Essendon VFL has slipped to one and three from its first four games after going down to Port Melbourne by 26-points on Saturday at Frankston Oval.
The Dons started strongly, heading into the first break with a 20-point lead but it wasn’t enough to hold off the fast finishing Boroughs.
James Ferry was impressive in defence, getting the Bombers out of trouble on multiple occasions. He finished with 25 disposals.
“I thought Jimmy Ferry down back was outstanding all day,” Performance Coach Mark Corrigan said.
James Stewart finished with three goals, including one incredible snap out of the pack that bounced straight through the middle.
“James Stewart up forward I thought was our best forward all day,” Corrigan said.
Dylan Clarke was a standout across the field, he finished with 28 disposals.
“Clarke on the ball was clean and showed that even in these conditions he can still be clean and play like it is dry,” Corrigan said.
The Bombers major downfall was in the second quarter when Port Melbourne kicked four consecutive goals in the first eight minutes of play.
The Boroughs led at half time by seven-points.
The lead changed twice in the third quarter, Port Melbourne finishing two-points ahead at the third break.
Essendon kicked one goal to Port Melbourne’s three in the final term which gave them a 26-point lead at the final siren.
Inaccurate kicking was again a contributor to the final score. The Dons were impressive across the field but failed to reward their hard work on the scoreboard.
Corrigan said there are still positives that came out of it.
“The positives of the game were similar to what we’ve seen in previous weeks which is our effort and intensity,” Corrigan said.
“We are not naïve to the fact that we don’t want to be one and three.
“Looking at it from a positive point of view is that we have been in a winnable position in all our games.
“We put ourselves in this position and we have to work hard to get out of it.
“Now it’s just about refining some of the little things like being able to listen to instructions, being able to convert, improving our execution.
“That’s where we need to improve in order to turn these losses into wins.
“We are doing plenty right but it’s just being able to finish our work off.
“That will be the focus again, getting that consistency in those areas.”
Disposals: O'Brien 39, Clarke 28, Bird 27, Ferry 25
Goals: Stewart 3, Boyse 2, Mutch, O'Brien, Peters
