Match result: Essendon 14.14 (98) defeated Werribee 15.7 (97)
Venue: Avalon Airport Oval, Werribee
Conditions: Crap. A breeze favoured one end and it was shifty underfoot with a gluepot in the middle. Felt like 10c.
In action:
Ben Brown (16 disposals, 3 goals, 24 hit-outs, 7 tackles)
Majak Daw (21 disposals, 9 marks, 31 hit-outs, 1 goal)
Kieran Harper (16 disposals, 9 tackles, 1 goal)
Taylor Hine (24 disposals, 6 marks, 5 tackles)
Tim McGenniss (16 disposals, 6 tackles)
Scott McMahon (16 disposals)
Mason Wood (9 disposals, 5 tackles)
Sam Wright (20 disposals, 7 marks)
Dan Currie (injured early, during play)
NMFC.com.au’s best: Taylor Hine, Majak Daw, Sam Wright, Ben Brown
Story of the game
Kicking with the breeze presented a massive bonus throughout the afternoon. Essendon began well and got the first few goals on the board, using the wind to its advantage.
Werribee got going in the second term and made more of its forward entries.
The Bombers came out firing in the third with seven goals and put the Tigers to the sword, but the visitors rallied.
Some clutch goals in the final quarter from Majak Daw, Ben Brown and Scott McMahon kept the visitors in it, but they fell agonisingly short.
What the coach said
"We were slow out of the blocks and then lost our way in the third quarter which cost us dearly. Although in all, it was a winnable game, I felt the scoreline flattered us." - John Lamont
Points of interest
1. Majak Daw returned to the VFL after being dropped from the North Melbourne side and put in an excellent performance.
“Maj was forced to ruck more than we would have liked when Dan Currie went off (injured). The best part of his game was his ability to intercept marks and stem Essendon’s attacking moves.
“He spent a fair bit of time in defence and plugged a hole for us. He took some good marks down back and at times it looked like Essendon had pinpointed him.” – Development Manager Ben Dyer.
2. Taylor Hine is beginning to string together consistent performances and is settling into his role.
“He’s defended well and offered a fait bit going the other way. Again, his composure and ball use was much improved compared to earlier in the year.” – Ben Dyer
3. Daniel Currie’s afternoon was cut dramatically short. The ruckman forced from the ground in the first quarter with an injury.
“He copped a knee to the scapula in the first 10 to 5 minutes. He struggled to lift his arm up but looking forward, he should be OK…hopefully it’s just some bruising but the medicos will deal with that this week.
4. Sam Wright travelled to Adelaide as an emergency for the AFL on Saturday night and caught an early flight home on Sunday in order to play.
“He was really dangerous in the first quarter as the spare and he really hurt Essendon with his run and ball use from defence.
“After identifying how influential he was, they restricted him by taking him a bit deeper but he worked through that move pretty well.” – Ben Dyer
5. Another dog-day for the Bulldog?
Well down on his usual numbers, some are questioning whether development coach Jarred “Bulldog” Moore is in the middle of a form slump. While he wears a heavy tag most weeks, the former Swan was allowed to roam free against the Bombers but was surprisingly quiet.
Moore declined to comment when contacted by NMFC.com.au.
Most likely call-up: Taylor Hine, Sam Wright, Ben Brown, Majak Daw
Next week: Vs Geelong. Sunday, 21st June. Simmonds Stadium, Geelong
