon: Shiel, Townsend, Saad, McGrath, Smith, Ridley
Fremantle: Fyfe, Lobb, Walters, Sturt, Bewley
Reports: Nil
VOTES
3 Dylan Shiel (Ess)
2 Jacob Townsend (Ess)
1 Nat Fyfe (Fre)
