Essendon has won their second game in a row, overcoming the Greater Western Sydney in what was a tough contest at Spotless Stadium.
The Giants brought the margin back from 22 points early in the second quarter to just five at three-quarter time, but the Bombers seized control when it mattered, and ran out as eventual 35-point winners.
Dyson Heppel was superb through the midfield, oozing composure with his 27 disposals, while Jake Stringer kicked three important goals.
Essendon got off to a flyer, with Mark Baguley finding space out the back to become an unlikely first goal-kicker following a boomer Jake Stringer centre clearance.
From the outset, the Bombers’ intent to move the ball forward with speed was obvious, registering just 24 handballs for the first quarter, and using the corridor as often as possible.
Equally, the Giants’ ball movement was typically slow and down the line, as they looked for aerial assertion from their talls Jeremy Cameron, Rory Lobb, Harry Himmelberg and Jonathon Patton, but they collectively struggled.
The discrepancy in ball movement speed also appeared to be due to Essendon’s superior pressure.
Never was this more evident than when Conor McKenna ran down Zac Langdon, resulting in an identical goal out the back to Mark Baguley, who only had six career goals before tonight.
Only one other behind had been scored up until the 13-minute mark, before a slew of goals followed.
Andrew McGrath and Kyle Langford both snapped very skilful goals, while Dylan Buckley’s crumb was his first goal as a Giant before Ryan Griffen closed out the blitz after running into an open 50 metre arc.
David Zaharakis and Adam Tomlinson both had 50 metre penalties and missed their shots, but these were the only set shots of the game for the first 20 minutes.
This was particularly concerning for GWS, as the Bombers’ small forward line functioned reasonably well.
Jeremy Cameron started to work his way into the game, yet had to luck in front of goal after hitting the post, before having a snap go through which was just touched off the boot.
Essendon capitalised on their dominance in the last 30 seconds, Jake Stringer’s strength in the midfield again pivotal, breaking a tackle, then dishing off a handball to Orazio Fantasia, who scored a running goal from deep in the half-forward flank.
Brendon Goddard picked up where Fantasia left off after quarter-time, bouncing the ball through from well outside 50 to extend Essedon's lead.
Although Goddards' major put Essendon up by 22 points, they didn’t score for nearly another 20 minutes, as the Giants managed to spend most of the second quarter in their forward line.
Zac Langdon put forward his name for a spot in the Socceroos in Russia with a quick opportunistic kick off the ground, before Cameron, now presenting well and looking ominous, marked and goalled from the pocket.
Stephen Coniglio, who was brilliant all night, brought the margin back to just two points with a beautiful kick from 45m out near the boundary, until Jake Stringer steadied the ship for Essendon, with a contested mark and a simple snap ensuring the Bombers went into half-time with a nine-point lead.
Essendon’s third quarters have been a nadir recently, and it looked like continuing when the otherwise quiet Patton kicked a goal to start the second half.
But Devon Smith, working hard all night against his old side, converted the reply, and then the goals dried right up.
The Giants were able to stifle the Bombers’ ball movement, but continued to lack cohesion inside the forward half – obviously missing star half-forward Toby Greene.
At last Cameron marked 25m out, but he missed a golden opportunity to bring the margin back within a kick.
GWS dominated time in forward half in the third quarter, and managed to hold the ball in there with plenty of stoppages, but the Bombers remained composed and disciplined.
For the last five minutes of the quarter, the script was flipped, and it was the Bombers who maintained the ball near to goal, yet still goals were elusive, and they managed three behinds instead.
It was a trademark piece of Heath Shaw innovation that broke the gridlock.
Kicking out from the goalsquare, Shaw signalled all his teammates to the right hand side of the ground, and only Lachie Whitfield and his opponent remained on the left.
Shaw went to him, got the ball back, and from there the ball moved like lightning from one end to the other, as Josh Kelly’s searching long kick found Cameron, who took a strong grab, and this time kicked truly.
The margin at three-quarter time was back to five points.
After a slow start to the quarter, a huge moment came when James Stewart marked the ball deep in the pocket, before Adam Tomlinson inexplicably pushed him over, turning a tough shot into a certainty, before the major was followed quickly by one to Shaun McKernan.
After going goalless for almost a whole quarter, the Bombers’ next three came within minutes, as Zaharakis burst out of the ensuing centre bounce and gave the Bombers a game high 23-point lead.
Baguley made a certainty of things soon thereafter with his third goal, as the floodgates opened.
The final minutes were somewhat anti-climatic, after a high-intensity finish had looked likely.
Former Blue Dylan Buckley headbutted young Bomber Matt Guelfi and could perhaps come under scrutiny from Michael Christian, although he kicked his second shortly after.
Jake Stringer put some icing on the cake, soccering a goal from point blank, then placing another long bomb right on target.
GWS have now lost the last four matches, and although the Bombers remain half a game behind the Giants, will head into next week’s Dreamtime game with a huge deal of momentum and confidence.
The Giants meanwhile will be looking to make amends away from home when they come up against Adelaide on Sunday afternoon.
GREATER WESTER SYDNEY 8.12 (60)
ESSENDON 14.11 (95)
GOALS
Greater Western Sydney: Cameron, Buckley 2, Coniglio, Langdon, Patton, Griffen
Essendon: Baguley, Stringer 3, Fantasia, Stewart, McKernan, Zaharakis, Smith, McGrath, Langford, Goddard
BEST
Greater Western Sydney: Shaw, Cameron, Coniglio, Whitfield, Ward
Essendon: Heppell, Merrett, Stringer, Goddard, Baguley, Smith, Zaharakis
INJURIES
Greater Western Sydney: Nil
Essendon: Nil
TALKING POINTS
1. BOMBER RECRUITS DELIVER
The Bombers created plenty of talk by going on an October shopping spree last year, collecting Devon Smith, Jake Stringer and Adam Saad.
The general consensus from the footy public has so far been that they have been underwhelming, but each showed exactly why they were brought in tonight.
Adam Saad on numerous occasions used his brilliant run to sensational effect out of the backline, and while he didn't win as much of the ball as some other half-backs, this could be because when he clears the ball, it stays cleared.
His ability to work his way around would-be tacklers and find targets creatively is almost unparalleled.
Stringer competed hard both in the air and on the ground, playing his own unique hybrid role of full forward/rover, and had some pivotal moments in each role.
And Smith has been very good all year.
Fleet-footed and skilful, he usually spells trouble for the opposition with ball in hand, and his much-talked about pressure was again on display tonight.
Each player seems to have settled in, and they all are now able to contribute their unique strengths without compromising the team’s cohesion.
2. MIDFIELD ACCOUNTABILITY HURTS PROLIFIC GIANTS
The Giants are so good to watch when they’re up and about, but ultimately, their collective mindset does not stack up when the other team hunts the footy in close.
They had six players with over 25 disposals, while Essendon had two, but tonight a Dyson Heppell possession was worth so much more than one from his opponents.
The contested possessions were remarkably even all night, yet the Bombers led the tackle count 83-54, and the Bombers recorded a season-low 122 handballs – 81 less than they had in their loss to Hawthorn.
They also scored nine goals from stoppages.
The class of Zach Merrett and Heppell in close was obvious, but the Giants did nowhere near enough to pressure them, and their clearances were always clean and incisive.
Meanwhile when the Giants found the footy in the contest, the Bombers’ pressure was such that the clearance was never effective, and often just resulted in another stoppage slightly closer to the GWS' goal.
The GWS midfield is probably the most skilful in the AFL, but it is not the hungriest, and is one of the least disciplined.
3. AND WHAT OF THEIR FORWARDS?
Many have been speculating that Jeremy Cameron has been carrying an injury, but he was hardly the problem tonight.
The Bombers have two All-Australian key defenders, but Michael Hurley was out injured tonight and Cale Hooker has played the last season and a half in the forward line.
The other GWS tall forwards at times found themselves shoulder to shoulder with the slightly built Adam Saad and Jordan Ridley, but Jonathon Patton was hardly sighted, while Harry Himmelberg and Rory Lobb (when he drifted forward) never once provided any aerial authority.
None of them lead up at the ball, which is a waste of the talent their midfield possesses, but if they continue to demand the long high ball in – which they do by hanging back next to their defender – they will need to improve significantly.
Last year they had Steve Johnson, Toby Greene and Devon Smith at their feet, but this year their crumbing power is nowhere near as dangerous, and they either need to start clunking some of the high balls or else lead up harder at their star-studded midfield.
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