AFL Round 9 Essendon v Sydney: Bombers hold off late Swans charge to jump back into the top eight
Essendon survived a big Sydney charge late at Marvel Stadium to jump back into the top-eight. But a debutant went down and Zach Merrett could face MRO scrutiny on a mixed day.
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Essendon’s defensive stocks have taken a hit with debutant Lewis Hayes suffering a suspected ACL injury as the Bombers sweat on any MRO scrutiny skipper Zach Merrett may receive.
Bombers coach Brad Scott confirmed the club was fearing the worst for the 20-year-old, who he believed “looked right at home”.
Hayes was carried off the ground by medical staff in the third quarter after landing awkwardly after a marking contest.
Scott said it was “almost certain” Hayes was the third Bomber to suffer the injury this year alongside ruckman Nick Bryan and rookie forward Tom Edwards to take some shine off his side’s thrilling eight-point win.
The trio are joined by Sam Draper (Achilles) on the sideline for the rest of the season.
“I don’t know how you sort of handle all of this other than to say, when you face adversity you’ve got to come through it,” Scott said.
“I can’t remember a time from my time in footy where week-after-week it’s just happened.
“Five debutants this year (including Archer Day-Wicks and Hayes against the Swans) and with the way it looks at the moment we will have some more. We’ve got to move onto the silver lining which is opportunity for others.
“This is so devastating for Hayesy so he has worked so hard to get this opportunity and he took it. I thought he looked right at home.”
Merrett could draw the attention of the match review officer on Sunday after he collected Nick Blakey high late in Saturday night’s contest.
The Bombers skipper, who is a Brownlow Medal contender, hit Blakey as the pair contested a bouncing ball inside Essendon’s forward 50.
Scott said he had not seen a replay of the contest and could not comment on the incident with the outcome to be known by Sunday afternoon when the MRO’s findings are released.
Sydney coach Dean Cox confirmed Blakey went off for a HIA as requested by the doctors.
“Both people just going at the ball (and the) timing. That’s probably all I can say from the first part of watching it live,” Cox said.
After the injury to Hayes, Essendon could now take four selections into the Mid-Season Draft on May 28.
Experienced defender Jayden Laverde recently returned from a VFL suspension and could play his first game this season against the Western Bulldogs next Saturday.
“Our list management and recruiting team will do their work,” he said.
“They’ll be busy. We need to scour the country and identify the best players that are currently outside of the AFL system.”
The Bombers had been linked with Coburg big man Cooper Keogh who was during the week ruled out for the year himself with a foot injury.
Match report: Dons hold on – but not without heartbreak or MRO concern
Essendon and Sydney just don’t produce average games of footy.
The Bombers prevailed in an eight-point thriller in a game which once looked like it was going to be a comfortable victory.
Held goalless in the last term, and to just two for the second half, the Bombers managed to hold off a stirring threaten comeback which didn’t look likely when they trailed by as much as 39 points.
Nate Caddy gave another glimpse into why he’s considered the most exciting key forward prospects in the competition with an equal career-high three goals.
The Bombers have now moved to 5-3 on the season while the Swans have fallen behind in their bid to play finals footy after last year’s grand final appearance at 3-6.
HEARTBREAK FOR HAYES
Lewis Hayes’ Essendon debut ended in heartbreak as he was carried from the ground with what appeared to be a serious injury in the third term.
After going up in a marking contest, the key defender needed assistance from Bombers’ medical staff to make his way from the ground.
He was replaced by Shiel who started as the substitute on his return to the senior side.
Bombers coach Brad Scott said it was “almost certain” the 20-year-old’s season was now over.
OH, AARON
If anything summed up Sydney’s day in front of goal it was Aaron Francis’ miss midway through the term quarter.
After a one-on-one contest with Zac Reid, the ball hit the deck, which the former Bomber swooped on and looked to kick a certain goal.
From just several metres out, his snap sailed high and wide much to the delight of Essendon supporters.
Late in the contest with the game in the balance, the Swans had chances but missed opportunities which were more than gettable.
MRO STRIFE FOR MERRETT
Essendon skipper Zach Merrett could catch the eye of the match review officer after his high hit on Sydney speedster Nick Blakey.
Merrett – who wasn’t worried about it when asked post-match on Fox Footy – accidentally collected Blakey high as the ball bobbled between the pair with the Sydney defender undergoing a HIA.
Swans coach Dean Cox confirmed Blakey underwent an assessment but was not sure if Blakey had passed at the time of his post-match press conference.
“Hopefully he’s okay,” Cox said, confirming more will be known when his side returns to Sydney.
CLASS FROM THE DEBUTANT
Archer Day-Wicks has shown a few tricks at VFL level for the Bombers and he brought them to Marvel for his first career goal.
As the ball bobbled round in Essendon’s forward 50, the first gamer moved cleanly through the congestion sidestepped and opponent and snapped on his left foot as the ball bounced through.
It was a moment which sparked tears from family members in the crowd who were there to witness the wonderful moment.
The No.6 pick in last year’s Rookie Draft was clean throughout the game and finished with six disposals and a goal.
There was also a special moment for Saad El-Hawli who kicked his first AFL goal in the first term.
When the Bombers were up and running in the first half, El-Hawli showed his cleanliness on the wing in his first game starting on the ground.
Scoreboard
ESSENDON 3.1 9.1 11.4 11.5 (71)
SYDNEY 1.1 2.4 5.10 8.15 (63)
BEST
Bombers: Martin, Reid, McGrath, Caddy, Durham
Swans: Grundy, Warner, Blakey Roberts,
GOALS
Bombers: Caddy 3, Merrett 2, Day-WicksDurham, El-Hawli, Kako, Perkins, Redman
Swans: Hayward 2, Campbell, Grundy, McInerney, McLean, Sheldrick, Co. Warner
INJURIES: Dons: Hayes (knee). Sydney: Blakey (HIA)
Umpires: Dalgleish, Fisher, Johanson, McGinness
Crowd: 43,799
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
BRAYDEN MAY’S VOTES
3. Nic Martin (ESS)
2. Zac Reid (ESS)
1. Grundy (Syd)
Originally published as AFL Round 9 Essendon v Sydney: Bombers hold off late Swans charge to jump back into the top eight
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