Tonight’s match was close all game, with the lead chopping and changing for the majority of the match. It was a physical battle and just from the pressure applied you knew the enormity of what was at stake. Every possession had to be earned and despite the blustery conditions it was a high standard game.
Essendon had lots of contributors this evening but it still wasn’t enough to get them over the line. James Hird was clearly the team’s best performer. The skipper finished with 27 possessions and worked tirelessly all night to keep his side in the game. Dean Rioli showed glimpses of brilliance and rebounded across half-back to give the side drive through the middle. With the limited game time he had, Ben Haynes orchestrated several forward attacks and finished with two goals.
Dustin Fletcher took the honours against full forward Chris Tarrant. Fletcher kept Tarrant to two goals and notched up 17 possessions in the process and gave the team run out of defence. Dean Solomon worked hard all game and tackled hard, as did Sean Wellman and Scott Lucas. Both Mark Johnson and Jason Johnson were serviceable and ran tirelessly all game.
Despite Essendon working hard all evening and having a number of contributors, it was Collingwood that was just too strong in the end. They ran over the top of the Bombers in the final term and added three goals to their scoreline to Essendon’s one. Ruckman Josh Fraser was the catalyst to Collingwood’s final quarter dominance and finished the match with 20 touches and kicked one goal.
