5
The Bombers kicked the final five goals of the match against the Lions to turn a two-point deficit into a 27-point win. In the first half the Dons kicked eight unanswered goals before the Lions clawed their way back.
23.5
Zach Merrett is averaging 23.5 kicks per game to be number one in the league. He had 24 kicks against the Lions including five rebounds from the defensive 50 and five entries into the forward 50.
986
The Bombers have opened the season by kicking more than 100 points in each of the first two rounds. The last time that happened was 986 days ago in rounds 17 and 18 of 2014 when the Bombers beat Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs in back to back weeks.
249
The game was fairly even statistically but one area the Bombers did hold the advantage was in uncontested possession (249-218). The +31 differential was crucial in allowing the Bombers to control the tempo during important periods of the match.
13
He holds the Essendon record for the most one percenters in a game (20) and a season (185) and Michael Hartley was at his defensive best against the Lions with 13.
106
It was Brent Stanton's 250th match for the Bombers and the 106th time he's sung the Club song.
2013
That year will live in the memories of Essendon fans for a number of reasons, but perhaps one of the brightest notes that season came on draft night in November.
Despite being stripped of its early picks, the Bombers were able to land Zach Merrett with pick 26. That was the selection they secured from the Western Bulldogs in exchange for Stewart Crameri. At pick 55 (secured from Fremantle for Scott Gumbleton) the Dons landed Orazio Fantasia.
To cap it off, the Bombers selected Patrick Ambrose in the Rookie Draft.
Merrett (32 possessions), Fantasia (five goals) and Ambrose (kept Tom Bell goalless) were among Essendon’s best performers against Brisbane.
