Essendon have fallen just short in a tight contest against ladder leaders Geelong on Saturday by two points.  

The 4.2 (26) to 4.4 (28) loss snaps a five-game winning streak for the Dons, who battled impressively after several changes to the line-up, their first outing of the season without any AFLW-listed players. 

Essendon took slim leads into every change but were ultimately undone by back-to-back Geelong goals in the first five minutes of the last term. 

Grace Dicker’s physicality was a standout again, finishing with 20 tackles in a sign of the team’s willingness to defend hard on the day. 

Mia-Rae Clifford hit the scoreboard twice, and Reese Sutton stood up with 18 disposals and seven clearances when the contest was up for grabs.

The Bombers will be buoyed by their ability to stand up against the competition’s best, remaining in the top six ahead of their matchup with Darebin at La Trobe University this Sunday, proceedings opening at 10:30am. 

ESSENDON      1.0     3.0     3.1     4.2  (26)
 
GEELONG        0.0     2.1     2.2     4.4  (28)  

GOALS: Clifford 2, Ugle, Manfre 

Image: Mallia Shots.