Brent Stanton, Angus Monfries, Henry Slattery, Andrew Lovett and Nathan Lovett-Murray all played critical roles in tonight’s win over St Kilda. Jason Laycock and Kepler Bradley also did well in patches. It was impressive stuff and it gives Bomber fans plenty to look forward to for the remainder of this season.
Henry Slattery did brilliantly in his first game, coming onto the ground in the first quarter and spending the vast majority of the rest of the game playing on St Kilda young gun Nick Dal Santo. Dal Santo had nine possessions in the first quarter and had just 13 for the balance of the game.
If there is any doubt about where Nathan Lovett-Murray is best suited, it was answered tonight. He is a half back and a very good one at that. He provided the Bombers with great rebound, particularly when the heat was on in the second half. His preparedness to take a risk and run was critical to the outcome of the game.
Brent Stanton and Andrew Lovett are really giving the Bombers some much needed run through the midfield. They have speed and run the lines – exactly what the Essendon side has missed in recent years. Stanton’s disposal is improving dramatically as his confidence grows. Lovett is much more than a goal kicker – his creativity is very important.
Angus Monfries was very important for the Bombers. He has a very good football brain – running forward at the right time and twice it resulted in important goals. His tackling and attack on the football was everything we saw in the previous match against West Coast.
So the signs are good for the future. None of them were priority picks – or even top 10 for that matter – but they have been moulded into very solid players. Just how deep their talent runs will be the burning question over the coming weeks.
