AFL Round 8 West Coast v Essendon: Zach Merrett, Darcy Parish lead Bombers to win over Eagles

Sam Draper’s comments about Luke Beveridge caused a diplomatic incident north of the Yarra this week but did it cause his absence against the Eagles? Brad Scott clarified post-match.

Brad Elborough

5 min read

May 5, 2024 - 7:30AM

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Essendon coach Brad Scott confirmed that ruckman Sam Draper was managed for Saturday’s game against West Coast and not sidelined for the controversial comments he made during the week about Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge.

If he’s fit, Scott expects him to play against Greater Western Sydney next Saturday.

However, the Bombers boss said that he was disappointed with the comments and that Draper knew exactly how disappointed he was.

Essendon officials had to apologies to the Western Bulldogs coach after Draper suggested on a podcast that senior players would all depart the club if Beveridge was still coaching the Bulldogs next season.

Sam Draper was rested with a sore knee against West Coast. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Scott said Draper thought he was being funny.

“Yeah, I was really disappointed in Sam. And he’s very, very clear how disappointed I was,” Scott said after his side’s narrow six-point win over West Coast.

“He thought he was in an environment where he thought he was being funny and I said, ‘mate, it’s the furthest thing from funny. It’s disrespectful’.

“Our club has had to fight extremely hard for a long period of time to earn respect back in this competition. And that’s just one thing that eats away at that.

“So, I was really disappointed in him, but at the same time I see these as opportunities to help educate and work with players.

“So, it’s not about hanging him out to dry, but he knows that he did the wrong thing and it’s absolutely not the reason why he didn’t play.”

Scott said Draper could have played and that medicos did not rule him out. But he pointed out that although the season is only at round 8, many clubs were resting players because they can’t afford to take anyone into a game that is less than 100% fit.

“We would have loved him tonight, but we went through a cycle last year with Drapes where he played, got to be sore, we kept playing him and he had a sore knee,” he said.

“And I just wanted to break that cycle.

Brad Scott says Sam Draper will play next week provided his knee has improved. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“So provided his knee is fine, he’ll play next week.”

On Saturday night, 26-year-old Draper was rested and 36-year-old Todd Goldstein played.

Goldstein got the Bombers off to a solid start, as they won clearances 13-5 in the opening quarter and led by 10 points. Along the way, Goldstein became the first ruckman to reach 10,000 hit outs at the top level.

But the Bombers boss said there was still plenty of room in the AFL for players with colourful personalities.

“Oh yeah, I think the game’s got plenty of room for a bit of colour,” he said. “This is the thing with Drapes, he adds massive colour.

“I see a lot of four and five-year-olds running around with mullets with number two on their back on the Essendon jumper, and it’s fantastic.

“I love it.

“He’s a very marketable type of guy and he’s a lovable guy. He’s such good fun to be around and such a great club man.

“But there is a line in terms of what is colour and what’s extraversion and what’s disrespectful. And I was just really, really disappointed that we’ve taken so many steps forward in earning respect that we gave a bit back.”

SKIPPER LEADS DONS THROUGH ALMIGHTY SCARE

Zach Merrett has led Essendon back to the verge of the top four with the Bombers skipper taking his rich run of form to the west coast on Saturday night.

After earning the Anzac Day Medal for his performance in the draw with Collingwood, he was again brilliant in the Bombers thrilling six-point win over West Coast.

He had 29 touches and kicked three goals in the 11.11 (77) to 11.5 (71) victory, that has the Bombers in fifth spot, just two points adrift of Melbourne.

There was a moment during the third term that it looked like Merrett’s appearance on the highlight reel would be destined to being one of two Bombers that Eagle Harley Reid fended off in the midfield before delivering the ball to forward Jack Darling.

Darling reduced Essendon’s lead to just four points, after it had been 22.

But not long after, Merrett produced a highlight of his own, a brilliant dribble kick from the pocket for his third goal.

It’s only the third time in his career he’s kicked more than two goals.

Zach Merrett celebrates one of his three goals against the Eagles. Picture: Will Russell/AFL Photos

Nic Martin and the Bombers held on for a six-point win. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

An Eagle close to the top

Another three goals to Jake Waterman has the Eagles forward just one behind Coleman Medal leader Charlie Curnow.

He’s now kicked 18 goals in the past four weeks.

And he should have kicked four and the Bombers could have faced consecutive drawn games.

With 10 minutes to go, Waterman took a strong, contested mark just 30m out, opposed to Jayden Laverde. The margin was only 10 points.

But veteran Jamie Cripps pushed Bomber defender Nic Martin to the ground and the umpire reversed the kick. There was a lot of pushing and shoving happening, but Martin was the only player that lost his footing.

As that was happening, Elliot Yeo’s 200th game abruptly ended, sat on the bench with a groin injury. He missed the last 10 minutes of the game.

The double fend off from Harley ðŸ˜¤#AFLEaglesDons pic.twitter.com/oVpkx1GPGz
— AFL (@AFL) May 4, 2024

Sam Durham combines with Darcy Parish in the midfield. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

More than a Goldy moment

Early in the first term, Essendon ruckman Todd Goldstein earned his fifth hit out.

The knock was the veteran’s 10,000 in his career; the first player to reach the mark.

The fanfare that Collingwood veteran Scott Pendlebury earned a week earlier, when he notched up his 10,000th possessions, wasn’t there. Goldstein’s achievement wasn’t announced on any screen, so none of the fans at the ground probably even knew it had happened.

For the record, the next best is Aaron Sandilands 8502.

But Goldstein’s eight hit outs in the opening term helped the Bombers to a 10-point lead at the first break.

They dominated the clearances 13-5 in that term, Sam Durham collecting four. Essendon went forward four times more than the Eagles and had five more scoring shots, as a result.

They should have led by more.

Back for seconds

Those wasted shots in the opening term (2.5) looked likely to come back to hurt Essendon when the Eagles kicked the first two goals of the second quarter.

Waterman’s goal within a minute of the siren sounding and Yeo, gave the Eagles the lead with a goal from 40m out.

The Bombers had averaged less than three goals in second quarters in 2024 – losing the terms by an average of seven points.

Performances against Port Adelaide (1.1) and last week against the Magpies (1.5), were particularly ugly.

But the Bombers kicked five goals in a second term for the first time this season, against West Coast, turning a 10-point lead into a 22-point advantage at the main break.

Five of the Bombers’ seven goals to half-time were courtesy of marks.