Best Win Since 2000 No. 44
Round 17 2019 vs North Melbourne
| Essendon | 4.4.28 | 6.11.47 | 11.13.79 | 12.14.86 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Melbourne | 6.3.39 | 7.5.47 | 9.7.61 | 12.9.81 |
Context
- Essendon came into the game in 9th place, one place and one win ahead of North in 10th. Both teams were coming in on the back of back-to-back wins.
Why it’s on the list / key moments
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AKA “The McDonald-Tipungwuti against North game”.
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Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti kicked 4.1 for the day and was judged by the umpires as best on ground ahead of Ben Brown who had a day out for North with 6.2 of his own.
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McDonald-Tipungwuti kicked a classic multi-feint snap goal in the 3rd quarter which, in most matches, would have been goal of the day.
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The weary Bombers needed more Walla magic late in the game after giving up an 18 point 3QT lead. With the ball deep in Essendon’s forward 50 and 26 seconds on the clock, Jayden Laverde squeezed out the most important handball of his career to find McDonald-Tipungwuti in the right-forward pocket. With only a shoe box of space to work with, Walla turned, took one look at the goals, and snapped on his right foot only a couple of metres from the boundary line. A point was required to tie the scores, but somehow Walla threaded the needle and gave the Bombers a 5 point lead. Essendon hung on and the release from the crowd at the final siren is still spine-tingling.
Extra notes
- Zac Clarke managed to win the hitout battle against North’s Todd Goldstein 35-32.
What happened next?
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Essendon carried their sense of fortune into two interstate comeback wins against Adelaide and Gold Coast before limping into the finals and succumbing to West Coast at the first hurdle.
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North Melbourne, who’d recently appointed Rhyce Shaw as caretaker coach after the resignation of Brad Scott, finished 12th, a position that would appear lofty as a long stint in the bottom 4 began.
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