Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti steals the show as Bombers soar over Hawks

One of the most electric players in the AFL returned after an almost two-year absence and had fans losing their minds in no time.

MELBOURNE . 19/03/2023. AFL Round 1. Hawthorn vs Essendon at the MCG. Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti of the Bombers celebrates a 4th quarter goal with teammates . Pic: Michael Klein

Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti is back playing footy and it’s a glorious sight to behold.

The Essendon livewire returned to the turf for the first time in 588 days and had the Bombers faithful at the MCG up and off their seats, putting the icing on a 19.10 (124) to 9.11 (65) thrashing of Hawthorn.

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After being brought into the game in the fourth and final quarter, it didn’t take long for the cult hero to find himself in the thick of the action.

Despite the result all but assured after some third quarter dominance from the Bombers, the fans were louder than ever any time Tipungwuti was in the vicinity of the footy.

The noise reached scary heights when he marked just inside 50 and went back to have a shot at goal. Like it was in 2021, the star forward calmly went back and slotted the goal as the crowd erupted.

Fans watching on couldn’t believe what they were seeing as Bombers and footy fans rejoiced in seeing the livewire back in action.

“WE ARE CRYING RN,” Essendon tweeted.

Sports journalist Rohan Connolly tweeted: “You bloody beauty Tippa”.

WWOS’ Chris De Silva wrote: “He’s here and he’s perfect. What a moment for Walla”.

What a moment. Pic: Michael Klein

Get around him. Pic: Michael Klein

McDonald-Tipungwuti finished the contest with four disposals and one goal to his name in promising signs as the Bombers secured a convincing win.

Midfield duo Darcy Parish and Zach Merrett led the charge as they combined for 64 disposals and 16 clearances.

After being down by 10 points at quarter time, the Bombers kicked 16 goals to five as they blitzed their rivals.

Despite the one-sided nature of the contest and the emphatic display from the Bombers, it was McDonald-Tipungwuti that was the talk of the town.

“The biggest thing today was Walla coming back, the crowd loved it,” skipper Merrett said after the game.

WALLA 😍#AFLHawksDonspic.twitter.com/3bkAZTqteN

— AFL (@AFL) March 19, 2023

Asked after the game how it felt hearing the crowd erupt as one when he strolled out onto the ground, McDonald-Tipungwuti said it was a special moment.

“It was a great feeling, I was pretty much just waiting to go on,” he said.

“Big shout out to my mum she believed me all the way. I made a bet with her and said if I can play again I’ll buy you a caravan, so yeah I got a caravan for her and thanks to all the support from family and friends.”