At half time of last season’s Elimination Final, it appeared Essendon had North Melbourne figured out.
Over six quarters of football for the season, the Bombers had outscored the Kangaroos by 11 goals and appeared well on the way to winning through to a semi-final.
It was based on a heavily uncontested style of play that has continued on into 2015; the Bombers looking to control the tempo of play at every opportunity.
As the Herald Sun’s Mark Robinson pointed out in the lead up to Round 6, Essendon’s brand is unique in the competition. However it isn’t a new plan, as a comparison to 2014 shows.
Essendon's uncontested game
| Essendon (differential) | 2014 (AFL rank) | 2015 (AFL rank) |
| Disposals | +22.6 (3rd) | +16.5 (6th) |
| Short kicks | +20.6 (2nd) | +18.5 (4th) |
| Uncontested poss. | +25.4 (2nd) | +27.3 (3rd) |
| Marks | +14.5 (1st) | + 20.7 (3rd) |
All statistics courtesy of Champion Data.
Unsurprisingly it’s the key players in the Bombers' side that lead the way in uncontested disposal.
Jobe Watson and Brendon Goddard are both in the top 15 in the AFL for total uncontested disposals, with Brent Stanton and Dyson Heppell not too far behind. The quartet has had big games against North Melbourne in the past.
2014’s season-opener was defined by Watson and Heppell racking up possessions at will. The duo collected a combined 75 disposals and 25 marks and earned five of the six Brownlow Medal votes. Goddard had 26 disposals and two goals while Stanton had 20 disposals and eight marks.
The flip side of controlling the tempo with ball in hand means that in theory sides shouldn’t be able to score easily against the Bombers after they do gain possession.
This is what has happened so far for Essendon in 2015. Despite a middling 3-3 record after six rounds, defensively it has been strong.
| Essendon's defence | 2014 (AFL rank) | 2015 (AFL rank) |
| Scores conceded per inside 50 % | 36.6% (3rd) | 32.6% (2nd) |
| Goals conceded per inside 50 % | 20.3% (10th) | 14.8% (2nd) |
| Points conceded per game | 78.1 (4th) | 76.8 (5th) |
In addition to Essendon’s style of play making it hard for opposition teams to score freely, the Bombers also possess two key-position defenders who are more than adept at intercepting inside 50 entries.
Cale Hooker and Michael Hurley have almost 30 intercept marks between them in 2015, with Hooker in particular leading the way. The 26-year-old ranks second in the league in the statistic, only behind West Coast youngster Jeremy McGovern.
It makes the role of the third tall forward crucial, as Ben Brown demonstrated to great effect in last season’s Elimination Final with four second-half goals.
All statistics courtesy of Champion Data.
