Vice-captain Danny Younan and mid-season recruit Will Snelling have combined on the scoreboard to help Essendon VFL survive a scare against Werribee at Avalon Airport Oval on Sunday.

With scores tied at 87 apiece 21 minutes into the final term, the Dons gave their all in the 16.3 (99) to 13.9 (87) affair, recording a third straight win in the process. 

Things got off to a not-so-great start when exciting speedster Irving Mosquito went down with a hamstring complaint within the first minute of the match. 

But the boys rallied around one another to bring the pressure and intensity required to ultimately come out on top. 

In the first quarter, Werribee was first to hit the scoreboard after some wasteful Essendon inside-50 entries.  

The Bombers turned it around however, finding their first major through Jordan Houlahan from 50 metres out, who went on to kick his second just minutes later. 

Goals were traded for the remainder of the term, before the home side was able to kick consecutive majors and pinch the lead late. 

A soccer-style kick off the ground from birthday boy David Myers, right on the brink of quarter-time, brought Essendon back within a golden point heading into the first break.

Werribee controlled the start of the second term, pushing out to a 13-point lead, with senior-listed defenders Matt Dea (13 disposals, seven marks), Jake Long (14 disposals) and Brandon Zerk-Thatcher (16 disposals, six marks) doing their best to repel as much of the footy as they could.

Spirits lifted when vice-captain Heath Hocking booted a much-needed major at the 10-minute mark, before being pushed after the play and given a free kick from the goalsquare.

The accurate Dons managed to add three more goals, but a costly mistake late in the term brought the Tigers back within 10 points. 

The third term saw Michael Hartley (23 disposals, five marks) sneak into the forward line, making the most of his opportunity by slotting two goals, while skipper Aaron Heppell led by example bringing aggression to try and win the footy. 

Essendon’s trademark pressure was present at every contest, but Werribee still managed to find a way into its forward 50.

Leading by just seven points at the final break, both sides came out firing in the last term. 

There was a newfound hunger for the footy, with the Bombers doing everything they could to hold off the fiery Tigers.

With nerves at a game-high, desperate spoils and crunching tackles were integral to Essendon’s plan of attack when Werribee levelled the scores.

But some clever use of the footy from Younan (14 disposals, three goals), Myers (21 disposals, four tackles, one goal) and Snelling (20 disposals, three tackles, one goal) ultimately sealed the win.

Senior coach Dan Jordan compared the gutsy win to that against Box Hill a fortnight ago, with both matches requiring four-quarter performances to get the job done.

“The fact we were going to need 120 minutes of effort to win was something we drilled in all week – we knew it was going to be a close game,” Jordan said.

“We really rate Werribee and the brand of footy they play, so coming into the game we knew what it was going to take, and our boys stuck to the task really well. 

“We had a good patch for 10 minutes in the second quarter which was potentially the difference in the game, but we had to defend well, convert well, and be really hard around the contest (all day).”

Jordan was pleased with the way the playing group handled being down on rotations for majority of the match.

“Similarly to last week the boys were challenged to pick up some minutes and respond which they did – I thought their work rate never dropped off.

“Credit to Werribee though, who threw everything at us – like (the win against) Box Hill however, today was a really important one for us to get on the board.”

Jordan was impressed with Hartley’s efforts, especially during his move up forward, and also had praise for debutant Ben Huggard and familiar face Kurt Aylett in their first matches.

Essendon VFL has a seven-day break ahead, travelling to Piranha Park to take on Coburg on Sunday, July 7 from 12:30pm.

Essendon 5.0 10.1 13.2 16.3 (99)

Werribee 5.1 8.3 11.7 13.9 (87) 

Goals: Houlahan, Younan, Hocking 3, Hartley, Baguley 2, Myers, Bowman, Snelling

Disposals: Hartley 23, Myers 21, Aylett, Snelling 20, Mutch 19

Brooke Varney is in the final year of her Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) degree at RMIT University. As part of their strategic partnership, Essendon Football Club and RMIT University are committed to providing opportunities for students, staff, players and the wider community.