Essendon assistant coach, Gary O’Donnell, has praised the courageous, four-quarter performance displayed by a young Bomber line-up against Adelaide at AAMI stadium tonight.
Despite going down to the Crows by five points, O’Donnell was thrilled with his side’s strong tackling presence and composure under pressure.
“It was a positive hit-out in which we really had a crack - right from the start,” O’Donnell said.
“We really took it up to Adelaide which is encouraging for coming weeks. We probably lost a bit of respect in the last month by having big losses but to start like we did and apply the pressure for the remainder of the game made it an exciting game for us.

“We didn’t miss as many tackles and we played pretty much one-on-one all over the ground. Our players were more-so mindful of where their men were and were able to pressure Adelaide.""

O’Donnell was particularly impressed to see the younger players standing up under pressure.

“Jason Winderlich was really good tonight and was able to kick a couple of goals as well,"" O'Donnell said.
""David Myers and Sam Lonergan looked promising as they worked to move the ball out for us early on.

“I think Dustin Fletcher came back into a bit of form as well. He was the Fletcher of old – smashing the ball and covering his opponent and getting an arm in and that was a good game for Fletch in that regard.

“It is only one step but obviously our younger players are learning the difference between AFL and VFL standard footy. They are gaining a better understanding of the pace of the game, the fitness you need to have and hopefully as they continue to play games, they will get better in that area and last games until the end.”

The Bombers had come to play and three early goals through Adam McPhee, Jason Winderlich and Mark McVeigh quickly put Adelaide on the back foot. A significantly moist surface had the potential to slow things down, however the early play was anything but. Free-flowing football was on the menu as the Bombers backed themselves in a contest to run the ball into attack with pace. Poor disposal undid some of Essendon’s early work as Adelaide jumped on the opportunity to work themselves back into the quarter. They dominated the remainder of the term, however poor conversion rates had the Crows chasing a nine-point lead at the first break.

Matthew Knights’ spray from last week seemed to have taken affect. The Bombers looked a shadow of their previous performance, with strong tackling pressure throughout the ground holding their opposition accountable. Both teams were hungry for the football and although Adelaide looked to hold the upper hand, Essendon refused to surrender. A free-kick and 50m penalty paid in Winderlich’s favour provided the Bombers with their first major for the term. However the Crows had added three majors to their tally for the term and a late goal to Matthew Lloyd allowed the Bombers a four-point lead heading into the long break.

Angus Monfries set Essendon off to a perfect start, adding his name to the scorers list before David Myers followed suit in a classy fashion. The goal was a just reward for the hard work he was doing around the ground, instilling hope that he will be a long-term prospect for the Bombers.

Dustin Fletcher was inspirational in defence, while Winderlich and Andrew Lovett were working hard through the centre of the ground. Scott Thompson began to cause headaches for Essendon, with 24 possessions to his name at the mid-way mark of the term.

The Crows lifted their intensity and the Bombers struggled to keep up – finding it difficult to work the ball into their forward 50m. A stellar goal to Brett Burton was the last thing Essendon would have hoped for as they worked to contain Adelaide’s momentum. The siren provided momentary relief from the Crows onslaught who held a 10-point lead with one quarter of football remaining.

The fourth term was set up to be an exciting duel. Adelaide had experience on their side with 16 of their 22 players having played all nine matches for the year compared the Essendon’s three. There were times when the Bombers’ inexperience was evident in contests but for the majority, they held their own. Adam McPhee kept his side in the match, securing two majors for the term and working hard around the ground. With five minutes remaining on the clock, only four points separated the sides. Adelaide had countless opportunities to seal the game but Essendon kept their composure under pressure and would not give in. The siren finally beat the Bombers to the punch as the Crows sealed a five-point victory.

Set to take on a red-hot Hawthorn unit next weekend, O’Donnell believes his side will not be overawed at the task at hand.

“We will have a look at the tapes this week and pick out the positives because it was a really good game for us,” he said.

“If we are able to play like that next week, we will give ourselves a good chance against the Hawks.”