AFL Round 12 Essendon defeat North Melbourne: How things have changed for the Bombers ahead of Carlton clash
The Bombers are soaring, while the Blues continue to slump. Adam Saad has personally grown since he left the Bombers, yet hasn’t tasted the finals success he left for. Did he get it wrong?
The equation for Essendon is simple now.
After almost 7000 days without a finals win, the club which was gripped by a sense of pandemonium late last year, is suddenly within reach of a September berth in 2023.
The victory over North Melbourne was not without a scare on Sunday night.
But when Jake Stringer laid a crucial smother on Luke McDonald, and then in the same passage put a match-winning tackle on Darcy Tucker, Essendon notched its third-straight win to give the club a chance to make something special of this season.
And this week, Carlton defender Adam Saad will surely wonder whether he made the right call jumping off Essendon two years ago to join the Blues’ finals push.
But Saad may genuinely worry which club now has the brighter future ahead of the clash against his former side in the King’s Birthday eve showdown this weekend.
While the Blues seem stuck, the young Bombers are on the rise.
For all the heartache last year, when president Dave Barham nuked half of the football department and made some hard calls on the executive and the coach at Tullamarine, Essendon is in a much better place in 2023.
Remarkably, the Bombers were younger and less experienced than North Melbourne on Sunday night at Marvel Stadium.
And if they can win six more games from the last 11 matches, Essendon will lay the platform to notch its first finals win since 2004 when the Bombers pipped Melbourne in the elimination final.
The club is presented with the easiest draw in the league in the run home after a tough first-half of the fixture, according to Champion Data.
There is one more game each against cellar-dwellers North Melbourne and West Coast and seven more match-ups, in total, against teams below the Bombers in the back-end of the draw.
Eight of them are in Melbourne.
Coach Brad Scott has been at pains to explain Essendon is on a long journey. A four-year build. There will be no blinking, no short-term solutions, etc etc.
But this Sunday night, Essendon is presented with the biggest sliding doors matchup of the season when it confronts a Carlton team on the nose at the MCG.
It’s a Carlton outfit under siege versus an up-and-coming Essendon side facing one of its biggest tests.
An Essendon team which has been inspirationally led by captain Zach Merrett who had 34 disposals, 12 contested possessions, and 25 pressure acts against the Kangas.
And when the big opportunity arrived on Sunday night, Matt Guelfi and Nic Martin found Kyle Langford with a pair of hopeful handpasses to snap the go-ahead goal with four minutes remaining, and Stringer produced two crucial defensive acts to seal victory.
Normally, it’s Stringer nailing the mercurial goals.
But Scott said at the start of the season, the Bombers would not rely on his boot to win games anymore, and on Sunday, it was Stringer who piled on the defensive pressure forcing the definitive late turnover, which ended up with Massimo D’Ambrosio slotting the match-winning snap.
And this Sunday night, if they can beat the struggling Blues, the Bombers will be on their way to potentially breaking one of the biggest droughts in footy in September.
For long-suffering Essendon fans, the past decade has been as tough as it comes dealing with the supplements saga, the player departures and another sacked coach last year.
Consecutive thrashings from Port Adelaide and Richmond late last season signalled the heartbreaking end for Ben Rutten, and then Alastair Clarkson, who had the choice between the Bombers and the Kangaroos, picked North Melbourne.
It was all a bit embarrassing for Essendon late in 2022.
But the band-aid was ripped off for the right reasons.
And where the Roos are now, staring at another finish down the bottom, Essendon may have something up its sleeve in 2023.
The improvements are clear between last year and this year.
Under Scott, the Bombers have gone from 12th to sixth for points scored and from 12th to first from points scored from the defensive half.
They can counter-attack, Scott’s men. The turnover and rebound game is how footy is played.
And defensively, the Bombers have gone from 16th to fifth for restricting opposition scores per inside 50m.
Most importantly, they can stop the opposition these days, the Bombers.
They have backbone, despite an enormous injury toll which on Sunday night claimed gun midfielder Dylan Shiel, who went down with another calf injury.
The injury problems are a recurring headache for the red and black.
But from a bigger picture perspective, the defensive progress is a significant improvement for one of the most flimsy sides of the past two decades.
The Bombers’ biggest weakness has been their defence, year after year.
But things have changed, forward Kyle Langford noted.
They have balance. Resilience. And it all feels sustainable. Under Scott, the Bombers believe.
“We have learned over the last few years and, the back end of last year, it is not what our club or the players wanted to go through, but we have Scotty now and he has set out a really clear vision for us,” Langford said.
“He has set out a really clear system and a new belief for the group and we are seeing that.
“We are playing some really good football and we might be sixth on the ladder, but there’s plenty of footy to go in the back end of the year and we have got to get those wins to play finals.
“So, we have got a lot of work ahead of us.”
With six minutes left, North led by five points, when Ziebell sprayed a kick from defence over the boundary for the second time.
Then Andrew Phillips flew for the mark from a long kick-in, and cult ruckman Sam Draper added another miraculous goal to his highlight reel with a reflex right-foot prayer.
The Sherrin fell into the big man’s lap when he quickly flung it onto the outside of his boot, allowing the Bombers to regain a narrow lead under the roof.
Essendon was let off the hook when Harry Sheezel then missed an open goal from 25m out down the other end.
That’s when Langford, who turned down his free agency rights to re-sign at Tullamarine, emerged a hero with the quick-kick over his shoulder from the top of the goal square.
He has often been the man of the moment for Essendon this year at both ends, booting four goals against the Roos on Sunday night to help continue his career-best season.
But Langford said it was Stringer’s pair of late defensive acts, producing the desperate smother and tackle efforts in the final two minutes, which embodied the Essendon team spirit.
Jaidyn Stephenson’s clutch snap from a Ben McKay intercept mark tied scores late in the mad finish, but Stringer delivered in attack on the following Jye Caldwell clearance.
Langford said Stringer deserved high praise for his defensive efforts and team-first attitude which helped secure the win over North Melbourne in front of 40,488.
“Jakey has been awesome for us this year and we have a lot of players have been contributing and he is one of them,” Langford said.
“It is not all about goals and highlights.
“As Jake has demonstrated this season, it’s the smothers, the forward-half pressure.
“That is the kind of stuff that Scotty drives into us before every game and everyone is buying into and that is the kind of footy we are playing.
“So we played some good footy today, but we have still got a lot of footy to go.
“But we have still got Pete (Wright) to come back and Darcy Parish, a lot of players who are in our starting 22 or 23 to come back in.
“And that is credit to Scotty and he doesn’t rely on anyone.
“We have lost a fair few players through those injuries and to grind out some wins and even a fair few close losses against some of those top teams like Collingwood.
“We have still got a long way to go and there’s a lot of footy to be played.”
Scott preaches patience as Bombers’ top four dreams stir
– James Mottershead
Essendon will enter next week’s crunch clash with Carlton with the opportunity to take another step towards the top four, but coach Brad Scott is urging patience.
Speaking after his side’s pulsating win against North Melbourne on Sunday evening, Scott was quick to point to his side’s youth in comparison to the Roos.
He said while there had been plenty spoken about North’s youth, there wasn’t enough focus on the Bombers’ young side.
“It’s an interesting narrative, but when you really focus on the facts and not just what people externally talk generally about,” Scott said.
“We had 17 players who hadn’t played 100 games tonight, we’re significantly younger than North Melbourne out there.
“So we’re a pretty young and inexperienced team ourselves and I’m really excited about the upside for us but at the moment every game is going to be a slog.”
Scott had special praise for one of the Bombers’ more experienced players, Jake Stringer, and said he was rebuilding his reputation under his tutelage.
“The reputation gets away from you so I can’t comment on a change,” he said.
“At the moment Jake and Zach are epitomising the way we want to play.
“Jake’s centring kick against Richmond in Dreamtime, his effort to defend, even early in the game today his tackling was a standout.
“That’s not something at the top of the list when people talk about Jake Stringer in the past, but as I said I’m not interested in reputations of the past.”
Zach Merrett played one of the best individual quarters of the season in the opening term, helping propel the Bombers out to an early lead.
The captain had 16 disposals, 253m gained, five clearances and two goals in a midfield masterclass.
But a quarter-time move of Liam Shiels to Merrett kept him to 18 touches over the next three quarters.
“Zach is a really complete player and he impacts the game regardless of what happens,” Scott said.
“There are some players who can have their influence quelled but he’s really impressed me in the way he will do what the team needs regardless of how it looks for him individually.
“He was exceptional in the first quarter but I thought he was very good for the whole game.”
Scott said Peter Wright was available for selection but the work of Sam Weideman and Kyle Langford was strong enough to keep the tall forward out, but he didn’t rule out playing all three together.
Epic win over Roos has Bombers nipping at top four’s heels
A late goal from Essendon substitute Massimo D’Ambrosio has the Bombers knocking on the door of the top four.
Essendon outlasted North Melbourne in one of the games of the season at Marvel Stadium on Sunday evening, snatching the lead with two minutes to play to win by six points.
After Jaidyn Stephenson levelled the scores with three minutes on the clock, the game needed a hero.
D’Ambrosio proved just that as he snapped truly from open play in the dying stages.
A controversial goal with a little more than four minutes left to Kyle Langford, who took advantage from a high free kick, will leave North Melbourne wondering what could have been.
With Nic Martin seemingly ducking into the tackle, one umpire paid it high while another appeared to go to pay holding the ball against the Essendon winger. But the goal stood and the rest is history.
It was a gutsy performance from the Roos who were down two of their experienced midfielders, Jy Simpkin and Hugh Greenwood, after copping head knocks.
Cam Zurhaar almost dragged his side home with four goals, while Will Phillips assumed the midfield mantle with 28 touches and a goal.
MERRETT MASTERCLASS
Zach Merrett might have played the best individual quarter of the season when he helped the Bombers get a 20-point jump in the first term on Sunday evening.
The Essendon skipper was everywhere at Marvel Stadium, either setting his side up or kicking goals himself as he owned the midfield.
Merrett collected 16 disposals while going at 81 per cent efficiency for a total of 253m gained.
He also kicked two goals and had five clearances to all but wrap up three Brownlow votes in half an hour’s work.
SORE HEADS
A couple of unlucky incidents resulting in concussion meant North had its back against the wall for much of the evening.
Captain Jy Simpkin collided with Sam Durham when contesting a ball early in the opening quarter, resulting in a head clash and Simpkin being taken out of the game for substitute Tom Powell at quarter-time.
It set the Kangaroos’ midfield back as Essendon’s prime movers got on top, but another blow in the shadows of halftime left the Roos even thinner in the engine room.
Hugh Greenwood copped a nasty knee to the head while contesting a mark on the wing, leaving him dazed and in the hands of trainers well into the main break.
The 31-year-old was ruled out at halftime.
THOMAS’S RETURN
Tarryn Thomas’ controversial return to North Melbourne’s senior side was capped with a moment of brilliance in the opening term.
The 23-year-old, who was stood down from the club earlier this year following a spate of off-field incidents, collected the ball at half back as North Melbourne was looking for a spark to ignite themselves.
The enigmatic Thomas took off, linking up with handball through the middle of Marvel Stadium, before placing the perfect kick for Nick Larkey to run onto and kick a goal from the goal line.
Thomas finished with 17 disposals, five tackles, a goal and 500m gained.
NERVOUS WAIT
Jack Ziebell will find himself under MRO scrutiny for a knee to the face of Jye Menzie in the last quarter.
With the ball in dispute near the wing on the boundary line, Ziebell jumped to get to it first, but drove his knee into the face of Menzie.
The young Essendon forward stayed down, clearly feeling the effects, and was taken out of the game for a concussion test immediately.
While there was clearly no malicious intent, Ziebell will be sweating the outcome of the MRO findings. If his actions are to be considered careless the veteran could find himself sitting on the sidelines for at least a week.
BOMBERS 6.2 6.6 12.7 16.9 105 NORTH 3.0 6.4 10.8 15.9 99
MOTTERSHEAD’S BESTBombers: Merrett, Ridley, Martin, Caldwell, Perkins. North: Zurhaar, Phillips, Tucker, McKay, Hall, Wardlaw.
GOALS Bombers: Langford 4, Merrett 2, Martin 2, Guelfi 2, Perkins, Caldwell, Stringer, Menzie, Draper, D’Ambrosio. North: Zurhaar 4, Larkey 2, Coleman-Jones 2, Scott, Goldstein, McDonald, Phillips, Thomas, Tucker, Stephenson.
INJURIES Bombers: Menzie (concussion). North: Simpkin (concussion), Greenwood (concussion).
40,488 at Marvel Stadium
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
JAMES MOTTERSHEAD’S VOTES
3 Zach Merrett (ESS)
2 Jordan Ridley (ESS)
1 Nic Martin (ESS)
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