Essendon rose to every challenge North Melbourne could throw in their impressive 66-point win at Windy Hill in on Saturday.
Playing at their spiritual home for the first time in 2018 after having a bye week, the Bombers ignited the crowd with a polished performance and a commanding victory that broke a two-game losing streak.
A six-goal burst in the second quarter set up a 25-point half time lead that was whittled down to just 10 halfway through the third quarter.
From there, Essendon seized the match by the throat; nine of the next 10 goals came from the boots of the boys in red and black as they cantered to a win 19.19.133 to 10.7.67.
After kicking into a wind that became a non-factor before the quarter-time siren had even sounded, the run-and-carry that has become a hallmark of Dan Jordan’s side was fully realised across the final three quarters.
In one brilliant passage of play in the second quarter, a chain of handballs between Nick Hind, Danny Younan and Mason Redman saw the Bombers go from half-back to half-forward where Jackson Merrett received the ball after sprinting straight through the centre of the ground to slot the goal.
Just as emboldening for the young Bombers was the manner in which they held firm once the Roos attacked in the third quarter.
When the margin was bridged to 10 points, players like Michael Hartley in defence and Redman in the midfield provided the stability and the counter-attack that enabled the Bombers to kick clear.
After being overrun by Williamstown and Collingwood in the last two matches, there was no sign of Essendon being overawed in the second half.
Captain Heath Hocking’s turn up forward proved a handy bonus with ‘Buddha’ taking two strong marks and converting from both set shots. In his first VFL match of 2018, Orazio Fantasia played the second half and showed his customary flair up forward.
The stats spoke of Essendon’s dominance all over the ground; the Bombers won contested ball by 23, inside 50s by 35 and tackles by three.
Essendon have evened its win-loss record at two all and will take on Sandringham next Sunday at Trevor Barker Beach Oval from 2pm.
ESSENDON 2.6 8.10 13.14 19.19 (133)
NORTH MELBOURNE 4.2 5.3 8.5 10.7 (67)
GOALS
Essendon: Younan 2, Hocking 2, McKernan 2, Houlahan 2, Fennell 2, Francis 2, Fantasia, Crosbie, Boyse, Langford, Hind, Redman, J. Merrett
North Melbourne: Junker 2, Hrovat 2, Jeffries, Rodd, Preuss, Holmes, Larkey, Stroobants
