Senior coach Dan Jordan is impressed with how Essendon VFL is tracking, having already completed two practice matches ahead of season 2019.
The Bombers cruised to a 55-point win over Geelong in a curtain-raiser to the JLT Community Series at GMHBA Stadium on Thursday evening, but fell short the week before against Richmond at Holms Park, Beaconsfield.
“We had a similar number of entries as Geelong did, but we defended them much better and were able to convert going forward,” Jordan said of the 13.11 (89) to 4.10 (34) result.
“We weren’t too worried about getting the win – we had a few things from the previous week that we wanted to try and work on and thought we could do better in a few areas, particularly defensively.”
Recruit Daniel Guccione shows his physicality against the Cats. (Photo: Ben Johnstone)
Many players stood out to Jordan during the convincing win over the Cats, including senior-listed Bombers James Stewart, Jordan Houlahan and Shaun McKernan, who combined on the scoreboard.
“(Stewart, Houlahan and McKernan) were really strong targets going forward and were able to convert their opportunities,” Jordan said.
“I thought all of our defence was really good too, led by Brandon Zerk-Thatcher who took a number of intercept marks.
“We needed good pressure around the ball, and guys like Trent Mynott and Kobe Mutch were able to (do so) and made it easier for our defenders who were set up well behind the ball.”
First-year Essendon forward celebrates a goal against Geelong. (Photo: Ben Johnstone)
Jordan described the first practice match against Richmond as a “game of two halves” - the final score 7.9 (51) to 9.10 (64) in the Tigers’ way.
“(In the first half) we were good around the contest and were putting some good pressure on, but in the second half Richmond lifted their work rate and transition from the contest which (left) us a bit flat-footed.
“We allowed them to outnumber and chain the ball through us fairly easily, which is hard to defend.”
The 13-point loss provided many learnings for the red and black, putting a strong focus on the areas for improvement ahead of the season proper.
“We’ll probably look to settle our side and get as close to probably our best side for round one over the next couple of weeks,” Jordan said.
“We’ve been playing a fair few of those younger VFL guys that may not potentially be in the starting line-up for round one, but the promising thing is they’ve all shown some good capability in being able to play their role at this level.
“They should take some confidence when they get their opportunities throughout the year.”
The VFL Dons have next week off, before their third practice match against Coburg on Saturday, March 23 at RAMS Arena in Craigieburn.
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.
