Essendon VFL has rallied from 17 points down midway through the final term to stage a stunning comeback against Footscray on Friday night.
Under the lights at Queen Elizabeth Oval in Bendigo the VFL Dons dug deep in the last quarter to kick the last three goals of the match to get over the line by five points.
“When you’re 17 points down halfway through the last term and had struggled to keep the ball in our half for majority of the game, it was amazing for the boys to find a way,” VFL Co-Coach Mark Corrigan said.
“To have that belief to get the momentum back and keep believing and pushing and willing themselves to find a way to win is an absolute credit to them.”
The slippery conditions made it difficult for forwards to have an impact throughout the match, however it was those up front for the Dons who arguably clinched the win in the final term.
“The guys up forward probably struggled at times to value to contest and hold the ball in,” said Corrigan.
“But their last 15 minutes of the last quarter was a big reason why we were able to have scoring opportunities.”
Ariel Stienberg and Tayte Pears made the most of their chance at VFL level, after missing out on senior selection against the Suns.
Both played valuable key-position posts on Tom Boyd and Will Minson, keeping the Bombers in the match.
“Footscray had 64 inside 50s and for those two guys to withstand that and keep repelling that was amazing and a big reason why we got the result we did,” said Corrigan.
The win ensures the VFL Bombers keep their top-four chances alive with one match remaining in the home-and-away fixture.
Essendon faces Richmond in the final round.
“The boys coming off a five day break will take a bit longer to recover, so it will be a welcome eight-day break,” said Corrigan.
“We will be keen to finish off the year strong and bring another four quarter performance.”
Essendon 11.13 (79) defeated Footscray 10.14 (74)
Goals
Essendon: J. Thompson 3, K. Hardingham 2, D. Willis 2, J. Schroder, A. Hickey, M. Purcell, J. Polkinghorne
Best
Essendon: A. Steinberg, T. Pears, E. Kavanagh, J. Schroder, D. Coghlan, D. Willis
