Best Win Since 2000 No. 46
Round 10 2023 vs Richmond
| Essendon | 4.1.25 | 5.7.37 | 6.10.46 | 10.11.71 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond | 3.5.23 | 6.6.42 | 8.10.58 | 10.10.70 |
Context
-
Richmond were on a 13 game winning streak against Essendon.
-
The two sides came into the game in inconsistent form.
-
Richmond had miscalculated their list’s longevity by bringing in Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper over the previous off-season, but appeared to be a shadow of their former selves, despite an unexpected win against Geelong the previous round. They were 13th on the ladder.
-
Essendon had lost 4 tough games in a row but still knew that it was their best chance at overcoming their hoodoo against Richmond in many years. The Bombers were 10th on the ladder.
Why it’s on the list / key moments
-
AKA “The Durham goal against Richmond game”
-
A terrible game to watch for all footy fans until the last quarter. The last 5 minutes in particular were thrilling for us Bomber fans.
-
Jake Stringer kicked a typical bomb from just outside 50m in the 4th quarter to energize the Essendon crowd.
-
With 5 minutes to go, the Bombers cut the Tigers’ lead to 6 with a fortunate bounce leading to an open goal for Jye Menzie. Richmond’s Ryan Mansell then had a set shot from a slight angle but somehow put the ball out on the full.
-
In a frantic final couple of minutes, Essendon eventually converted an inside 50 entry when Stringer centred the ball to the top of the goalsquare where Sam Durham forced his way in front of Daniel Rioli to mark. Durham took his full 30 seconds then goaled to put Essendon in front.
-
One of the loudest Essendon roars of the last decade once the siren blew.
Extra notes
- This is the game where Sam Weideman’s Essendon career trajectory completely changed in the blink of an eye. Weid kicked 2 goals in 2 minutes in the 1st quarter, and in prior weeks had looked like a decent pickup with 9 goals in 4 games. He then kicked 3 consecutive behinds in the 2nd quarter, seemingly losing all the confidence he had built up in an Essendon jumper. His next 7 games resulted in a total of 0.3 before he was eventually dropped from the side.
What happened next?
-
Essendon played lukewarm footy over the following two weeks, beating bottom two sides West Coast and North Melbourne, before appearing to turn the corner with a solid win against Carlton. The Bombers came crashing down to Earth after the bye, eventually finishing 11th with the 4th-lowest percentage in the comp.
-
Damian Hardwick resigned as Richmond’s senior coach within the week. Hardwick reportedly said to his players following the loss, “To be honest with you, I reckon this team is a bunch of spuds, and you aren’t even as good as they are.” Richmond finished 13th, one win behind Essendon, and would accept that their list rebuild was about to go into overdrive during the off-season.
Click here to go to best win #45.