MELBOURNE has suffered its second loss of 2023, falling to Essendon by 27 points at Adelaide Oval.
The Demons had won eight of their past nine at Adelaide Oval and boasted an impressive 10-5 overall record inside South Australia's sporting cathedral, but had no answers for the Bombers' intensity and class during a 45-minute blitz during the second and third quarters where Essendon kicked seven unanswered goals to set up the 15.14 (104) to 11.11 (77) win.
With Melbourne skipper Max Gawn in town but still missing after suffering an MCL injury in Round 2, Bombers ruckmen Sam Draper (three goals) and Andrew Phillips (two goals) pushed forward to trouble a Demons defence missing All-Australian defender Jake Lever and Michael Hibberd, combining for five first half goals. Draper was the most dominant player on the ground in the first half.
Essendon's star midfield trio of Darcy Parish, Zach Merrett and Dylan Shiel were all busy, but it was less about a standout individual performance and more about a standout team performance.
The Bombers led at every break and never let Simon Goodwin’s side within three goals when the rain transitioned from a drizzle to a deluge after half-time.
It started with Will Snelling, who slotted a set shot four minutes into the game after missing the first month of the season, and Essendon looked ominous from there, despite some of Melbourne's stars converting their chances.
Melbourne kicked the first three goals of the second quarter to reclaim the lead and looked to finally be clicking after Clayton Oliver touched the ball only twice in the first and Christian Petracca had just five disposals, but it didn't last long.
Essendon responded with four straight goals – three in five minutes – including a clever snap from Draper for the South Australian's third.
The Bombers were rarely challenged from there, with Melbourne kicking four goals to three in the final quarter to improve the final margin.
Ducking free kick leads to concussion
Charlie Spargo exited the game just before half-time after ducking into a tackle to be caught holding the ball by Mason Redman. The Demon underwent a concussion test at half-time and has now entered protocols, ruling the Victorian out of the Anzac Day eve game against Richmond. James Jordon replaced Spargo for the second half at Adelaide Oval.
Oliver recovers from slow start
Clayton Oliver started very slowly and roared home like a Ferrari. The four-time best-and-fairest winner collected only two disposals in the first quarter, with Brad Scott sending Will Setterfield to nullify him at stoppage. But after the Dons broke the game open in the third quarter, Oliver tried to drag Melbourne back across the line. The Brownlow Medal contender amassed 20 disposals and 14 contested possessions alone, finishing with 41 touches, 25 contested possessions, eight clearances and seven inside 50s.
Dees swing late change
Melbourne was supposed to test the tall trio of Ben Brown, Tom McDonald and Jacob van Rooyen in the same forward line for the first time, but those plans changed. Brown missed last week and was a late out against the Bombers with back soreness, after being named on Thursday night. He trained alongside Max Gawn in a park near the Adelaide Oval early on Saturday morning, under the watch of Greg Stafford and Troy Chaplin. In the absence of Brown, McDonald was held scoreless while van Rooyen kicked a goal in his third game.
ESSENDON 5.4 9.10 12.13 15.14 (104)
MELBOURNE 4.2 7.5 7.7 11.11 (77)
GOALS
Essendon: Draper 3, Phillips 2, Martin 2, Langford 2, Hind 2, Stringer, Snelling, Perkins, Jones
Melbourne: Pickett 2, Melksham 2, Fritsch 2, van Rooyen, Petracca, Neal-Bullen, Jordon, Chandler
BEST
Essendon: Parish, Merrett, Draper, McGrath, Shiel, Durham, Langford
Melbourne: Oliver, Petracca, Langdon, Viney, May
INJURIES
Essendon: Jones (ankle)
Melbourne: Spargo (concussion)
SUBSTITUTES
Essendon: Nick Hind (replaced Harry Jones in the third quarter)
Melbourne: James Jordon (replaced Charlie Spargo at half-time)
