Was a fantastic game to watch.
3 Likes
Myers 29 disposals and 3 goals. Next best for us was 21 and 1 goal for both Clarke and Ridley.
9 Likes
its been real darcy.
3 Likes
Fark me I hope Woosha doesn’t bring him in
1 Like
If he could produce that game in the AFL we’d put him back in a flash.!
1 Like
Will this one be up on YouTube later as well Paul?
Darcy did it better
1 Like
Alas. Memories of Stein.
2 Likes
Matty Dea and BZT brilliant down back. Reckon LAV would be happy with his return. Danny Younan is a ripper up forward. Moorcroftesque.
2 Likes
Hope so, hoping for a replay myself! Should be.
2 Likes
Outstanding effort today, Sandy had wind in the last but the boys held on & controlled the majority of the quarter.
Well played & well coached
1 Like
Another excellent team effort. Kicking the first three goals of the last quarter into a bit of wind showed a chunk of mental strength.
Ridley – full-time midfielder, 21 disposals and 1 goal makes him about equal-third for the game stats-wise
Hartley – never got put on Max King, the only real threat?
B Zerk-Thatcher – still not in clunking form, but gee he made a lot of saves today regardless
Heppell – more time back than normal
Dea – solid without being outstanding
Myers – 29 and 3 goals (2 as a midfielder, 1 during a brief stint forward). Kicking was good, unlike usual.
Berry – I thought he’d been injured in the second half, because he didn’t get interchanged in the last 45 minutes after a discussion on whether he knows he’s called The Traveller. Quiet.
Dylan “Alwyn” Clarke – same stats as Ridley, got his goal in a very brief stint forward. He is amazing in the clinches, they tackle him and he stands strong and gets it out to advantage regardless.
Long – didn’t often notice him down back, which in this case is a good thing
Houlahan – a non entity
Hocking – relatively quiet with 9 disposals but that tap to the running Younan in the last was epic
Mosquito – I think he’s going to be a very good midfielder. When he goes on ball for short stints he gets very very involved. Will get it more than Rioli did. Just gotta build that endurance. 14 disposals.
Landt – holding his spot. Hard head and that kick in the last quarter into the wind was HUGE. Pity LAV is such a spud kick.
Sibbald – very quiet. 4 disposals and 1 goal (which was in the first play of the day). He is building up some weight on his frame.
Younan – has been a midfielder most of this year. Today was a permanent forward and kicked four goals.
Zac Clarke – when he was good, he was very very good. But when he was bad he was horrid. Should have had 2 or 3 goals, ended up with none.
Laverde – limited time in the first half? Had 19 and kicked 1 goal, but didn’t feel that important.
Ham – to be honest, I didn’t notice him much. 16 and 1 goal.
Goetz – a definite upgrade on Read, size (203cm and 106kg) and skill-wise. We nominally got belted in the hit-outs 60-31 (versus 65 AFL gamer Billy Longer), but it didn’t feel like that.
McKenna – 20 disposals and 5 tackles
McQueen – just 12 disposals, but I was happy with his composure in some key plays
Josh Tynan – decent with 15 disposals
Tynan Smith – is a very solid 20yo (187cm and 94kg). Only five disposals in his debut but that included a pack clunk and goal, and excludes a lot of work when he didn’t have the ball.
Did not play: 51. J. Brown, 73. D. Guccione, 76. B. Laguda, 52. L. Read
26 Likes
Is that Guccione a relation of the former(?) Aussie tennis player Chris Guccione (big tall ranga)?
Cousin
3 Likes
Cousin. Also a former tennis player.
Edit: too slow.
1 Like
Just caught up. Thanks everyone.
1 Like
What ever happened to Aylett? I thought he signed with us?
1 Like
Played earlier. Injured now (no detail, been a while now).
1 Like
VFL Dons hold off Zebras
Essendon VFL returned to the winners list with a 13-point over Sandringham on Sunday. (Photo: Ben Johnstone)
Essendon VFL is back on the winners list after a narrow 13-point win over Sandringham on Sunday afternoon.
The Bombers made the most of a favouring breeze early, booting seven goals to two in the first term to ultimately set themselves up with the 15.10 (100) to 13.9 (87) triumph.
The match couldn’t have gotten off to a better start, with four consecutive Essendon goals to open the scoring at Wilson Storage Trevor Barker Beach Oval.
Edyn Sibbald booted one within the opening minute of play, followed by Jordan Ridley converting from a turnover and Jayden Laverde giving a fend-off to snap one through.
Jayden Laverde booted a goal in his return from injury. (Photo: Ben Johnstone)
Dylan Landt then had his chance, taking a strong intercept mark and going back to slot one.
Essendon continued to pile on the goals, as Sandringham struggled to break the early momentum.
Despite having a comfortable 33-point margin at the first break, the home side managed to bring it back to within one point late in the second term.
Five unanswered goals to the Zebras goals who now had the wind advantage, called for a big second-half response.
And the Bombers did just that.
David Myers (29 disposals, three goals, five marks) and vice-captain Danny Younan (eight disposals, four goals) combined for three early goals, outscoring the Zebras with five more shots on goal.
Sandringham continued to push and challenge, but was never able to ■■■■■■ the lead.
Rather than switching to a defensive game-plan in the final term, Essendon decided to keep attacking the footy, adding immense pressure in the process.
The Zebras managed to claw back from a 32-point deficit to just 13 points, thanks to three late goals, but it was too late.
Younan and Myers were unstoppable in the Bombers’ forward half, while Dylan Clarke (21 disposals, five marks, one goal), Ridley (21 disposals, seven marks, one goal) and Liam McKenna (20 disposals, five tackles) found plenty of the footy.
Dylan Clarke found plenty of the footy for Essendon VFL again. (Photo: Ben Johnstone)
Senior coach Dan Jordan was proud of his side for bouncing back after last week’s loss.
“We knew we were going to be in for a challenge – we knew there was going to be a bit of scoring and a chance to work defensively and transition hard, so it really challenged the boys to roll up their sleeves and get to work today,” Jordan said.
“There was probably 15 minutes or so at the start of the second quarter where we went away from (our structures) and Sandringham were able to score heavily, but pleasingly in the last quarter when Sandringham had the wind, and probably could have run away with it, we dug our heels in.”
Speaking of the decision to continue attacking in the final term, Jordan said it was about trying to take risks while still being defensive.
“I was proud of our guys for still having the courage to be able to (attack) – it’s quite easy to go into a defensive mode and put numbers behind the ball but we didn’t want to do that."
He also praised Younan and Myers , and was pleased with the efforts of debutants Luke Goetz and Tynan Smith who he felt played their roles.
“We know Danny is a proven goalkicker, and we’ve been playing him up on the wing but having lost some scoring power with some injuries to our forwards I wanted to hold him back down there.
“He didn’t have a high number of possessions but it was more about his pressure and being able to keep the ball in
“‘Myersy’ was outstanding as well, especially around the contest. His contested ball work is great, and to finish with three goals as a midfielder is huge.
“His leadership and direction is just as important, especially for some of those younger guys so we’re really privileged to have a guy of his calibre play with us.
The Bombers will take on the top-of-the-table Tigers and look to break the latter’s undefeated streak.
“We know how much of a quality side Richmond is, and looking back to that final we played against them last season was a terrific game,” Jordan said.
“If we can get a game of similar standard, that would be great not just for the competition but also for our learning.
“We go into every game trying to win it, and that’s definitely what we’ll be doing heading into next week.”
The VFL Bombers celebrate their win over Sandringham. (Photo: Ben Johnstone)
Essendon will play Richmond from 2:30pm on Saturday, May 25 at Punt Road Oval, ahead of the annual Dreamtime at the ‘G match.
Essendon 7.4 8.5 12.9 15.10 (100)
Sandringham 2.1 7.5 10.5 13.9 (87)
Goals: Younan 4, Myers 3, Sibbald, Ridley, Laverde, Landt, D. Clarke, Smith, Hocking, Ham
Disposals: Myers 29, D.Clarke, Ridley 21, McKenna 20, Laverde 19
Brooke Varney is in the final year of her Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) degree at RMIT University. As part of their strategic partnership, Essendon Football Club and RMIT University are committed to providing opportunities for students, staff, players and the wider community.
4 Likes