Match result: North Ballarat 11.7.73 defeated by Essendon 15.5.95
Venue: Windy Hill
Conditions: Cold with a cross-ground wind
In action
- Trent Dumont (20 disposals, 4 tackles, 3 clearances)
- Brad McKenzie (19 disposals, 4 tackles, 3 clearances)
- Robbie Nahas (15 disposals, 9 tackles, 3 goals)
- Braydon Preuss (1 disposal, 11 hit-outs, concussed in the first quarter)
- Lindsay Thomas (12 disposals, 6 one percenters, 2 goals)
- Joel Tippett (25 disposals, 10 marks, 5 one percenters)
- Max Warren (20 disposals, 6 one percenters)
NMFC.com.au's best: Robbie Nahas
Story of the game
Coming off an after-the-siren loss to Box Hill, North Ballarat travelled to Windy Hill looking to bounce back against the Bombers.
The first quarter saw bizarre scenes. According to the Roosters, Essendon had 19 men on the ground and a head count was called. However in the confusion between calling for a count and the play stopping, the numbers evened up. The end result was a free kick and goal to the Bombers, as they piled on seven goals in the first term.
From a 38-point deficit, the Roosters refused to give up and stayed in the game for the remainder. On several occasions it appeared the visitors were about to narrow the margin right up. However it wasn’t to be, and Essendon held on for a 22-point victory.
Matchups
Joel Tippett v Jack Langford
Max Warren v Conor McKenna
Lindsay Thomas v Ben McNiece
Robbie Nahas v Anthony Tipungwuti
What the coach said – Gerard FitzGerald
Quarter time – North Ballarat 1.1.7 trail Essendon 7.3.45
“Three of their goals have come from chains where they’ve had two marks or more.
“When we have the ball, be more considered. We need to get our pressure right.”
Three quarter time – North Ballarat 8.4.52 trail Essendon 13.5.83
“If we have a spare we want to use him going through the corridor. Work on that one because it’ll happen during the quarter.
“We want to make sure when we have the ball, we use it well. To do that, we can’t rush. Don’t let them play the game on their terms.”
Points of interest
1. Joel Tippett was excellent all afternoon down back. Solid as usual in defence, he combined it with a new-found attacking streak, amassing a team-high 25 disposals.
“He was really proactive today and trying to get involved offensively, which has been a real focus in recent weeks. He also used the ball really well,” Gavin Brown told NMFC.com.au.
“Defensively his body work was terrific and his spoiling was terrific. He was very good.
2. After missing last week due to injury, Robbie Nahas returned and was arguably the Roosters’ best forward. He was dangerous both with and without the ball, kicking three goals and laying nine tackles.
“He was very lively today, and his numbers are excellent for a mid-forward.
“He looked dangerous and his pressure was quite good, so it was a strong performance.”
3. Lindsay Thomas showed glimpses of his capabilities. With four shots on goal (2.2), he was often the deepest forward. It was a role he wouldn’t play with the Kangaroos, but as Brown explained, that wasn’t a concern.
“As long as he was coming up the ground and working hard, then it was ok. And he was doing that well at times.
“Even though the stat sheet only says two tackles, it felt like he had more, which showed his pressure was good.”
4. Trent Dumont was typically solid after a quiet first game back at VFL level.
“Although it wasn’t his normal prolific ball-getting game, his hands (14 handballs) were very clean in close to create.
“He got going more late as we made a run at them.”
Most likely call-up: Robbie Nahas
Next week: Saturday July 25 v Frankston, 2:00pm at Eureka Stadium
