I’m not happy about 1 goal in a half.
We didn’t look like scoring.
That’s why I’m not saying , “we should have won”.
We clearly are not a Finals caliber team.
1 Like
I didn’t offer any solutions.
I just knocked on the head your suggestion of Hooker to the backline.
That won’t happen, and won’t work.
No need to get offended.
Just trust me on this one.
That’s what I’m saying our attitude sucked.
Far from scoring the 2nd half we didn’t look like tackling…at all.
Most tackles for the bombers tonight was Snelling…that speaks volumes of what happened in the 2nd half.
If he does not go to the back line then there is no place for him in the team. I was merely trying to be consiliatory.
people who think others are overreacting should look at the GWS outs for this match
one goal for a half is ■■■■■■■ disgusting
the consistent free gws players on the wing and at HF even more disgusting
watching them slingshot out of our terrible f50 entries and no players willing to reach down for a ground ball even more disgusting
watching waves of orange players run past our players from our f50 to theirs, ending up 20 metres clear most of the time was the cherry on the cake
just a lazy essington game, really turned back the clock
really really worried about rutten, and his refusal to make this team accountable defensively, or just horrid and reminiscent of last year’s worst defensive and offensive efforts makes you think it wasn’t woosh’s terrible defensive zone, it’s ruttens
It is seriously bad, like laughing stock of the competition bad, opposition players just lead up 30 metres in front of the man with the ball all the way up the ground
4 Likes
Oh, I suspect, as many do, that Hooksey will be playing his last game for us in a few weeks.
Seems the right call at this point.
1 Like
This is also my opinion, but I was trying to offer a solution in which he could finish his career gracefully rotating off the bench solely in the back pocket.
Yeah we should have left @ 3QTR time.
During the 2nd half our back pocket was somewhere else…perhaps taking apiss break.
I bet if he put more time into preparing playing football than playing with his hair, we would have won comfortably.
He’s legit fat for an athlete at the moment. Always has been a bit, but right now unacceptably so. It’s why he can’t put a full season together. I think he’s injured too.
Exactly. This excuse makes no sense and is more laughable than the umpire conspiracy theory.
You could be waiting for a long time and setting yourself up for some heart break.
Sure, there have been some improvements in the team. But; actually we are a very hit and miss team and a long way from the top teams. We needed this kick in the guts to wake us up!!! Are we now playing for draft picks? - Feels like it! And that’s o.k. but please remember to cut some of the dead wood at the end of the season. Mix and match hasn’t worked for us but; we will eventually get the mix right. We are still long way off rock 'n rolling with the cup. Another two/three years or more.
I hope I am here to see it.
1 Like
Walla hasn’t been the same since the Doedee collision.
3 Likes
Yes Hooker came off and was getting his right hammy worked on.
Two absolute thrashings coming up if we play the way we did tonight. Get ready and steel yourself for it. Many of our players are already on holidays in their heads.
1 Like
Just dunno at the moment. And I’ve lived through many Bomber disappointments I can assure.
Last night’s loss, or the 2nd half to be precise felt like a royal kick in the guts given our progress and feelgood hype. Giants had so many loose playing keepings off, we just lost the plot and looked ragged. Really ragged. We didnt fight hard enough in midfield when we should’ve maintained a grip … and forwards couldn’t get a touch or kick straight when they should’ve. So many heads went down was my concern. I wanted to see Truck throw a clipboard and boot the whiteboard at 3QT but nope. Even seeing him spit into the camera during the 4th would’ve helped, knowing he won’t tolerate future surrenders like we saw.
This season is done tbh so let’s look to 2022. Tippa needs a break right now to get fit. Chook needs to step away and let the young’uns like Bryan, Kane B and Son of Hirdy get a few games in ASAP. Guelfi deserves a run back in and I’d like to see Franga return. Maybe Zerk back to the bench too. At least they care. And Truck needs to rethink his best 18 in their best positions, let alone our 22 as Cutler and Zaka are not in it.
Truck could do worse than give Sheeds a lazy call to chat it through today. I know what the great man would do … and it involves a lot of red mist and bad angry language down the line back to Truck. We need that big angry reaction and collective shift now more than ever … otherwise its same old for another 12 months.
Forget finals … its all about character. Find it Bombers.
2 Likes
AFL 2021 Essendon v GWS: Darcy Parish shutdown clamps Bombers | Herald Sun
The GWS Giants have given their hopes of a return top finals football an almighty boost with a 13-point win over the Bombers on the Gold Coast that moves them into the all-important eighth spot and shifts Essendon out of the finals positions with four weeks to go.
In a sign of just how tight the race for a spot in September is the Giants jumped all the way up from twelfth spot with the victory that came in the absence of arguably their best player in Toby Greene, who remains in quarantine and was inspired by a sensational third term from Lachie Whitfield who would finish with 36 possessions.
Watch The 2021 Toyota AFL Premiership Season Live & On-Demand on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >
In a scrappy game, that was yet again at a neutral venue, the contest was crying out for a superstar to take control and it would be the two-time best and fairest who answered the call with a brilliant third quarter that helped his team kick four goals to none for the term and take an eight-point lead into the final break.
Callan Ward looks to send the Giants deep into attack. Picture: Getty Images
Another tense quarter would ensue in the final stanza until Brent Daniels, who was impressive all evening, snapped one out of a ruck contest from a tight angle to put the Giants out of sight and secure a critical four points.
Essendon had looked the stronger side in the first half, taking a 14-point advantage into half-time, mainly off the back of the brilliant work from Zac Merrett on-ball and the red-hot Jake Stringer.
A strong Stringer tackle on Daniels in the second term led to a holding the ball call which the dynamic forward would convert from which summed up the Essendon edge in the first half.
After half-time though the Giants prime movers took control, led by Whitfield but ably supported by young gun Tom Green, who finished with 29 touches and six clearances, Josh Kelly in his 150th game as well as Jacob Hopper as the Giants sealed one of the most important wins of their season.
DARCY DILUTED
Darcy Parish has been one of the standout performers of the season prompting Leon Cameron to put a lot of work into dulling his influence in a must- win game. Lachie Ash was moved into the midfield with the responsibility of diluting the impact of the Bombers ball winner and succeeded as he was kept to just 14 disposals, his lowest tally of the season.
SHIEL SILENCED
Expectations weren’t necessarily high for Dylan Shiel’s return top footy considering he spent four months out with a knee injury but Bombers fans would have been hopeful that he could add even more of his class to a burgeoning midfield group. It’s clear that may take some time however as he finished with only the 13 possessions for the game and had minimal impact against his old club.
Jake Stringer fends off the tackle from Phil Davis. Picture: AFL Photos/via Getty Images
BULL DURHAM
While the loss is a big dent in Essendon’s quest to play finals, so much of this season has been about unearthing youngsters for the future and in 20-year-old Sam Durham, who was taken with pick nine in the mid-season draft, they seem to have found another one. The midfielder was hard at it once more in just his second game finishing with 15 disposals and looking like he’ll keep his spot in Ben Rutten’s best 22.
Ruckman Shane Mumford celebrates a crucial goal for the Giants. Picture: Getty Images
SCOREBOARD
ESSENDON 4.3, 6.4, 6.8, 7.11 (53)
GWS 2.4, 3.6, 7.10, 9.12 (66)
GOALS
Essendon: Hooker, Parish, Perkins, Zaharakis, Stringer, Smith, Cox
GWS: Hogan 2, Ward, Lloyd, Mumford, Ash, Ward, Reid, Daniels
BEST
Essendon: Heppell, Stringer, Ridley, Snelling, Merrett
GWS: Whitfield, Perryman, Hopper, Kelly, Kennedy, Taylor, Green
VOTES
3 – Lachie Whitfield
2 – Tom Green
1 – Dyson Heppell
1 Like
Giant move: GWS shoots down Bombers to jump into eight
Greater Western Sydney leapfrogs a swag of teams in the fight for finals
8 hrs
The Giants get around Shane Mumford after a goal in round 19, 2021. Picture: Getty Images
A RESURGENT Greater Western Sydney has blown the race for eighth wide open by producing a huge second half to overrun Essendon by 13 points at Metricon Stadium on Sunday night.
Things didn’t look good for the Giants when they trailed by 16 points at half-time, but a four-goal-to-zero third term helped them gain the lead and set them on the way to record the 9.12 (66) to 7.11 (53) victory.
BOMBERS v GIANTS Full match coverage and stats
It was the experienced heads of Lachie Whitfield, Callan Ward and Shane Mumford that lifted when required in that penultimate quarter, as the Giants won for the first time in three matches to catapult in front of Essendon and up into the top eight.
The Giants narrowly hang on to eighth place but have four teams - including Essendon - two points behind them and snapping at their heels with just four games remaining this season.
It was a 30-27 edge at the clearances that paved the way for GWS’ second-half turnaround, with Mumford instrumental at setting the tone that fellow veterans Ward and Whitfield picked up on quickly and the Bombers’ highly-rated counterparts were unable to match.
’NOT GOING TO GET FAR’ Rutten disappointed by Bombers’ form fade
Whitfield finished with a game-high 36 disposals, while Tom Green (29) and Harry Perryman (25) also won plenty of the ball for a Giants’ midfield that bats extremely deep.
But perhaps it was the tagging efforts of Lachie Ash that stood out most, with the youngster putting the clamps on Bombers star Darcy Parish and keeping the in-form onballer to just 15 touches.
Fellow midfield star Zach Merrett was unbale to pick up the slack after a fast start to the match and could only collect 20 disposals, with skipper Dyson Heppell (28 touches) and Jordan Ridley (25) the biggest ball winners for the Dons.
Merrett had the ball on a string during the opening term and Archie Perkins and Cale Hooker made the most of the midfield supply to ensure the Bombers led by 11 points at the first break.
Sharp-shooter Daniel Lloyd converted as expected to reduce the Giants’ buffer early in the second term, but Devon Smith snapped a beauty from the boundary late in the quarter to ensure the Dons held sway by 16 points at half-time.
The Giants looked a different side after half-time as Whitfield got on top and they claimed an eight-point buffer at three-quarter time, following Jesse Hogan’s set-shot after the siren.
Nik Cox marked strongly for what was the Dons’ only goal of the second half early in the final term, but Brent Daniels iced the game late as the Giants held on for the much-needed victory.
Still life in the old Mummy
The Giants have used Shane Mumford sparingly in recent times, but the 35-year-old showed he still has a big role to play this season with a strong performance in the ruck matched up against young up-and-comer Sam Draper. Draper was on top of Mumford in the opening half, but the wily veteran lifted when needed and even kicked the goal that gave the Giants the lead midway through the third term.
Dons strike gold in mid-season draft
The Bombers did well when they landed versatile utility Will Snelling in the mid-season draft in 2019 and it looks like they have another beauty in Sam Durham. The 20-year-old looked good when he gathered 11 disposals on debut against North Melbourne last week and he backed up that performance with another eye-catching effort against the Giants. Durham finished with 15 touches and seven marks and it’s fair to say the Bombers have found a good player.
No Greene, no worries for GWS
The Giants’ forward line certainly looks much different without skipper Toby Greene marshalling the troops, yet it functioned well in his absence against the Bombers. Harry Himmelberg and Jesse Hogan marked well and could have scored more heavily if not for some poor kicking for goal, while the reliable Tim Taranto and Daniel Lloyd also looked dangerous at times. When Greene returns next week the Giants will have even more firepower at their disposal.
ESSENDON 4.3 6.4 6.8 7.11 (53)
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 2.4 3.6 7.10 9.12 (66)
GOALS
Essendon: Hooker, Parish, Perkins, Smith, Stringer, Zaharakis, Cox
Greater Western Sydney: Hogan 2, Himmelberg, Ash, Lloyd, Ward, Mumford, Reid, Daniels
BEST
Essendon: Ridley, Heppell, Durham, Cox, Perkins, Merrett
Greater Western Sydney: Whitfield, Green, Perryman, Ash, Mumford, Ward
INJURIES
Essendon: Nil
Greater Western Sydney: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
Essendon: Guelfi (unused)
Greater Western Sydney: Riccardi (unused)
1 Like
Bombers ‘not going to get far in finals’, says disappointed Rutten
Essendon coach desperate to regain missing form, Leon Cameron calls Giants’ win ‘character-building’
8 hrs
The disappointed Bombers leave Metricon Stadium in round 19, 2021. Picture: Getty Images
DISAPPOINTED Essendon coach Ben Rutten has already led the Bombers to heights they didn’t expect this season, but knows he has an even bigger battle on his hands if he wants to lead his young charges into the finals.
The Bombers missed the chance to cement their spot inside the top eight when they fell to a disappointing 13-point loss to the Giants on Sunday evening and now face the prospect of missing out on September football for the second year in succession.
BOMBERS v GIANTS Full match coverage and stats
But Rutten is not concerned by whether his team can regain eighth place and play finals this year and says his team must focus on finding a way to regain the form they have displayed throughout the majority of the season.
“We are not going to get too far in the finals if we play like we have during the last couple of weeks,” Rutten said.
“Our priority at the moment is to get our game back to where it was for most part of the season.”
Rutten’s young team appeared one step closer to finals football when they led the Giants by 16 points at half-time on Sunday, but could manage just one goal after the main break to fall to their 10th loss of the campaign.
“It was a disappointing game from us,” Rutten said.
"We are far from the finished product and have still got a lot of improvement and a lot of growth to go in our group.
“The last couple of weeks have been below where we have been throughout the season.”
Giants coach Leon Cameron was thrilled with his team’s resolve, labelling the victory a “character-building win” that his team badly needed.
“We wanted a real good arm wrestle tonight and we got it, so it was great to come out on top,” Cameron said.
"We want to play finals footy every year and we sit in eighth spot at the moment.
“We know that to play finals you have got to earn the right and to earn the right you have got to win games.”
The Giants catapulted in front of Essendon with Sunday’s victory, but have a task holding on to a finals spot with matches against premiership fancies Port Adelaide and Geelong to come over the next fortnight.
Veteran Giants defender Phil Davis is no certainty to face Port Adelaide in round 20 after he headed to hospital after the game following a knock to his back just before half-time.
Davis was still in discomfort after the game and, given the kidney injury he suffered in 2014, the club opted to send to him to hospital as a precaution. He was given the all-clear late on Sunday night and headed back to the team hotel.
Cameron is hopeful experienced midfielder Stephen Coniglio (toe) will be fit to take on the Power next weekend, while he indicated skipper Toby Greene was itching to get out of his COVID quarantine this week and return to help his side.
“He (Greene) is like a bull at a gate,” Cameron said.
"It was good seeing them on Facetime when we sung the song, as they were really rapt.
“We are looking forward to getting these lads out, as there is no doubt they will give us an enormous amount of energy midway through this week.”
1 Like