Bombers start to soarEmma Quayle
July 10, 2011ESSENDON 3.5 5.9 8.12 15.15 (105)
RICHMOND 5.1 7.6 9.9 9.12 (66)
GOALS
Essendon: Monfries 3, Crameri 3, Davey, Stanton, Heppell, Hille, Zaharakis, Hocking, Jetta, McVeigh, Ryder.
Richmond: Martin 2, Foley 2, Deledio, Griffiths, Riewoldt, Cotchin, Vickery.
BEST
Essendon: Crameri, Hurley, Stanton, Zaharakis, Ryder, Heppell.
Richmond: Cotchin, Foley, Vickery, Newman, Houli, Deledio.
INJURIES Essendon: Hocking (glute), Colyer (head knock).
UMPIRES Stevic, McInerney, Armstrong.
CROWD 55,442 at MCG.
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IT WAS against Richmond in round nine that it all began unravelling for Essendon. Rounds seven and eight were not games to record and watch later either, but it was on a Saturday night in the Dreamtime match that the Bombers allowed an opponent to script a game from go to whoa, got well and truly trampled through the middle and, despite persisting with their long, hopeful kicks into the forward line, had to realise it wasn't working as it had.
The curiosities of the draw brought Essendon back to the MCG again last night. A swift rematch; a chance after last week's unexpected, emotional defeat of Geelong to notch a solid win against a side that is seeking the same sort of consistent effort, and was coming off a loss to Carlton that was just as emotional, albeit for horrible reasons. Jobe Watson was still missing, a fresh hamstring injury keeping him in his suit and tie, but Heath Hocking was back in the middle. Cale Hooker was absent too, but Tayte Pears was back, lining up alongside Michael Hurley in defence again.
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This was a more accomplished, more settled outfit, no doubt. But two questions had emerged by the middle of the first quarter. One: would they, with an obvious new approach to finding goals, kick more of them? And two, after holding in from first bounce to last against Geelong just one week earlier, what would their emotional energy - or alternatively, their belief in what they knew they should do - be like should things start to go against them for a while?
James Hird owes royalties to whoever invented the word ''improvement'', the Essendon coach has used it so many times this year, but it has been a theme of the Bombers' year not just tied to players. Hurley took yet another big step last night with his aggressive, focused job on Jack Riewoldt and others - David Zaharakis, Kyle Reimers, Stewart Crameri, Leroy Jetta and Pears, to start with - all did some meaningful things when the game was busy, and someone needed to do something. The Bombers are learning to share the load in all parts of the ground, but it was in the forward line that they found a new way last night.
Having scored through their half-forwards against the Cats, the Bombers began in a more unpredictable way than they did last time around. Zaharakis started in the goal square, with Brad Helbig (who had a really good game) alongside. At times, Reimers, Davey, Travis Colyer were his accompanying half-forward lines, starting right up near the edge of the centre square. By the second term, they were mixing things up. Both Paddy Ryder and David Hille were pushing down there. Twice, they cleared out their forward 50 altogether, and two times Reimers kicked beautifully into the path of Crameri, who turned and bolted into open goals.
The challenge came in the third term, a flat one in which Richmond kicked the first two goals and Essendon's energy seemed to ebb as it found it harder and harder to score. Helbig was playing well; so was Jake Batchelor. Most notably, Chris Newman had figured out what the Bombers were doing down there, and finding ways to get himself into space and get the Tigers moving. Nine weeks ago, Essendon might have crumbled, or kept doing things that weren't working, over and over. When Crameri missed two gettable set shots just into time-on, their belief may have shrivelled up entirely.
Instead, the game changed. It seemed to happen suddenly, appearing in the form of two late goals. It appeared in the form of three goals late in the third term, and four in the first four minutes of the last term. But it was also gradual, in the sense that Essendon readjusted slightly, and didn't stop. One of those third-quarter goals came when Crameri, having missed those shots, hassled Bachar Houli into a corner in deep defence, tackling him when he tripped, grabbing the ball and sprinting to the goal line. Another came when the tables turned and Angus Monfries read Newman's kick in, taking a mark, taking off and scoring on the run.
It was the persistent Zaharakis, Davey, Jetta and Hocking, after climbing up onto Brett Deledio's shoulders, who kicked the final-term goals, a variety of snaps, marks and free kicks from tackles giving them the chance. And it was Hurley and Pears - the latter back on the ground after taking a heavy hit in the ribs during the third quarter - who helped keep things steady at the other end. Essendon's road gets tougher from here, with games against Carlton, Collingwood, West Coast and others on the way. The Bombers are a work in progress, but are starting to look a more layered side.
BUMP TIMEYou got the feeling very early that, after folding against Carlton last weekend, the Richmond players wanted to put in a more physical performance. Three times in the first term, Essendon players escorting the ball over the boundary line were met with heavy bumps, and poor old Angus Monfries was twice on the receiving end. The first bump came from Shaun Grigg, and sent him into the fence; the second, from Tyrone Vickery just after the quarter-time siren, caught him more unawares and kick-started a scuffle that will see the Richmond ruckman occupy some of the match review panel's time tomorrow.
RIPPING TIMEPatrick Ryder was first in to defend Monfries, with Jake Melksham and a group of others behind them, and at the end of it all there was only one thing to wonder: what are Essendon's guernseys made out of? Both Ryder and Melksham had theirs torn from them.
ON THE RISEBen Griffiths had shoulder surgery before he was drafted by Richmond, and he's had even more since. The forward played just his seventh match last night, but keeps showing some signs he will be the man to help Jack Riewoldt out. His most impressive moment last night? When he caught Dustin Fletcher in a one-on-one at the top of the Tigers' goal square, he out-bodied him, leant to his left and with that arm outstretched, hauled the ball in. Having almost goaled from 55 metres out earlier, he wasn't going to miss.
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