bomberlandia

[bomberlandia]

Ranking every Bombers player from the Elimination Final loss to the Bulldogs

Heading into the Elimination Final against the Bulldogs one of the main worries for the Bombers was their inability to stop run-on goals. This was a trend that appeared regularly all year. 

So it was no surprise then that the Bulldogs kicked 8.3 to 0.5 in a steady second half blitz to end Essendon’s year by 49 on a wet deck in Tasmania. 

This, surely, will be an area the Bombers need to fix if they want to contend for a flag. 

So what did work? 

The Bombers won the hitouts by +19 (53-34). They won the tackle count by +17 (82-65). Even in the wet they clunked marks (+18) and were better at intercepts (+7). 

But the areas they lost ground in ultimately decided the game. 

They lost clearances by -8 (45-37) and centre clearances 14-7. The Bulldogs were far better in the contest, winning that by 22 (170-148). 

They had a string of midfielders that stood up. For contested possessions the Bulldogs had seven players that collected 10 or more: Macrae (19), Liberatore (17), Treloar (14), Weightman (11), Bontempelli (10), Hunter (10), English (10). 

The Bombers had four: Parish, Merrett, Draper and Redman. 

The Bulldogs also won the free kick count 22-14 which kept the Bulldogs in the game early when Essendon dominated stretches of the first half. 

Weightman booted four goals all from free kicks. The Laverde high tackle was there. Not sure about the rest. 

And at one point the Bulldogs had kicked seven goals: five of those were from free kicks. The game wasn’t decided by free kicks but it impacted momentum because of the timing of them and where those free kicks were given. 

To be clear: the Bulldogs deserved to win. Their second half was elite. Bombers were smashed in the midfield as they rediscovered their mojo. 

So where to from here? The Bulldogs play the Lions. The Bombers get some rest and will have another pre-season adding talent to their list and fixing weaknesses: i.e. stopping run-on goals. 

With that, I ranked every Essendon player from Sunday’s 49-point Elimination Final loss. 

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1. Parish: Easily the Bombers best player. He had 15 touches in the second quarter and stuffed the stat sheet with 35d 4t 29 pa 11 clearances 6 inside 50s 7 score involvements all at 71 percent efficiency on a wet day. He also had 698 metres gained, kicked 1.1 and was Essendon’s best contested ball winner with 18. 

2. Merrett: Zach and Parish held the midfield together like they’ve done all year. You can forgive Merrett’s untidy ball use going at 61 percent efficiency, because he worked hard in other areas and earned the most tackles and pressure acts of any Bombers player. He finished with 31d 9t 35pa 13 contested touches 6 intercepts and 593 metres gained.

3. Draper: That was probably his best game for the club. He did everything he could in the wet to win the ball forward, win the contest, take marks. His 44 hitouts were incredible and most of those were to advantage. He had 18d 5m 4t 5 clearances 5 inside 50s, 5 score involvements 12 contested touches and 407 metres gained. He just unlocked the new standard for himself. 

4. Heppell: The skipper was upbeat after the match and you can hear his belief in the team when he spoke about 2022. He ran all day. Clocked up 14.7 kilometres for 24d 7m 18pa at 75 percent efficiency with 6 intercepts. Although not the result he wanted, it was a real leader's effort. 

5. Ridley: I enjoyed watching the contest between Ridley and Naughton. Two young talents going at it. Naughton ended the day with three goals but two of those came in the last quarter when the game was iced. Ridley, who’s only played 48 games, finished the day with 16 spoils, 17d 6m 8 intercepts at 82 percent efficiency in the wet. He’s established himself as an elite defender who can do it all. 

6. Redman: There were no running goals from Redman from half back on Sunday. We’ve been accustomed to this because of his sharp rise in development. He picked up 18d with 9 interceptions, 25pa and 398 metres gained. He was the fourth best Bomber for the contested ball with 11, behind Parish, Merrett and Draper. Good game. Solid year. 

7. Snelling: Ran 15.8 kilometres on the day which was the most on the ground, even more than Bontempelli. Kicked 0.2 and had 15d 7t 24pa with 5 score involvements. A lot of what Snelling does goes unnoticed. This was a solid outing. 

8. Cutler: He had some unlucky moments where the ball ricocheted off his foot into the hands of Tim English for a set shot (missed) and another one on the full. He finished as the fourth best ball winner for the Bombers with 21d 4t 17pa and 8 intercepts at 71 percent efficiency. He got better as the year progressed. 

9. Stewart: The former forward took the most marks for the Bombers with 7, and had the best efficiency at 87. This is what you want from a key defender. He also had 16d and 6 intercepts. He’s been one of Essendon’s success stories of 2021. 

10. Stringer: He didn’t get his hands on the ball enough and probably spent too much time forward or resting. We didn’t see Jake bust through the centre of the ground at all and that’s what the Bombers needed in that third quarter when the game was slipping away. He worked hard with 25 pressure acts. He kicked 2.1. Had eight tackles. But just had 9 touches. 

11. McGrath: Because of Hind’s absence Andy was forced into other parts of the ground. That meant the Bombers missed his clearance and contested work. He finished with 15d 20pa and 7 intercepts. A quiet day by his lofty standards. But he gets a pass. 

12. Laverde: He was strong in the contest and when the ball hit the ground he held his own and was able to get the ball out of the back half accurately most of the time. Gave away two free kicks including the high tackle (which was there) on Weightman who goaled. Ended the day with a solid line of 12d 6m 6 intercepts 11pa at 83 percent efficiency. He’s turned his career around in this new role. 

13. Smith: Tried hard all day. He was involved in a few chase down tackles on the wing. Kicked a goal from a 50-m penalty. Finished with 13d 6t 22 pa and 6 inside 50s which was on par with his season averages. He played his role. 

14. Durham: For a 19-year old playing his first final he did really well. Sure, he wasn’t clean and got pushed off the ball a fair bit, but he kept digging in at the contest. He picked up 17d at 82 percent efficiency with 22 pa and four inside 50s plus four score involvements. There’s something really exciting about Durham. Looks like a real good find. 

15. Caldwell: Had a hot start then faded. Can’t be too hard on him. It was his first senior game since round two. It was actually impressive to see him get through a tough finals game and looked good when he touched the ball. He had 14d 4t 14 pa and 6 inside 50s at 64 percent efficiency. 

16. Guelfi: Played well in patches. Brought great energy. Started the game hot. He had 9d and 4m in the first quarter and then 9d over the next three quarters. Finished the day with 18d 4m 13pa at 66 percent efficiency and had 5 inside 50s. 

17. Gleeson: Was prominent early when both teams were feeling each other out. Had 7d and 5m in the first quarter and by halftime had 13 touches. Only touched the ball five times in the second half. He finished with 18d 6m and 6 intercepts at 77 percent efficiency. 

18. Shiel: Butchered the ball with 45 percent disposal efficiency which included 33 percent in the second term and 25 percent in the third. Shiel has had issues with efficiency before but not to this level. The bad weather didn’t help. Finished with 24d 4t 20 pa 326 metres gained and 6 clearances. 

19. Francis: Kicked 0.2. One of those hit the post. Anytime the ball went forward there was a sea of players on top of him. Had 9d 3m 4t 8pa and 5 score involvements at 33 percent efficiency.  

20. Perkins: Looked under the pump in slippery conditions and it was also his first final. Couldn’t control the ball when he got his hands on it. He had 6d with 12 pa at 83 percent efficiency. Will be better for the experience. 

21. Waterman: Had the least amount of time on the ground (69 percent) for Essendon. Had 10d and 7 pa. Couldn’t get his hands on it. 

22. Wright:  Not his day. Spent 56 percent of his time in the defensive half of the ground. Finished the day with 7 disposals. All handballs.

[bomberlandia]

‘Tonight was a step forward’: Wright kicks 7, Draper, Stringer, dominate the Bulldogs in classy 97-84 win

It was classy and blue collar. Just the way Ben Rutten wanted it.

The Bombers coach said the 13-point win over the AFL’s no.1 team, the Western Bulldogs, was a step forward.  It was their first win over the Bulldogs since 2014.

“I was disappointed with that (first quarter). I don’t think it was a lack of effort. Our intensity and willingness around the ball was there but it was a bit of our execution. I think we missed 10 tackles,” Rutten said. “Bulldogs are on top off the ladder for a reason. I thought the way our guys applied themselves throughout the game was really, really pleasing.”

New recruit Peter Wright, a guy Essendon targeted using a fourth-round draft pick, and someone who couldn’t get a game with Gold Coast, kicked 7.0 from all parts of the ground. Rutten said what we’re seeing right now, is reward for Wright’s hard work and a strong desire to expand his game.

“He had some really strong games through the season and he’s starting to build some momentum and consistency in his game,” Rutten said. “His goal-kicking was fantastic.”

Essendon’s cluster of talls in Wright, Francis, Draper, Stewart, Cutler all had impact in different parts of the ground.

Sam Draper was superb around the clearances collecting 39 hit outs. He  even floated down into the forward line and kicked a goal.

Key defender James Stewart, who was paid to kick goals last year, finally looks at home in the back half.

And Francis’ switch forward looks to be real, with the former backman kicking 2.0 and clutching seven marks.

The early going didn’t look promising for the Bombers. The Bulldogs controlled the game and didn’t cash in on their statistical dominance.

Halfway though the first quarter they led the disposals 50-23 and inside 50s 11-3. The ball spent 67 percent of the time in the Bulldogs forward half.

It was aggressive football. But the Bulldogs only led by 13 at the break. That got extended to 19 early in the second term. But a six-goal quarter got the Bombers back in the game through the core midfield unit: Merrett, Parish, Draper and Stringer.

Ridley, Stewart and Laverde proved too strong for the Bulldogs forwards after quarter time where Essendon were able to defend inside 50 entries and kick 14.5 to 9.9.  The trio combined for 23 intercept possessions.

The Bulldogs had their opportunities in the third, kicking 2.6 to Essendon’s 4.2. Overall they mauled the Bombers for inside 50s (60-39) but were either wasteful or overwhelmed by pressure.

With two games to go, Rutten was asked about finals and how destiny is in the hands of Essendon. With Heppell, McGrath and Caldwell all chances to play, there’s an air of excitement around the possibility of Essendon overachieving and making finals.

“We know finals are looming. Our game has had some inconsistencies. And tonight was a step forward for us,” he said. “If we can keep showing up like the way we did today, we’re going to give ourselves a great opportunity.”

Notes from the Bulldogs win:

-Wright: Big performance on a big stage. He hit the packs at every contest. It was an insanely good low-possession, high reward game: 7.0 from 10 disposals with nine score involvements.

-Francis: He kicked his first goal since 2019 and finished with 2.0 from eight touches and seven marks. He looks good up forward. He kept on presenting. Has strong hands and is a great read of the ball. I like this move.

-Stringer: He didn’t kick a goal but had considerable influence on the game though centre clearances, pressure, and his effective long-range kicks to forwards. He finished with 13 touches, 6 tackles, 31 pressure acts with six inside 50s, six score involvements and seven clearances. The Bulldogs didn’t have an answer for him.

-Durham: He missed some tackles, but I’m excited by his frame and athleticism. And when he does get the ball he uses it well. Much like Perkins. Could you imagine if the Bombers have two kinds of Perkins on their list?

-Clarke: It’s good to see Dylan Clarke back in the team. He looks like a good fit. He finished with 19 touches, 22 pressure acts with five inside 50s. He can tag, to, which is another layer to his game the Bombers haven’t fully explored yet.

-Draper: The 22-year-old gave the likes of Stringer, Parish, Merrett first use 18 times in the centre. Draper had 39 hit outs and the Bombers won the count 48-27, with a 47-31 clearance count win. Draper was a huge part of that. He kicked 1.0 and had nine score involvements.

-Cutler: He’s struggled for consistency but played a decent game against the Bulldogs. He had the most metres gained on the ground with 636 which shows his work rate, something that hasn’t been there. And that’s saying something considering that the Bulldogs are built on running-type players.

-Snelling: It was a blue collar game from Snelling. Four quarters of true grit. He had 12 touches with 10 tackles and an incredible 37 pressure acts. This proves a player like Snelling doesn’t need to get the ball a huge amount to have value. He’s turning his role into a craft.

[bomberlandia]

26 Reasons to love the Bombers right now

The 11-point loss to the Demons was another gallant performance against a more experienced team. It has sparked discussion around how the Bombers “aren’t quite ready” to mix it with the contenders. And that’s true. Remember: the Bombers were predicted to finish 12th or lower this year. They have surpassed expectations and it looks like their development and connection has been fast-tracked with a collective buy in to the Rutten ethos. 

Even though the Bombers are slightly off competing at the pointy end of the year, there’s been so much to like about their season. Here’s 26 things I love about the Bombers right now.  

1. Cale Hooker: Before this year, Cale Hooker worked his way back from injury and was a permanent defender. At 31, he looked tired toward the end of last season. Fast forward 12 months and he’s kicked 30 goals - the most out of any Bombers player - and sits 8th in the Coleman Medal race. I love his work in the forward ruck contests where he hacks the ball forward at any cost. It’s produced some great results. He’s true fighter. 

2. Consistent Form On The Road: Bombers have gone 2-5 from 7 outings on the road. Apart from the Power loss (54) and Lions (57), the other losses have been tight affairs: Swans by 3, Giants by 2 and Tigers by 39 after the Bombers had led in the early stages of the final quarter. It’s not a perfect record but since round five Essendon have been consistently better. They’ve travelled for half of the season so far with the fifth youngest team and can show they can compete. 

3. Dyson Heppell is Back: After only playing 3 games in 2020, many said the Bombers captain was too slow for the midfield and there were question marks over what his role might look like and if he could ever recover back to full health. Heppell answered those questions by playing some inspired football. If you look at the AFL rankings, he’s 45th for disposals, 10th for marks, 17th for intercepts with 90 in total; Steven May has 85. He’s bringing other players like Hind and Laverede into contests and his calm influence is having a big impact. This is the year Bombers fans hoped would happen for Heppell. He’s back. 

4. Sam Draper’s Aggression: He has only played 12 games and yet plays the game with such an energy and ferociousness it’s hard not to get excited about what he could look like three years from now. I’m enjoying the little things about Draper’s game: the intelligent knock-ons, the scrappy kicks from congestion, the high-flying contested intercept marks on the wing. Once he figures out his true potential and can start hurting teams at both ends his value will go through the roof. 

5. Brownlow Medal Fancies: Darcy Parish and Zach Merrett are having years to remember. The predictor has Parish at 18 votes at 9-1 and Merrett at 13 votes for 26-1. Parish has a real chance of winning Charlie. 

6. Darcy Parish’s Year of Growth: Speaking of Parish, he’s the no.1 player in the AFL for centre clearances with 56. His breakout year has resulted in large improvements across the board but his best work has been generating touches at the bounce which has kept Essendon in games much longer. He’s also the best Bomber in the AFL for: goal assists (2nd), contested ball (9th), score involvements (6th) and metres gained (20th). 

7. Jayden Laverde: He’s played every game this year (14) which is the most he’s played in a single year - his previous best was 10 in 2019. The transition to the backline has made him a vital cog in defence now. He’s ranked 54th in the AFL for marks; the second best Bombers player. And he’s ranked 30th for interceptions (81) behind Heppell, Hind, Ridley.  Since making the shift to defence he’s doubled his production: 114 disposals in 2019 to 201 touches in 2021; his marking numbers have gone from 43 in 2016 to 84 this year; and he’s had 41 rebounds this year ( 7 was his previous best in 2015).  It’s taken the 60-gamer almost seven years to find a perfectly fitting role and now he looks at home. 

8. Great Depth: The injuries haven’t been good but when you think of who has to come back into the team you start to imagine what a full Essendon lineup might look like. Missing: McGrath, Shiel, Caldwell, Snelling, Hurley, Francis. And then think of some of the players that got games last year but are working away in the VFL right now, like Cutler, Gleeson, BZT, Phillips, Cahill, Zaharakis. And then development players are there too: Reid, Bryan, Durham, Hird, Brand, McBride. 

9. Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti: He’s arguably the safest set shot in the AFL. In the last three years he’s kicked 80.32; this year 29.12. His goal accuracy of 67.8 percent and his 2.1 goal-average puts him in the elite category. 

10. Ranked second in the AFL for goals scored: The Bombers have an average winning margin of 34.5 (5th best in the AFL). They are also ranked third for points scored behind the Bulldogs, Lions and are better than the Demons (4th), Eagles (5th), Power (6th). 

11. Closing the Gap: The Bombers average losing margin is 22.9. That has dropped. In 2019 it was at 35.6 and in 2020 it was 30.7. This means we’re seeing the Bombers be more competitive. This year the Demons have an average losing margin of 9 points. Geelong has been the benchmark in recent years with 18, 15 and 12 point average losing margins since 2018. 

12. Jordan Ridley: The 22-year-old has only played 39 games and already owns a best and fairest award. His play-making, intercepts (ranked 27th in the AFL), and efficiency has made him Essendon’s no.1 defender now. This year he’s ranked 7th in the AFL for rebounds (90), the best of the Bombers. He just does a lot of things right - from body positioning, reading the play, and decision-making - which has been so good to watch. 

13. Nick Hind is Better than Saad:  This has been a talking point all year. It’s time to lay it all out. Out of 11 categories, Hind is more dominant in eight of them. Here they are: 

Tackles +5 

Inside 50s +5

Goal assists +4

Contested Ball +17 

Uncontested +57 

Efficiency +1 %

Score Involvements +6 

Saad is +1 for rebounds, +23 for bounces, and +18 for metres gained (on average). But Hind looks to be a much more complete player with room to grow. Both players are the same age - 26 - but Hind has only played 35 games; Saad has 123 games behind him.  It’s been an impressive year by Hind at his new club and I think what he’s done is even more remarkable considering it’s only his third year in the AFL system. 

14. The Bombers’ Form Looks Real: Watching them play they have more purpose, more system in their game. They’re no longer the indecisive team that gets strangled under pressure. It’s all about executing and when they do it, it works. They still have gaps. They still turn the ball over. But they’re finally playing a brand of football that is more even and fluid than 12 months ago. Had a few more results fallen their way they could have been a top six team this year. 

15. Highest score this year is 143: That score was against St.Kilda in April and is ranked second highest in the AFL behind the more advanced Bulldogs’ 167. It’s better than the Cats’ 136 and Tigers’ 134. They also scored 141 against the rebuilding Roos. 

16. Last Quarters Won: The ability to finish off games has been one of the Bombers’ strengths. They’ve won 9 last quarters out of 14 which is the best in the AFL. They share that with the Bulldogs, Lions, Crows. The Bombers have also won 8-of-14 first quarters (ranked sixth best), but need to improve on second and third quarters: they’ve won 9 out of 28 collectively (five and four respectively). 

17. Ben Rutten: I think the best trait Rutten has is his communication. Whatever is happening behind closed doors is working because the players have responded on the field. They have responded by signing contracts. They have responded by saying the culture is tight. There’s been player improvement from last year’s fringe guys - Redman, Laverde, Stewart, Snelling, Ham. The Hooker move worked. The game plan is something to finally get behind. He’s surprised a lot of people but also confirmed he’s the man for the job: to take Essendon to their next flag. 

18. Rising Stars: Nik Cox and Harrison Jones both got nominations. It was Cox who started the year consistently with great endurance and skills on both sides of the feet. Now we’re seeing Jones’ contested marking come to the surface and his work rate: running 14-15 kilometres per game. Jones has 18 goals and 52 marks. Cox has 8 goals, 59 marks. There’s no ceiling for either player. Their evolution will be exciting to watch.

19. Merrett’s 2021 is the Best Merrett Yet: He’s had a very consistent career but if he keeps going at the pace he’s at now, he’ll return his best year of production. He needs 219 disposals in nine games to eclipse 659 in a year which is his previous best. He’s ranked 4th in the AFL for disposals per game (31.50), 20th for tackles (69), and he’s had 95 score involvements (second behind Parish at Essendon). Six more years of the Merrett way. 

20. Tackle Count: Bombers are ranked 4th for tackles in the AFL with 61.4 per game. To compare: In 2020 the Bombers were ranked 11th averaging 49.5 per game. This has been a big part of the elevation in intensity and pressure. When it’s all humming, man, it looks good. 

21. Jake Stringer’s Trajectory:  Stringer’s range has no ceiling. Whether he’s a midfield bull, clearance king, goal-scorer, game-changer, x-factor, and more recently “Dusty-like”. He’s surging. Forget the fat-shaming of 2020, he’s taking his game to new levels. With a bit of luck he stays healthy and stays consistent. 

22. Debutants: The trio of Reid, Waterman and Perkins have shown flashes of their potential. Reid has only played the one game but his 202-cm frame will make him one of Essendon’s key defenders of the future. Perkins has had 57 score involvements and 110 uncontested touches. His poise with the ball is ahead of his time. And Waterman has kicked nine goals in seven games and looks like a good fit in the forward line. He brings tenacity and a raking, deadly, left-foot. His AFL journey still gives me goosebumps. 

23. That Eagles 16-point Win: It was dubbed a “coming of age” win for the fact the Bombers beat the Eagles - a finals team - in Perth with a young team. They were down by 29 and kicked 7.8 to 2.5 in the second half. Once they start beating contending teams, they’ll look back at this game and say that’s when it all started to sink in that their best was better than the best. 

24. The Critics Have Turned: Remember this headline? “Essendon star Zach Merrett a casualty of leadership mess”. The Bombers’ 2020 season was called a “death spiral” and “Tipungwuti is a marvellous player in hopeless surrounds”. What about this one:  “Saad decisions spells disaster for Essendon.” Those doomsday headlines have now been replaced with “fiesty” Bombers, “Rising” and “Brave”. 

25. Will Snelling: He’s recovering from a thumb injury but has taken a leap this year with his pressure role. He’s kicked 10 goals, has 18 tackles inside 50 (second best at Essendon), 9 goal assists and 52 tackles. He’s played 33 games since 2016 when his career looked uncertain and now he’s an important cog for Essendon. 

26. Peter Wright: He’s had to pinch-hit in the ruck while Draper was injured and collected 139 hitouts - the most at Essendon. He’s been a solid contested mark option with 18 and has 15 marks inside 50. His 11 goals puts him behind Hooker, Walla, Stringer and Jones and makes him a very versatile tall that will continue to develop. 

[bomberlandia]

Darcy Parish has arrived and the AFL is taking notice

This is the Darcy Parish Bombers fans have been expecting.

The orchestrator of goals. The contested ball beast. Someone who can shift a game in the kind of frightening ways he’s shown us in 2021. He’s aggressive. He’s evolving into an efficient user of the ball.

Right now his ceiling is untapped and no-one knows how high the 23-year-old can go. But after a few development years where he spent more time across half forward, he’s now showing the AFL what the good to great jump can look like.

On Saturday against the reigning premiers Richmond, Parish amassed 44 disposals – a club record – and won the Yiooken Award for best afield. He clocked up 14.1 kilometres for the match and had 174 metres gained in the final quarter – the most on the ground.

He almost willed an Essendon victory. That’s made more impressive with the loss of Andrew McGrath in the first quarter. Parish stepped up and went into overdrive. Even though the Bombers lost by 39 you could see just how much impact Parish can have on a game.

This is is piece I wrote for The Roar Sports. The full version is here. 

[bomberlandia]

“Coming of age” win over Eagles, Bombers first win on the road in 2021

Ben Rutten got his first win on the road against the Eagles who were 5-0 at Optus Stadium before this weekend. After some early dominance by West Coast who lead by 29 and 25 at different stages of the game, Essendon managed to hang in the game and kicked 7.8 to 2.5 in the second half to win by 16 in what media pundits were calling a “coming of age” win. 

Here are some thoughts from the 87-71 win. 

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-Tipungwuti: Walla’s form has gone up a few cogs. He’s the perfected that low disposal, high pressure game. He’s kicked 18.4 in the last six weeks (only Harry McKay has done it better). In the second half, Walla had eight disposals: six of those were scores and four were goals to Stringer (x2), Cox and Waterman.

-Heppell: That was Heppell’s best game in two years. The skipper provided solid support at the D50 and along the wing. In the last quarter there’s vision of him organizing the defence behind the ball when the game was still up for grabs. Also, in the last quarter, he marked everything that came his way. He won the contested ball. Made good decisions. He’s back. 22d 9m 6t 15pa 90 percent efficiency along with 12 intercept touches and 408 metres gained. 

-Laverde: He was banged up and played with blood stains under his nose for most of the game. But he’s really starting to look at home as a defender down back. He’s showing more belief in himself and the confidence from that is translating on the field. In the final quarter he had 5d 3m and kept Darling to 1.0 for the match. He finished with 15d 5m 4t and 10 pressure acts at 93 percent efficiency with 8 intercept touches. 

-Perkins: He is probably going to get nominated for Rising Star for the impact he had in the second half with his touches. He was part of a chain that set up two goals and put his body on the line in the contest. Never looks overwhelmed and when clear, makes the right decisions. He finished with 16d 4m 3t and 21 pressure acts. 

-The Hooker score review: It’s hard to say if the Hooker shot on goal was touched or not because the current score review system doesn’t look conclusive. It seems like they are guessing. Here’s the solution: Get technology that is conclusive or don’t use it at all.

-Rutten: Bombers coach Ben Rutten had a lot of things to say about the Bombers on their fighting spirit. He called it a “gutsy” performance. They showed maturity. They showed “great character and spirit.” The Bombers kicked the last two goals of the first half and last two goals of the game. They eroded a five-goal and four-goal deficit at various points in the game. This Bombers team is developing a strong resolve. 

-Stringer: He kicked 0.2 in the first half but he came alive in the second half kicking 3.0. He kicked a critical goal from 50 on a tight angle in the pocket in the third. Snapped a clever one at the start of the fourth and took a contested mark 10 metres out late in the game. All goals came at pivotal times. It was his first game back after some time off for that hamstring injury. He stepped up.

-BZT: He was a last minute inclusion because of Francis’ illness. He showed courage in the last quarter when he got crunched, putting his body on the line in a head to head contest. He was taken from the field and returned to play out the game. It epitomized what the Bombers were willing to do to win the game. They wanted it more. 

-Langford: The contested pack mark he took in the dying moments of the second quarter just shows how he’s turning into a match-winner. The goal reduced the margin to 17 points at half-time and gave the Bombers a chance at winning the game. He kicked 1.1 with 28 touches 9m 4t and 18 pressure acts at 85 percent efficiency. His contested marking is becoming elite. 

 -Efficient Eagles:  West Coast are 5-0 at Optus in 2021. They had an average winning margin of 35.6. They’ve been the best in the AFL at inside 50 conversions. They were 9.0 at halftime. Yet, the Bombers still found a way to overcome all of that.

-High pressure defence: The Bombers high defence look vulnerable at times. Four of the nine first half Eagle’s goals came from turnovers and the ability to break the defence up on the wing. It’s a high risk, high reward set up when the ball is forward of centre. When it works it’s hard to penetrate. When it doesn’t the Bombers leak goals. 

-Phillips:  Forget the fact he lost the hitout count 40-11. Forget that Nic Naitanui had 20 disposals and Phillips had 11. Focus on the fact that Phillips impact the contest around the ground more than Naitanui and took seven marks at important times at half back and on the wing. Naitanui’s 20 touches weren’t impactful.

-Midfield core: The trio of Zach Merrett, Andrew McGrath and Darcy Parish are becoming a dominant force. They’re gelling. And it’s becoming more apparent that Merrett must stay a Bomber. In the last quarter they collected 33 touches with Merrett claiming 16 of them. Merrett had 37d 5m 18 pressure acts. Parish had 36d at 80 percent efficiency with 4m 26 pressure acts. And McGrath had 24d 3m 14 pressure acts. To think there is still Shiel, Caldwell, Draper to come back into the team. 

-Points from defensive half:  There was a stat that appeared on the field that I thought was worth repeating here: Bombers are ranked no.1 in the AFL for points from the defensive half. They average 39.4 points per game. 

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Wright, Walla, Jones tee off against the Roos in the Bombers’ 141-69 win

The 72-point win over the Roos in R10 was a dominant performance by Essendon. It was one of their best games this year. The win was set up by a frenetic start. They kicked 6.4 in the opening term. They followed that up with a 5.1 to 1.2 second quarter and led by 50 at half time. The Roos fought back in the third quarter with their short kick game and got more numbers behind the ball. They won that term 5.5. To 4.1. But a 7.3 to 2.1 final quarter saw the Bombers finish strong. 

So far this year the Bombers have revealed a clear, set brand of football that they want to play. It’s still a work in progress but you can see what they are trying to do. They’ve also won big - Saints (75), Roos (72). Coming up they have Eagles, Tigers, Bye, Hawks, Demons. Seeing them beat a top eight scalp - Eagles, Tigers or Demons -  would be something I think we’d need to see. It would not only give the players confidence but I think it would give the coaches a shot in the arm to know that their methods are working and are on the right track. 

Here are some brief notes and observations from the 141-69 win over the Roos. 

________________

-McGrath is kind of flying under the radar. He had 22 handballs on the weekend and 31 touches at 100 percent efficiency. Plus, 10 score involvements and 12 pressure acts. On top of that, the Bombers culture shift was on full display; McGrath had the chance to kick a running goal after he broke free at the fifty, but instead chose to pass to Harry Jones who kicked a goal. It was selfless. 

-The forward line is really starting to click. On the weekend the Bombers had a balanced mix of 12 goal scorers. Wright, Jones, Walla, combined for 9.4 out of the 22.9. Hooker kicked 2.3. Langford, Cox and Waterman all kicked two each. It’s great to see Waterman back in the team. I like his size. And he has such a deadly kick from long range. 

-Bombers are ranked no.2 in the AFL for tackles. They sit behind the Demons who have 663. The Bombers have 654. In 2021 the Bombers own a 9-1 win-loss record for the tackle count. The only loss was against Fremantle (-2). The biggest margins have been +30 against the Pies, +27 against the Saints, and +24 against the Swans. 

-Speaking of score involvements, Darcy Parish leads the Bombers with 75 of them and is ranked 13th in the AFL. Parish had another big game with 36 touches at 88 percent efficiency, which included 12 score involvements - the most of the Bombers. He also had 556 metres gained, 12 marks, 26 pressure acts and 13 contested possessions. He’s making a serious push for All-Australian. The numbers don’t lie. Parish is now sixth overall in the AFL Coaches Association’s AFL Champion Player Award behind the likes of Oliver, Bontempelli and McCluggage. 

-The Bombers’ 72-point win against the Roos on the weekend was the largest winning margin since 2001 when they won by 85. Bombers have won the last six against North. Since 2001 the record is: 11-14 (North). 

-Snelling copped some criticism last week when he passed the ball off instead of having a shot on goal in the dying stages of the match against the Giants. This week he finished with a goal and 25 touches, 14 pressure acts at 84 percent efficiency. His haul included eight score involvements. I think he reminded fans why he’s in the team. He’s the second best tackler at Essendon (49 tackles in 2021) behind Andrew McGrath who’s ranked 8th in the AFL. And has kicked nine goals (5th best at Essendon). For those who think he’s VFL quality think again. He’s more than that. 

-Zaharakis showed us he still has value and will still have value for the next few years as a role player. The 31-year old had 22 touches at 86 percent with 22 pressure acts and a goal. Granted, this was against a rebuilding Roos.He’s only played just the three games this year but I would like to see him do this against the Eagles or another top eight team.

-Wright played arguably his best game for the Bombers. He didn’t kick a bag of seven or do anything that was next level, but  instead, he wowed us with how good he played his role. He finished with 3.2 that included two long-range goals. He had 16 touches and 10 marks. It was also his efforts to get to the right spots and make a contest inside 50 that made his day a very complete game. 

-Harry Jones just re-signed until 2023 which is exciting. He’s proving that he doesn’t need a ton of the ball to be damaging. He kicked 3.0 against the Roos with six touches and three marks at 83 percent  efficiency. I can only imagine what he’ll do with more of the ball in his hand and more opportunities. In a very short time he’s ironed out some of his goal kicking yips and looks a threat every time he gets near the ball. His snap from the pocket was electric. 

-Here are some other AFL rankings for the Bombers. The good: Marks: 8th. Disposals: 6th. Efficiency: 3rd. Centre clearances: 3rd. The bad: Inside 50s: 11. Clearances: 15th. Hitouts: 15th. Contested ball: 16th. Clearances, hitouts, contested ball are still areas that need work. With players like Stringer and Draper returning this will improve. 

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A case for Essendon: why Zach Merrett might stay at the Bombers

For The Roar last week I wrote about Merrett’s contract predicament and why Essendon does make a good case for him to lay down his best years of football with them. It’s not an easy decision. Football is a business. Essendon has been a complicated football club in recent years so it’s only fair that Merrett weighs up his decision in a methodical way that is best for him. That’s the diplomatic way to look at it. The fan view: “I hope in hell he stays.” 

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Parish 39, Ham kicks match-winner against the Dockers

The Bombers kicked 3.1 out of the blocks - two of those to Harrison Jones - and it looked like the start of a repeat Saints demolition job. But from there, Fremantle stopped the Bombers from generating scores from the back half, got on top of the contested ball and kept the ball in their front half for repeat inside 50 entries. They owned the game for 2.5 quarters. In that time they had 16 scoring shots to eight, kicking 7.9 to 4.4 with Taberner, Lobb, Brayshaw on top. But they didn’t put the Bombers away. 

Heading into the final quarter the Bombers trailed by three they upped the pressure. They won the inside 50 count 18-11. They hunted the ball. And were able to kick 3.2 to 1.4 to get over the line by 7 points. Rutten admitted it wasn’t the best game of football but he said the Bombers showed “maturity”to hang in  there on the scoreboard. When the Dockers were going inside 50 for most of the second and third terms, guys like Heppell, Redman, Ridley, Hind stood tall in defence. And the Bombers did what they haven’t done in recent weeks: they made the most of their opportunities. 

After three losses in 2021 decided by less than a goal the Bombers found themselves on the positive side of a close, hard fought, gritty game. 

Here are some thoughts and notes from the 68-61 win over Fremantle. 

*

-Merrett v Serong. It was clear early that Serong was going to be a headache for Merrett when he collected him off the ball and gave away a free kick-goal. Merrett was held to 22d, but he also got his hands dirty with 22 pressure acts. He still had an impact on the game. Now the Bobers have new midfield depth, Merrett doesn’t need to rack up 40 touches for the Bombers to win. He can get 20 and others will step up. That’s a good sign. This is a new thing for the Bombers. 

-The Bombers hung in there. It wasn’t pretty. Sometimes it’s ok to win ugly. For the Dockers, Taberner was solid. He kicked 4.3 and had a couple on the full. Had he kicked more accurately the game would have been a Dockers win. Even with a soaring inside 50 count (16-7 in the second quarter) they couldn’t bury the Bombers on the scoreboard during the second and third quarters. The Dockers kicked 5.7 in that period from 28 inside 50s. The Bombers kicked 4.4 from 20 entries.

-Nick Hind. The blue collar work ethic was on show against the Dockers. Hind had 31 touches 8m 9 pressure acts at 83 percent efficiency. He racked up 523 metres gained and had five inside 50s. The debate rages on whether he’s better than Saad. I think they’re both good at what they do. The worry was that Hind wouldn't be able to fill the void left by Saad and I think we can say that he has filled that role. What he brings to that role is at least equal to what Saad did and that’s all that matters. Hind is having a standout year for a new recruit. (For the record: Saad is averaging 475 metres gained per game; Hind is at 452 per game).

-McGrath. With Merrett and Parish getting the spoils on the attacking side of what the Bombers are doing, McGrath’s defensive work shouldn’t go unnoticed. He gathered 27d 8t, had 24 pressure acts and 10 contested possessions. He’s impacting the game inside the contest. What I loved about the Fremantle game is that he stood up for his teammates when they were getting treatment off the ball and got into some scraps. He’s a kid that knows how to sacrifice his own game for the betterment of the team’s evolution. He’s only 22 and has a James Hird demeanour about him. 

-Zaharakis. He came in and played his first full game in a long time. He picked up 16 touches 4m and had 14 pressure acts.  He’s 31. He’s the second oldest player on the list. He’s not going to have the same impact but with the mounting injuries he will be a good servant who can play a role this year. Some suggested Rutten drop Zaka to blood youth. He’s already blooding youth. The Bombers do need some senior heads - like Zaka - to help steady the ship. 

-The Bombers backline chemistry is real. You’ve got Ridley who marks everything and is accurate by foot. Heppell’s decision-making makes the transitions work smoother. He covered a lot of ground by running 15.4 kilometres, the most of any player. Redman’s one-on-one contested marking has improved. He’s also now a weekly goal kicker. Nick Hind has become an elite ball carrier and tough competitor. And there’s also Laverde and Stewart who provide lockdown support. It’s not perfect but they are gelling.

-Ham. He kicked the match-winner on his wrong foot and has improved greatly in the last 12 months. He’s got a role and with that comes purpose. His speed, pressure and now, goal sneakiness, is what Bombers fans love about his game right now. 

-Snelling. He didn’t have the greatest skill game. He made some ugly  errors, kicked a ball on the full which resulted in a goal. Couldn’t hit targets by hand in congestion. And should have had a shot on goal with 90 seconds remaining instead of a sideway pass that missed his target of Hooker. He picked up 18d 7t at 47 percent efficiency. The two redeeming stats for Will: his 30 pressure acts (the most on the ground) and he ran 14.6 kilometres which tells us he worked hard to get to contests which is how he ended up with the most pressure acts on the ground.

-Redman. Rutten was asked at the post-match presser what had been the secret in Redman’s form revival. Truck said last year he was battling some injuries but came back at pre-season “on a mission” to find consistency. “He was not the player he wants to be.” And that’s what we’re seeing in 2021. He’s ability to win contests and kick goals is a threat. The hard work is paying.

-Parish. I guess we can talk about Parish’s monster game now. He’s making a habit of collecting big numbers and now he’s entered All-Australian talks. Against the Dockers he gathered 39 touches, kicked a crucial goal, had 9 pressure acts, 10 clearances, 7 inside 50s, 9 score involvements and 459 metres gained. It’s freakish. In the absence of Shiel and the Merrett tag, Parish went up another level into God Mode. 

-Injuries. In the last two weeks the Bombers have added Stringer and now Smith to the injured stockpile. This is on top of Caldwell, Shiel, Hurley, Draper, Reid, Cutler, Clarke, Mosquito. The good news is that Waterman looks ready to go. And a string of VFL Bombers had eye-catching games: Bryan had 42 hitouts, Ambrose kicked six goals, Cahill had 21 touches (+1.0) and BZT had 17 touches, 4 marks. 

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Merrett’s big 150th, and 15 observations in the tough loss to the Giants

The Bombers lost their sixth match for the year against the Giants by two points in Sydney. They trailed by as much as 31 points in the first quarter which prompted the commentators to suggest things were about to get ugly. 

But Essendon fought back through cleaner inside 50 entries and winning the contested ball in large patches. The margin blew out to five-goals during several stages of the game, and at three-quarter time the Giants led by 25 points. Essendon had lost Jake Stringer with a hamstring injury by then. 

Another late charge saw Essendon boot 6.2 to 2.3 in the last quarter and almost stole the game from the Giants. Harry Jones, Kyle Langford, Zach Merrett, Andrew McGrath and super sub Matt Guelfi all impacted the final term. Langford kicked a goal with four seconds remaining. Merrett got the final clearance of the game but the Giants hung on.  

After the game Ben Rutten summed up the loss by highlighting the inefficiencies of the first and third quarters:  

“The lulls in our game are costly on the scoreboard,” he said. “To come back from five goals down in that first quarter, the spirit and character was good. But we want to be better than that.” 

The Giants’ loss now makes it three losses by three points or less (Giants, Swans, Hawks). 

Here are some of the things that stood out from Saturday’s match. 

____________

Merrett: Zach had a 150th to remember. He had the most touches on the ground with 37, 13 pressure acts, a whopping 13 inside 50s, nine score involvements and 644 metres gained - the most of anyone on the ground. His brute tackling helped shift momentum toward the end of the first quarter. He’s having a year: ranked no.2 in the AFL for disposals, ranked no.2 for inside 50s behind Petracca and he’s no.1 in the competition for uncontested ball. He’s sure playing like he wants to be at Essendon next year.

Guelfi: What a cameo. The super sub only spent 28 percent of the game on the field but what a last quarter he had. He had a serious impact. The 173-cm utility had four inside 50s, eight disposals at 87 percent efficiency (Merrett had 10 the most of any player on the ground), six tackles (the most last quarter tackles on the ground), kicked a vital goal, had eight pressure acts and gained 235 metres (most of any player on the ground). That’s a Patrick Dangerfield highlight reel.

The First Quarter: It was strange to watch. The Bombers were competing well in the contest. But just couldn’t finish off. At one point Healy and Brereton both said Essendon had 13 kicks in a row inside 50 that didn’t hit a target. The poor entries either had too much hang time which made it easier to set up and defend or were kicked straight to Giants defenders. For the quarter Essendon won the inside 50 count 15-14 but trailed on the scoreboard 2.2.to 6.2. When they hit up leading targets they looked far more dangerous. 

Phillips v Mumford: Neither ruckman were stellar but both had impact. Phillips had more of the ball. Mumford’s best work was off the ball. Phillips won the hitout count 26-24 and he had 13d 6m 8 pressure acts at 84 percent efficiency. Mumford had 10d and 8 pressure acts. Essendon won the overall hitouts +8. Good call from Rutten to bring in Phillips. 

Tackle Count:  Against the Giants the Bombers won the tackles +1 to keep their winning streak in tackles to eight consecutive weeks. They have the most tackles in the AFL with 542; the Demons are second with 510. 

McGrath: You’d have to say that McGrath’s work in and under the contest was one of the reasons Essendon stayed in the game. He had 12 clearances (most on ground) and the most contested possessions in the second half (9). He finished with 25d 3m 15pa. In the final quarter McGrath was on the end of a handball from a contest, steadied and kicked it out in front of Harry Jones who goaled. It was a textbook inside 50 entry. He didn’t try to drill into his rib cage. Every Bombers player should study it. 

Redman: “Red Dog” is fast becoming one of my favourite players. His 65-metre goal when the Bombers needed it is almost becoming a regular feature from his game. He picked up 23d and 10 pressure acts along with 557 metres gained. The dog ears celebration adds to his affable character. I liked it. In the last quarter when the Bombers went end to end and Guelfi kicked a goal, Redman can be seen with his arms up in the air celebrating. He has an authenticity about him, a real team-first mentality. He is one player that looks like he’s really enjoying his football. 

Stringer: The hamstring injury is a big blow. Rutten is still not sure how bad the injury is or will be. But if he misses significant time it will have impact up forward but mainly his midfield role. Stringer has had significant injuries in the last three years. He’s played, 6*, 10, 19 games. Against the Giants Stringer spent 46 percent of his time on the ground. The fact he came off, then went back on, hopefully suggests it’s not a major injury. This news is on top of Jye Caldwell’s setback. Draper is still three to five weeks away from a return. And Shiel is two months from a return. 

Perkins: Archie kicked his first goal for Essendon in the third quarter. His goal prompted Brereton to talk about Cox, Perkins and Jones who are adding parts to their game each week. He said sometimes it takes a rookie a season, maybe two seasons, 20 games or 30 games to know if they’re going to be 10-year player or not. “These three boys are going to be 10-year players,” he said.

Overuse and Turnovers: “The Bombers have more handballs than kicks.” said Healy. There was a chain of eight handballs up the ground that didn’t work out. The Bombers got forced sideways and were cornered, and ended up turning the ball over. This was emblematic of their issues in the early goings of the match. Had they been a touch more cleaner, a bit more direct, and one less handball, they could have seen more reward on the scoreboard.  Healy said the Bombers are in the bottom three teams in the AFL for turnovers. 

Heppell: The skipper’s calm and super efficient game was operating in high gear against the Giants. He gathered 27d and took 8m at 85 percent efficiency. Having him back there takes the pressure off guys like Ridley, Redman, Laverde, Hind. Heppell made some big-time kicks and decisions that hit targets and released the run from defence. 

Harry Jones: Harry J continues to impress in chunks of games which is exciting to watch. Rutten said “he was well held for three quarters but found a way to have an impact on the game.” He kicked two critical goals in the last quarter. And Rutten says he’s continuing to build that belief. 

Langford: It was a tale of two halves for Langford. His first half had some glaring foot skill errors that cost Essendon goals. Then he redeemed himself by kicking three second half majors. His last quarter netted just two disposals but he kicked two goals which had great impact. He finished the game with 12 pressure acts.

Snelling: I thought Snelling’s game was exactly what he’s been picked in the team for. He kicked two goals, had 16 pressure acts, 19 touches at 94 percent efficiency. He kicked a badly needed goal on the siren of quarter time. And then a banana snap under duress in the last quarter. This is his role. 

Hooker: I’ll just leave this here: Was that a free kick or a mark to Hooker in the last quarter? It’s an either or question. 

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Walla kicks a bag of five and more from the Anzac Day win over the Pies

The Bombers won a tight Anzac Day match against the Pies by 24 points. The game was still up for grabs well into the final quarter. Collingwood, at one stage, led by one point. But a stream of goals from Stringer, Walla, Parish, put the game out of reach.

The Bombers controlled large periods of the game without blowing Collingwood away. The Pies looked like they were just hanging on. Forward entries is part of the game the Bombers need to fix. But there were lots of positives. The Bombers are 2-4. Here are some notes from the weekend. 

 -Peter Wright: We finally saw what Wright can do. His criticism so far has been he hasn’t worked hard enough or hasn’t been engaged. But think of this: he was drafted to be a key position forward but then has taken up ruck duties in the absence of Draper. He hasn’t been playing the role he was drafted for. But on Anzac Day, we saw it all - 16 touches, 10 marks, and two important goals. If you saw those goals they were deadly straight and that’s what recruiters said was his best quality. 

-The Bombers were challenged a few times during the game. Collingwood shot out to a three-goal lead in the first quarter. Then the were ahead by one point at the start of the last quarter. In both situations the Bombers were able to hold their nerve and reel Collingwood back in. It didn’t overawe them. I can think of a number of times in the last five years (truthfully, I’ve lost count) where they would have capitulated in either of those circumstances. Not this year.  Granted, the Pies aren’t much chop. But this tells us the Bombers have evolved.

-Ridley was ruled out of the game for concussion (from the Lions match). Then the Bombers lost Francis (ankle). At one point Collingwood had eight goals from 19 inside 50s which is incredible. It also demonstrated the weakness the Bombers had to address mid game and through guys like BZT, Redman and Laverde they were able to hold on. Laverde stood out for me: 21d and 13 marks (the most on the ground). Both Laverde and Redman are getting better each week. Redman’s running goal brought the house down. 

-Was that Walla’s best game for the Bombers? It just might be. It wasn’t just the five goals, it's how he kicked them: in traffic and had to invent ways to get boot to ball. Pies fans were howling about the boundary line goal; and they had a right to do that because it was out. But they must also remember Steele Sidebottom’s throw to Pendlebury that resulted in a goal. It evened out. Walla’s pressure was elite all day: 26 pressure acts. What a game. 

-Darcy Parish has filled the void left by injured Shiel. We’ve seen his best football when he’s played as an inside midfielder. Worsfold tried to use him as a half-forward, relief onballer. But his 42 touches and Anzac Day medal reminds us all where he’s at and where he plays his best football. That final quarter snap goal really was icing on the cake. The Bombers have stuck with him and are getting rewarded. 

-Nik Cox’s has become a regular talking point. His tackle on Steele Sidebottom was tremendous. We saw this type of work the week before when Cox chased down Joe Daniher on two separate occasions. The versatility of Cox’s game is probably more than the Bombers bargained for. But then again maybe it’s exactly why they drafted him for: the jack-of-all-trades with endurance who can kick goals, defend the wing and take contested grabs. 

-Every week Harry Jones does something that makes us all excited about his potential. This week it was a contested pack mark with six players in it amid a sea of arms and legs. What we’ve seen so far is that he’s strong on a lead, he chases and defends well, and now he’s starting to clunk contested marks. His evolution is tracking well. 

-The Jake Stringer effect is in full swing. His dual-role of impact midfielder at the centre bounce and key forward is having a huge influence. Up forward Stringer looks dangerous one-on-one. When he contests he’s able to feed the ball to other forwards like Walla. He’s kicking goals at critical times. And his work in the middle helps create momentum when he uses his big frame to create blocks and win the ball. 

-The one frustration from the Collingwood win was the inefficiency moving the ball inside 50. The Bombers won the I50 count 54-43 for a total of 16 goals. But the first quarter netted four goals from 17 entries. By halftime they had booted eight goals with 15 scoring shots from 31 entries. That means the Bombers had 16 entries where they didn’t score. This was in part due to Collingwood pushing numbers back, but also poor options: going deep too many times when they needed to look for isolated players at the 40-metre mark or alternate lead up options.

[bomberlandia]

The baby Bombers of 2021. 

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Cale Hooker, Archie Perkins and other observations from the Lions loss

Cale Hooker kicked a bag of 4.1 which was the best return for a forward on the ground. But other than that, it was an otherwise lopsided affair against the Lions at the Gabba. After a goalless first quarter in torrential rain - 25mm fell in the first half -  the Bombers never looked settled and didn’t bring their mojo that saw them press the Swans the week before. The Lions, however, adapted to the wet conditions and sliced Essendon up with excellent ball use. 

Essendon’s football general manager Josh Mahoney said the Bombers overused the handball in the first half but that the Lions’ pressure was impressive. 

“They are a mature side. They made the most of their opportunities. Like Port Adelaide, they will make you pay for any mistakes you make.” 

Here’s more from the Lions 102-45 loss. The Bombers are now 1-4. 

Notes from the game: 

-It’s time Cale Hooker loses the “experiment” tag. He’s a problem for opposition teams. He’s a clean and strong one-grab mark. Gets to the right spots. Often thought of as an unlikely forward. But his four goals on the weekend shows just how far he’s come as a forward in the twilight of his career. He’s kicked 16 goals this year. The most of any Bomber. 

-The Bombers kicked 1.5 in the first half which included a goalless first quarters.Last year the Bombers were the worst AFL club at winning first quarters. They won four. This year, so far, Essendon have won eight out of 20 quarters, which explains their 1-4 record. They’re playing good football for 40 percent of the time each match. 

-Much was made of Joe Daniher’s game against his old club. His 25 touches. His 2.1. His eight marks. On paper it looked good. But they weren’t damaging touches. His goals came late. His disposals were taken up the ground. For me, it wasn’t a “special” knock. It’s good that he’s healthy again. The good thing for Joe is that he doesn’t need to be the focal point. And that’s why the Lions were a good fit for him. 

-Daniel Rich was a pest. He was the best player on the ground for metres gained with 940. He collected 31 touches (ranked 5th best on the ground). It became obvious that the Lions were feeding him the ball because he has an excellent kick. Why didn’t Rutten try to stop that? I feel he has an anti-tagging policy. That his system will trump individual nuisances. Rutten let Tom Mitchell grab 39 touches in R1 and that cost him the game. This is an area of his coaching that he needs to fix: spotting glaring obstacles and plugging that hole. 

-Here is some good news: Archie Perkins. He finished with 20 disposals, 5 marks, 4 tackles, 27 pressure acts and 408 metres gained. He played on Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale in the second half. He’s only 19 and it was only his third game. He looks poised and hungry for the ball. That’s what Essendon wanted. You can already tell it’s just a matter of getting games into him as soon as possible. He’s going to be incredible. 

-Losing Jordan Ridley early in the game hurt the backline structure. It just goes to show how important he is and how far he’s come in such a short period of time. When he’s able to play his intercept game the Bombers often are in a good position to rebound and score. His kicks are deadly accurate and he makes good decisions which are two quality traits of a defender. We know this about him already. But it’s worth repeating. 

-The forwards were quiet. That probably has to do with the 41 inside 50s that resulted in six goals. What was frustrating to watch, the Lions were able to keep the ball in their half for large chunks of time. They got repeat entries. When the Bombers went forward the ball came straight back out through shallow entries and poor options. Stringer had nine touches for the day. Waterman got five. Smith had 14 but was quiet. Walla tried to do too much with the ball in the wet and got caught a few times.

-Peter Wright battled hard in the ruck with 27 hitouts and eight touches. If he’s going to continue to be the ruck focus for now he needs to be doing more around the ground - dropping in the hole in defence, pushing forward high on the 50 for shallow entry marks. Granted the conditions were not suited for talls and big loping men like Wright.And we have to remember he’s playing as a “fill-in” because Draper is injured.  We’re still yet to see the best of Wright. I think his best is playing up forward where he’s focusing on just being a forward. There’s value there. Give him time. 

-Zach Reid's debut was a tough initiation: No Ridley, against the Lions at the Gabba, in the wet. It can’t always be perfect. Reid turned the ball over a few times, and got worked off the ball in some one-on-ones. But he also won some contests against seasoned players and caught Joe Daniher twice. With Reid, Ridley and Francis as the three pillars in defence, the future looks good. 

-The statistics that looked good for the Bombers included the free kick count 32-16. They almost broke even in the stoppages ( -4 for clearances). They were -17 for the contested ball and turned the ball over 12 more times. Marks were an issue: 92-49 (Lions). Bombers were -10 for marks inside 50 and -9 for contested marks. Bombers were also -13 for intercepts (No Ridley). They did win the overall tackle count +18 (81-63) but the Lions were +6 for tackles inside 50.

[bomberlandia]

Bombers Brought a Blue Collar Game, and Other Thoughts From the 83-80 Swans Loss

After the first two weeks no-one thought the game against Sydney would turn out the way it did. No-one thought it was going to be a blockbuster. Football media eluded to a “big Thursday night game” but I’m not sure they truly believed what they were selling.

On a Thursday night in Sydney, The Swans took on the same team that got smashed by 54 against Port Adelaide, the same team that thumped St.Kilda by 75; the latter a 2020 finals team. Despite missing Shiel, Caldwell, Draper, Hurley and more, the Bombers delivered a statement with a complete game of pressure, blocked the corridor, and defended well. 

What they lacked was finish and it ultimately cost them a win. The Bombers fought back in the third quarter after giving up a four-goal lead. The Swans got on top in the contested ball (47-24) and it became an arm wrestle the rest of the way with both teams squandering opportunities to ice the game. The Swans hung on by 3-points to win 83-80.

After the game Swans midfielder Callum Mills was asked about Essendon’s game and said “they came with pressure all game. They defend really tight.” Swans coach John Longmire was in awe of Essendon’s final quarter effort accumulating 36 tackles. “I think that might have got lost during the week, how good that win was (against St.Kilda) for the Bombers. They were good last week. They were good again tonight.” Fox Footy analyst Leigh Montagna said Essendon were maybe better than what we’ve given them credit for.

The players that stood out for the Bombers included Jordan Ridley (28d 8m 9 intercepts at 78 percent efficiency), Zach Merrett (27d 9t), Darcy Parish (25d 5t), Dyson Heppell (23d 8m 11 intercepts at 82 percent efficiency).

First-year players Nik Cox and Alec Waterman were lively. Cox picked up 18d 7m and kicked 1.2, while Waterman kicked two goals. Jake Stringer (3.1) and Cale Hooker (3.1) were solid up forward. Harry Jones kicked an important goal and had 16 pressure acts.

Pressure was the theme for the night. Merrett (35), McGrath (30), Snelling (28), Parish (25), Stringer (22), Smith (21) and Ham (20) all led the team for pressure acts. Ridley (656) had the most metres gained on the ground. Hind (532), Merrett (529) and Langford (501) also ran hard.

Here are some thoughts from the game:

-Let’s get the pre-game excuses out of the way. Bombers were coming off a five-day break. It was an interstate game (second in three weeks). Bombers were facing a red-hot Swans team inform - a team that demolished the Tigers. Bombers were missing half-a-dozen players. And, the Bombers had the youngest team in the AFL with an average of 68 games. Considering all of that the three-point loss looks pretty good. 

-The free kick count favoured the Swans 29-16. Papely scored an important goal with an off-the-ball free kick. It was there. The problem with calling the “grabby” off-the-ball free kicks is that once you call one, you need to call them all. That didn’t happen for both teams. And then there were more obvious ones like the Hickey non-call for holding the ball. On the whole I think the umpiring was ordinary for both teams. Swans got the rub of the green this time. 

-Dyson Heppell bounced back from injury. The skipper collected 11 intercepts - the most of any Essendon player - and provided that calm, good decision-making needed in a tight game, cramped for room, on a small ground. He delivered the ball at 82 percent efficiency. 

-Nik Cox’s goal from a centre clearance on his non-prefered foot was everything Bombers fans wanted to see. Seeing the 200cm frame run at speed and attacking the scoreboard made for exciting football. His presence around the ground and versatility to either crumb or be a key marking option was on show. He’s only four weeks old in AFL speak. He’s already a highlight reel. 

-Ben Rutten wanted to build a team that was blue collar. A team that was gritty and tough. Well, we all got a glimpse of that against the Swans. The system isn’t perfect but there was definitely a look at Rutten’s future Bombers. They finished with a pressure rating of 191 (Swans 181) and ended the game with 36 tackles in the last quarter. It was the first thing John Longmire acknowledged post match. Blue collar Bombers are here.

-The forward pieces look like they are showing signs they are gelling. Jake Stringer is the glue that connects it altogether. The part of the game that the Bombers do need to work on is finishing and working harder to keep the ball inside 50. Stringer, Hooker, Waterman, Smith, Jones accounted for 10 of the 12 goals. Add Walla, Zaka, and midfielders like Merrett, Parish, McGrath and the Bombers have a cast of goal kickers.

-I thought Francis broke even with Franklin which is an effort in itself. Yes, Franklin kicked 3.1 - including an important last quarter goal - but two of his three goals were in the first half. Francis fought back well considering the height and weight difference. His role freed up other backs like Ridley who was able to play his roaming-run off game.

-Post match, Dyson Heppell was seen talking to the group. Zach Merrett looked shattered. Most of the vision showed the players looking hurt from the loss. Not sure what was said but this vision is what every football fan should hope for in their captain: a human response to a gutting loss. I think it was a mixture of “I’m proud of you boys” plus “we need to get better” and “we’re going to be ok.” Essendon CEO Paul Brasher was also in the rooms.

-The Bombers fought back in the third. It was spirited. It was another gear we haven’t seen before. Just when the game looked like the Swans were going to roll over the Bombers, they kicked back-to-back goals and shifted momentum. It was a game of swings but that’s a good quality to have for a young team. 

-What the Swans loss means: Let’s not get carried away, the Bombers are 1-3. In the last two weeks we’ve seen change. We’ve seen defending. Pressure. Attack. Against the Saints the Bombers kicked 143 points. Against the Swans their pressure rating was 191. Finals doesn’t matter. It’s about showing fans Essendon’s brand of football that will compete with top teams, play and win finals. They made a statement against the Swans. There’s been a shift. There’s an Essendon brand emerging. It’s not fully here yet. But the blueprint has arrived.

[bomberlandia]

Archie Perkins is the Star that Bombers Fans Need Right Now

It’s an unnerving time to be a Bombers fan right now. First-year coach. Players leaving. Zach Merrett’s contract up-the-air. Injuries galore. And after the first two weeks their vulnerabilities have been on show: the Bombers squandered a 40-point lead against the Hawks and capitulated by 54 against a rampaging Port Adelaide. Both losses put a blowtorch on shaky defence and contested ball deficiencies. A win in 2021 seemed like an impossible task. 

But over the weekend a different Essendon emerged: They intensely pressed and squeezed St.Kilda for four quarters which resulted in a hulking 75-point demolition job. They kicked 22.14 which was their highest score since 2014. Hooker kicked five. Ridley grabbed 35 touches. Harry Jones and Alex Waterman kicked their first goals for the club. Amid the torrent of wound-up Essendon players who collectively tormented the Saints, a glimpse of the future subtly emerged too: Archie Perkins. 

I wrote about Archie Perkins being the beacon of hope that will help Bombers fans get through this rollercoaster season for The Roar.

The full version is here. 

[bomberlandia]

13 Thoughts On the Bombers’119-65 Loss to the Power

The match against Port Adelaide was seemingly over in 10 minutes. The 54-point loss in Adelaide had injuries too. It’s left the Bombers reeling at 0-2 and now their depth will be tested. Here’s 13 thoughts from the weekend. 

Questions: At this point there’s a slew of unanswered questions about the Bombers. Those answers will be unveiled in the coming weeks and months. For the record, every Bombers fan knows those questions. It’s all we heard during the pre-season well before the hulking loss to Port Adelaide. What is the game plan? Will the Bombers cover the losses of Daniher, Fantasia, McKenna, Saad? Is Rutten the right man for the job? What does the future hold for Merrett? And so on. The Bombers were pummelled on the weekend. But there are still many epiphanies to come that will mold the future of Essendon. 

Injuries: The outs are starting to bite back which is a concern. Just when the Bombers started to get a clean bill of health things have turned pretty quick. Leaving the field on the weekend were Shiel, Draper, Caldwell. Three key cogs in the Bombers midfield. Missing from that game were Heppell and Stringer. Still injured from the pre-season are Hurley, Stewart and Ambrose. It’s starting to add up. 

Rebuild Is On: What was obvious on Saturday is that the rebuild is here. Forget premiership windows. Forget “maybe the Bombers aren’t as bad as everyone thinks.” Buckle up. Pain is coming. More ugly losses are en route. You have to remember Hardwick’s journey: it took him eight years to win a flag. He averaged eight wins in his first three years. Got smashed in their finals appearances before 2017. The year before they won the 2017 flag they went 8-14. The path wasn’t pretty. Bombers are at the bottom of the mountain. 

Cale Hooker: In his twilight Cale Hooker looks more suited as a forward now than defender. Rutten has made it clear no matter how bad things are going he wants Hooker inside the 50. And he provides value there. He kicked 3.1 against Port and 1.1 against the Hawks. The other wrinkle: Without Stringer and Hurley, Hooker helps support Wright. 

The Good: It was hard to find passages of play or periods where the Bombers legitimately looked better than the Power. The last quarter Essendon did manage to outscore Port Adelaide 3.3 to 3.1 but the game was over by three-quarter time. Actually, the game looked done by quarter time when Port led by 27 after a six-goal surge.  

Stat That Counts: The stat that highlighted where the game was won and lost was this one: Port kicked 8.0 attacking from their defensive half that included unstoppable chains of handballs, runs, and kicks. The Bombers kicked 0.4. Ouch. That’s pretty much the ball game right there. 

Zach Merrett: The midfielder continues to be a talking point and the narrative that he will depart Essendon at the end of the year is going to continue to be a real thing. The decision comes down to this: how much does he value being vice captain (captain?) with a potential six-year deal at $900k per year versus a premiership? The Bombers are realistically five to six years away from contending. And Merrett is in his peak playing years now. You can’t blame him if he leaves. 

Ben Rutten: It’s clear that Rutten is attracting heat for his decision to coach from the boundary. This started against the Hawks. And has continued. Would we be talking about this if the Bombers won two games? Some are suggesting he looks disengaged. But it’s hard to know what they are basing that on. Sitting in the coaches box you get a better view of things and can talk to other coaches more freely. I do wonder how that impacts Rutten’s coaching. Rutten said after the game “it’s not set in stone” and that he feels he needs to be there right now. 

Jordan Ridley: The best and fairest defender was quiet against the Hawks but was back to his best against Port Adelaide. He led the Bombers for metres gained with 616 - second most on the ground. He finished with 32d, 7m and 8 intercepts at 90 percent efficiency. He’s everything the Bombers need him to be right now. And that’s some really great news. 

Mason Redman: Another defender raised his hand and had possibly one of his best games for the club, in an unexpecting way. Mason Redman ended up with 24d, 8m, 6 intercepts and 15 pressure acts at 70 percent efficiency. He managed to help stop the bleeding in parts when Port were rebounding across the wing in waves with repeat forward entries. 

Tipungwuti: The energetic forward leads the Bombers goal kicking with five goals. He continues to create and add forward pressure in a forward line that is missing Stringer, Hurley and has newly added pieces including Wright and fledgling Harry-Jones. He kicked 3.1 against Port with 15d, 3t, 15 pressure acts and had 8 score involvements (the most for the Bombers). I feel for him. The forward line is going to take time to gel which means there will be more heat on Walla to perform. 

First Quarter Problems: The Bombers have found it difficult to win first quarters in recent times. This problem has been on show early this year. Against the Hawks they kicked 2.4 to 3.1 and on the weekend they went 1.4 to 6.1. In 2020 the Bombers were the worst team in the AFL for first quarters won, going 4-13 from 17 weeks. And overall, last year they won 24 quarters out of a total of 68. Fans want the Bombers to win their first final but what about starting with winning a first quarter?

Get Used To The Rebuild: No-one likes losing. Essendon fans hate losing. But get used to it for now. The Bombers are rebuilding and it’s going to come with ups, downs, improvement, question marks, great wins and hopeless losses. Once you accept that the rest of the year will full of surprise when the good stuff happens. Why? Because watching the rebuilding years makes the premiership years that much better to celebrate. 

[bomberlandia]

11 Thoughts On the Bombers’ 92-91 Loss To The Hawks

Bombers start the season 0-1. Here’s 11 thoughts on the game at Marvel last night. 

Harry Jones: There’s been plenty of hype around the debutant. He took contested marks that told us he’s definitely AFL ready. He showed poise with the ball: his first possession was half-volley pick up, turn along the boundary and a flat, low kick that set up a Bombers goal. He ended the day with 0.3 but his journey to becoming Essendon’s prime forward- the highs and lows - has only started. 

Nik Cox: Another debutant who looked at home. I loved his athleticism. He’s good with both feet. As one Bomber fan pointed out, he went missing after his report for a high bump. Before that though we saw he can impact the game with his long boot off half back and forward of wing. And he understood where to kick the ball for maximum impact and flow. The report for Cox looked clumsy and perhaps it’s a one week suspension at best. 

R1 Kinks: The third quarter had too much predictability and shades of 2020. The Hawks got off to a flyer with a few quick clearances and goals. Even when the Bombers won the contested ball at half back and moved the ball through the corridor their inside 50 entries were either slow moving (due to the Hawks adding more pressure and defending better) or to targets that were under pressure. The Hawks were able to rebound quickly from that. At one stage during the game Essendon had 24-15 scoring shots with 53-38 inside 50s in their favour. That’s a lot of opportunity created for little return. 

The good: A small sample size of the good was found in the second quarter when the Bombers kicked 8.2 through slick ball movement. They were creative and unpredictable. The best came from a boundary throw in from the Bombers left pocket when Wright tapped to Caldwell who ran into traffic then gave it back to Wright who chipped it eight metres to McGrath and he goaled with a snap. The best part of the second quarter was that the midfield unit stepped up and kicked goals: McGrath, Shiel, Merrett, Smith. This is what has been missing over recent years. If this goal source is here to stay then that takes the pressure off forwards like first-year player Harry Jones and new recruit Peter Wright. 

Sam Draper: He did all he could do with 24 hitouts, 10 touches, five tackles and 1.1. The mark and goal in the last quarter when everyone was tired got momentum back for the Bombers and almost became the catalyst for a late win. With more games under belt he’s going to be damaging in the centre but also up forward kicking goals. His energy is contagious. 

Run-Ons: The Bombers have a problem with stopping momentum. When the Hawks were kicking goals in the third, why didn’t Hooker move to the backline? Why weren’t there changes made to personnel in the centre bounce stoppages? Could Rutten have set up more numbers down back? An eight-goal run shouldn’t happen as easy as the Hawks made it look. I’m sure Clarkson is also thinking the same thing about the second quarter when the Bombers kicked eight majors. 

Dyson Heppell: The captain returned and had a sizzling first half. He backed back into packs. He took last-ditch contested marks and made spoils when the Bombers needed it. He was billed as the calming influence across half back, someone with great ball use, and didn’t disappoint. He finished the game with 25 touches, 13 pressure acts, six marks and 479 metres gained (ranked 5th best for the game). 

Defence: It looked thin. Especially when the Hawks stole momentum in the third quarter. Without Hurley, Ridley looked like he had to play more of a lockdown role and wasn’t able to contribute his trademark intercepts. That left Cahill, Redman and Laverde to create and perhaps that was too much to ask of them in the first week. The Bombers defence looked fragile at times in the second half and that is something Rutten has said the Bombers need to improve on. Hurley, Ambrose and  Gleeson did not play. It’s going to be interesting to see how the backline shakes out moving forward. 

Nick Hind: Hind was impressive with 25 touches, six marks, four tackles and was the no.1 player on the ground for meters gained (636). He did a nice job when he had to lockdown but looked at his best taking on players and breaking lines, much like what Saad used to do. Hind doesn’t have the same game as Saad but I think it works for Essendon and it’s just as effective. 

Ham and Snelling: Ham was ranked the no.1 player for distance covered with 14.7 kilometres. Snelling was ranked no.2 with 14.5 kilometres. Ham had 17 touches and 23 pressure acts. Snelling had 14 touches, five tackles, one goal and 21 pressure acts. These are the low production high pressure roles on display that Rutten has created to help force turnovers. 

It’s Week One: The Bombers picked up where they left off from 2020. But in the very small sample size we saw a lot of new pieces fit really well. Defence looks shaky under pressure without Hurley. Draper, McGrath, Merrett were excellent. Harry Jones and Nik Cox are going to evolve (and we’re still yet to see Archie Perkins). It’s a tough loss for Rutten’s Bombers who were 40 points ahead and lost by one. But it’s only one week. 

[bomberlandia]

Reasons To Be Optimistic And Pessimistic About The Bombers In 2021

The Bombers have played a practice match against Carlton and an official pre-season game against Geelong for a 0-2 record. They lost by 21 to the Blues and 7 to the Cats. Those losses had some silver linings. With the season less than 10 days away here are some reasons to be optimistic and pessimistic about the Bombers in 2021.

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Sam Draper: Everyone is high on Sam Draper. And so they should be. He’s a game changer. From what we've seen already he’s going to impact how the Bombers start games, stay in games, and win games by getting first use of the ball at stoppages and centre bounces. He collected 20 hit outs against the Cats and looks like he’s got chemistry with Darcy Parish already; they linked up well. He needs to improve his set shots. That’s part of his game that will hurt opposition teams. Watching Draper evolve is going to be an adrenaline rush this year.  

The Kids Are Alright: If there was ever a silver lining from losing Daniher, Saad, McKenna and Fantasia, it’s the plethora of talented kids the Bombers now have thanks to their departures. Three of them - Cox, Perkins, Jones - come to mind as natural fits. Although they look raw, none of them look overwhelmed. In the small sample size so far, Jones has been terrific at the contest and Cox’s athletic attributes and endurance have been on show. Perkins has had limited time on the ground but from the touches he has had he looks composed. I can’t remember the last time the Bombers had such talented youth. Is it 1993? 

Midfield Depth: It’s taken some time but the Bombers now have some midfield depth and a variety of midfield role players who can take the reigns in certain matchups. Is it good depth? We will see. Any one of these players will see midfield time in 2021: McGrath, Merrett, Parish, Ham, Caldwell, Shiel, Cox, Smith, Langford. Throw in Stringer and Walla for short stints. Smith’s pressure has been noticeable in the two games so far and he looks to be back near his best. Merrett got 37 touches against the Cats. Caldwell’s inside work fits in nicely. And Langford-McGrath kicking goals is what the Bombers need more of.

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Forward Line Is A Work In Progress: Against the Cats on the weekend the Bombers amassed 61-46 inside 50s for nine goals. The obvious positive here is that the Bombers were able to create 61 forward entries. The glaring downside was that the Bombers wasted opportunities. The Bombers are now stitching together a new forward dynamic. Gone are Daniher, Fantasia, Townsend. Stewart and Laverde are defenders now. Wright, Harry Jones played well. Hooker kicked 4.2. Stringer will come back in. It’s going to take time to gel. Poor entries inside 50 will cost them wins in 2021. It did against the Cats. This will be their mountain to climb in 2021.

Positional Changes: Heppell and Cahill were solid in their defensive roles against the Cats. Hooker looked at home in his return forward. But Laverde and Stewart need more time to settle in defence. I felt a bit nervous watching them at the contest. They turned the ball over a couple of times and struggled to look reliable. The Bombers still have Ambrose and BZT to come back in so I wonder if Stewart and Laverde are being groomed as depth players. 

Gap Between Bombers and Top Eight: There’s a clip floating around from the Cats game showing the Bombers move the ball forward with a string of handballs from the back pocket. It got pundits excited. The catch here is that it is high-risk football. One error and the ball can rebound quickly the other way for a goal. This is going to be a year where the Bombers are still learning Rutten’s football blueprint with a heap of new pieces. Expect mistakes. Expect occasional blowouts. Expect close losses caused by small skill errors. This is what will separate the Bombers from the good teams in 2021.