AFL round 11: Ed Bourke analyses Essendon and Richmond’s Dreamtime at the G match

Essendon has climbed into the top eight after surging clear of Richmond in the annual Dreamtime clash. But, do the Bombers really belong among the contenders?

Essendon and the Dreamtime game have waded into unprecedented territory, and not only with the shift to Friday night.

The Bombers just put away a fierce rival to start the weekend inside the top eight, all while the spirit of their supporters copped a battering almost equivalent to the 91-point loss the week before.

What do you say to a team with a 6-4 record who look like sitting ducks among the premiership contenders?

Coach Brad Scott will tell his charges to give themselves a clean slate before they meet the reigning premiers next Thursday, and most of them will gladly erase this error-riddled 23-point win from their memories.

One man who won’t be doing that is Angus Clarke, the 18-year-old debutant from Mount Gambier who was a beacon of light on a night where his teammates looked like they were running an intercept marking workshop for Richmond’s defenders.

Essendon debutant Angus Clarke enjoys one of his three first-half goals.

Sam Durham was a level above most players on the ground. Picture: Michael Klein

Essendon would not have won without the huge boost Clarke gave them when he used his body brilliantly against Hugo Ralphsmith and reeled in a diving mark before he slotted his first goal late in the opening term.

He wasn’t done there, using his 189cm frame to his advantage once again to push Ralphsmith aside and kick the Bombers’ next goal as well midway through the second.

Both set shots from close range he took as straight-on drop punts which he belted through at top-of-post height – Clarke is going to make a lot of football traditionalists very happy.

The debutant showed he could play the end-to-end wingman role that the Bombers had hoped the luckless Nik Cox could play, and looks a draft triumph by Matt Rosa at pick 39.

But Clarke might be needed elsewhere in the coming weeks, because Essendon’s key position injury crisis is only getting worse.

Angus Clarke goal

Peter Wright tries to bust through two tacklers.

Tim Taranto goal

Losing Zach Reid (hamstring) for any period of time will badly hurt the Bombers, as he, like the absent Jordan Ridley before him, had become their best kick as well as their primary interceptor.

Ridley remains six weeks away, while Kyle Langford’s quad injury is a huge cause for concern after he never got going following his previous soft tissue setback.

The Bombers could well be forced to take as many as three key position players in the mid-season draft, and those selections must be ready to play immediately.

Should inspiration strike, they are well placed on the ladder to cash in, but becoming a finals-quality side this year looks near impossible with the tall stocks they have remaining.

Nick Martin was ice cold.

Rhyan Mansell tangles with Archie Roberts.

Hugo Ralphsmith kicks a long bomb

The Tigers are all too familiar with that pain, and their fight in the wet conditions was stirring without captain Toby Nankervis and their bookends Tom Lynch and Noah Balta.

Sam Lalor’s hamstring injury will hurt after he delivered two classy goals, but Adem Yze will be thrilled with the scrap his inexperienced side continues to show.

Playing in front of Indigenous greats including Michael Long, Syd Jackson, Eddie Betts and Shaun Burgoyne, Tigers duo Maurice Rioli Jr and Rhyan Mansell shared a wonderful moment in the third term.

Rioli gathered the ball at full speed and flicked a handball inside to Mansell, who accelerated away from his opponent for a rousing finish from 70m.

Originally published as AFL round 11: Ed Bourke analyses Essendon and Richmond’s Dreamtime at the G match