Essendon has stormed to its third-straight win and solidified its top-eight position against Geelong on the back of a superb third-quarter burst at Windy Hill.
The Bombers outlasted the fast-finishing Cats by seven points in a tense final quarter. However, it was their seven-goal streak between the 16-minute mark of the third term and the three-minute mark of the fourth that was the difference between victory and defeat.
After Geelong’s defensive pressure put the away side 11 points clear at half-time, Essendon responded to the challenge with aggressive, direct play.
The tireless run and carry of Mason Redman across half-back and midfield and the four-quarter performance of Jake Long in his 50th VFL match was bolstered by the inclusion of AFL Bombers Darcy Parish (a team-high 29 touches) and Josh Green (three goals including two crucial majors in the last quarter as well as a turn in the midfield in the second half).
Essendon slammed on 5.4 to 1.1 in the third term to set up a 22-point break, a margin that was pushed out to 34 with the first two of the final quarter.
Geelong rallied to bring the margin to single figures by the last minute, but the Cats had left their run too late.
Along with Green, Mitch Brown also kicked three with Danny Younan chipping in with two, while Luke Lavender and Jamieson Sheahan both notched up their first goals of 2018.
The win was made all the more meritorious by the fact that the Bombers were a rotation down from the first minute when Ben Fennell came from the field.
Jordan Houlahan and captain Heath Hocking also came from the ground in the second and fourth quarters respectively, but both were able to play the match out to the final siren.
In a match that coach Dan Jordan described as an “arm-wrestle”, the relentless physical presence of Sam Draper all over ground was crucial.
Ben McNiece made a good fist of it in his first VFL match since round two with his willingness to run and carry, while Jake McQueen provided one-on-one contests across half-back and full-back in the first half when things weren’t going his side’s way.
“Not a lot was played on our terms apart from that 15 minutes in the third,” Jordan said after the match.
“The key with these games is to keep grinding, because those chances will open up, but if you drop five percent, that’s where the other side can get back into it.
“The effort and intensity was important,” he said.
“I was proud of the effort, they’ve been bringing it week in and week out and they’re starting build that winning mentality.”
Essendon will play the Northern Blues next Saturday at IKON Park from 1pm.
ESSENDON 3.4 4.7 10.11 13.13 (91)
GEELONG 3.2 6.6 7.7 12.12 (84)
GOALS:
Essendon – Green 3, Brown 3, Younan 2, Houlahan, Leuenberger, Sheahan, Lavender, Mynott.
Geelong – Stanley 4, Buzza 3, Jones 2, McCarthy, Abbott, Keras.
BEST:
Redman, Green, Hocking, Hind, Long, Parish
