Essendon defied both home and away season punditry and a second-half challenge from Collingwood to win by 34 points in the second elimination final at Stannards Stadium.
In front of 3,300 fans and against a side that had defeated them twice in 2018, the Bombers led from start to finish.
However, it wasn’t until a glorious final-quarter performance from Josh Green that Essendon finally wrested a finals victory in Dan Jordan’s first season as coach.
The small forward stunned the Magpies with four straight goals to have the Bombers faithful deliriously celebrating the 18.6 (114) to 11.14 (80) victory long before the final siren.
Essendon got off to the perfect start when Nick Hind heralded another excellent match to set up Jayden Laverde in the first minute. Hind’s ability to find the ball in traffic and then break free to have the Bombers streaming forward set up several goals across the afternoon.
At the other end of the ground, Essendon showed the extent of its preparation as defenders Brandon Zerk-Thatcher and Michael Hartley positioned themselves to repeatedly intercept Collingwood’s attacking thrusts in the first quarter.
With vigorous run and carry and poise with ball in hand, the Bombers got out to a 29-point lead early in the second quarter before Collingwood began to claw its way back: Callum Brown kicked two of the Pies’ next three goals to have the match on an even keel and lay the challenge squarely at the Bombers’ feet.
Just a month prior, Essendon had fallen to Port Melbourne by five points in a heart-breaker at Stannards Stadium but there were no ghosts plaguing the Bombers in the elimination final.
Indeed, key position player Edyn Sibbald – who made his VFL debut in the round 18 clash – was among the players who set the standard in the first half.
With a pair of second-quarter goals, Sibbald gave the Bombers the upper hand and then helped Essendon cross the line between victory and dismay when he orchestrated a third goal to Jackson Merrett.
Merrett kicked four goals in the first three quarters to help set up a crucial buffer at the final change but just as important as his scoreboard impact was his work-rate in the forward half.
By pushing hard to make space and then use the ball effectively, Merrett led the way in capitalising on his side’s forward entry and kicking on goal with an accuracy that has often challenged the Bombers in 2018.
Sam Draper continued his outstanding form as he fought almost unaided in the ruck against Magpie pair Max Lynch and Tom Jok. Draper not only amassed over 60 hit-outs but was able to use his body to give midfielders Hind, Joe Harrison and Kobe Mutch first use of the ball.
Green’s cameo capped off a four-quarter performance from the Bombers; his fourth of the final term and fifth from the match came when the 26-yea-old was the last man standing as the ball hit the deck. He rolled through the sealer from the goal square and then followed through to celebrate with the Bomber fans.
The win sets up a semi-final clash next Saturday at Stannards Stadium from 12.45pm with minor premier Richmond following the Tigers’ loss to Williamstown in their qualifying final.
“We’ve always said during the year that our best footy is good enough to come close against anyone,” Jordan said about the challenge ahead.
“We’ve still got a little way to go. We’re going to come up against a really quality opposition, but finals are always about building.”
When it came to ironing out kinks, Essendon was clearly a side on an upward trend against Collingwood.
“A lot of that comes down to our forwards’ work rate … I think through the middle part of the year, that was not as evident as it is now, and I thought some of our work for each other today in terms of our forwards getting up the ground, resetting, was terrific,” says Jordan.
“I thought some of Jacko Merrett’s resets were terrific. Some of James Stewart’s competing in the air was terrific, bringing the ball to ground level, and that’s what enables us to kick goals.”
Essendon won despite ending up with one less scoring shot than Collingwood.
“It’s amazing when you have good entry, you get the ball to good spots. In terms of our ball movement, the chain-overlap and getting out wide got us in good positions to kick goals.”
When reflecting on the mindset required to beat a team that had taken the points twice in 2018, Jordan says that playing to the Essendon brand was top priority.
“You don’t think about the opposition you’re playing, you just focus on your game plan and playing the footy you want to,” he said.
“For the most part, the boys executed exactly what we wanted to all day.”
While the experience of players like Green, Merrett and Hartley was readily apparent in deciding the result, Jordan was quick to laud the performance of his younger players.
“We spoke about 23 players having a role today and guys like [Jake] McQueen, [Wilson] Berry, [Edyn] Sibbald, [Joe] Harrison, [Nino] Lazzaro, these guys who are in the first year of the VFL program, they all played their role really well.”
ESSENDON 5.3 11.3 14.4 18.6 (114)
COLLINGWOOD 2.4 5.5 9.10 11.14 (80)
GOALS
Essendon – Green 5, Merrett 4, Stewart 2, Sibbald 2, Hocking, Hind, Younan, Harrison, Laverde
Collingwood – Brown 3, Smith 2, Gallucci 2, Lynch, Hellier, Oxley, Daicos.
BEST
Merrett, Draper, Mutch, Green, Ridley, McQueen, Francis
