Coming into this game, we found two teams in very similar positions on the ladder and sporting very similar poor seasons. Howevr, they were two teams with a distinctly different outlooks.
The Eagles won just one solitary game last season and were anchored to the bottom of the ladder. Meanwhile, the Bombers have won just one of their last 24 games, resulting in the sacking of their former coach Brad Scott. The Bombers suffered arguably their worst loss of the season last week, against a wounded Tigers side that put the nail in Brad Scott’s coaching coffin.
On the flip side, the Eagles have been more competitive of late. Even before this game, the Eagles have tripled their total wins from last season, including an impressive victory against Greater Western Sydney two weeks ago.
Even though both sides are cellar dwellers, there was a lot to look forward to in the game, namely, who could stand up and show the brighter sparks, and both teams had reasons to win.
For the Eagles, they were staring down the barrel of a fourth win of the season, a mark that they haven’t reached since 2021, and there is still half a season remaining. A mark on the Eagles’ path back to relevance has to be their ability to make Optus Stadium a fortress again, winning games at home and putting the fear back into travelling teams. Two of the Eagles’ three wins this season have come at home, against North Melbourne and the Giants.
For the Bombers, a win would perhaps show a prospective future coach that they had something to look forward to. Maybe it would show a little faith in the board that getting rid of Scott was the right move to make, instead of keeping Scott and getting rid of the playing list.
Enough with the foreplay, let’s crack on to the review.
Poor Skills Early
Did I pick the short straw when I got this game, or what? Both sides just struggled to hit easy targets early, making the Carlton pre-season training drill video look like silky skills in comparison. Not only did players routinely miss their teammates with easy passes, but there were numerous kicks that went out of bounds under no pressure at all. The commentators did try to explain this away by stating that there must be a gale breeze blowing around the ground, but even the wind couldn’t explain some of the choices that were made.
Both sides suffered in different ways. The Eagles had a lot of attacking passages early, but struggled to convert from their numerous opportunities. West Coast kicked 2.5 in the first quarter and could have really put the Bombers to the sword.
On the other hand, at least the Eagles could hit the scoreboard. The Bombers looked completely toothless, struggling to move it into their forward line and connecting with their key forwards in Caddy and Ben McKay.
Yes, you read that correctly, Ben McKay was played as a key forward in the first indication that Dean Solomon was prepared to shake things up. Yes, I know, you think the same as I do – things are getting truly desperate down at Windy Hill if they are throwing McKay up forward. The Bombers ended the first quarter with only a solitary behind. It would be easy to blame the forwards, but the midfield is just as responsible. Even the best Bomber ball users struggled to hit targets in the first term, with Merrett and Parish unable to do much damage.
The poor skills continued for both sides in the second quarter, with Jade Gresham missing two easily kickable shots in the second quarter before Jake Waterman did his best to keep the Bombers in it by hitting the belly of the ball with his snap shot at goal. By half-time, Essendon could only kick goals from less than 30% of their shots at goal; meanwhile, the Eagles also scored from less than 50% of their shots at goal as well.
Cain and Abel
Cain and Abel, for those unaware, is a biblical story of two brothers who found themselves squaring off against each other. Much like that brotherly contest, this game saw Willem’s West Coast facing off with Xavier’s Bombers. While Willem got the points in the first quarter, Xavier and the Bombers dragged the game back in the second quarter, with Xavier playing a part in the comeback with his role across half back as he retreated from the wing.
However, Willem and the Eagles were able to pull away again towards the end of the second half, despite the commentators stating that the Bombers were kicking with a two-goal breeze in the second quarter, which they used to cover some of the poor kicking skills displayed. Willem made the wind look non-existent at the start of the second quarter, using it perfectly to kick a goal from outside the 50.
Back to the main point, both members of the Duursma family represented their respective teams with pride, and both show signs of being potentially great players in years to come. Sue, Xavier has been around a while, but he’s playing consistent footy in a poor team, at the moment. However, it was Willem Duursma and his Eagles who delivered a killer blow to Xavier’s Bombers, making Willem the Cain of the family.
The Ben McKay Question
When Ben McKay crossed over to Essendon in 2024, North fans probably believed that they had lost an important cog in their defensive set-up. McKay, who chose to move to the club he supported as a child, has largely been a disappointment for Essendon fans, to put it mildly. So much so, that one of Dean Solomon’s first moves as the new senior coach has been to throw McKay around the ground, including further up the field as a back-up ruckman and a key forward, a role his brother plays for Carlton these days.
While McKay is useful as a back-up ruckman, he isn’t good enough to play the role full-time. It was even worse for McKay as a key forward. The 28-year-old was completely blanketed by West Coast’s Tylar Young and Reuben Ginbey when he went forward. McKay had no shots at goal in the first half and only managed two marks, most of which were further up the ground in spots that weren’t dangerous. Meanwhile, Young was able to outpoint his opponent multiple times, taking three intercept marks. McKay finally got his first shot at goal deep in the third quarter after drawing a free kick on Rhett Bazzo, which he subsequently scored, kicking his first goal for Essendon and his first goal since 2022.
This isn’t to say that this was entirely McKay’s fault, as Nate Caddy also struggled to get anywhere near the ball until the final quarter when the game was out of reach. Prior to that, the biggest impact Caddy had on the game was, unfortunately, taking out his teammate Archer May in a marking contest.
Eagles Growing up
When you watch West Coast play, many people focus on the negatives. It’s human nature, I suppose. However, when you really dive into this team, even when they don’t play excellent footy, there is plenty to be excited about.
I’ll get to Harley, because he was mighty in moments during this game, but the spotlight deserves to be shining elsewhere, too.
Reuben Ginbey got the better of Nate Caddy for the majority of the game, finishing with 11 intercepts and eight one-percenters.
Jobe Shanahn only had the six touhces, but the way he reads the footy in the air demonstrates that he is going to be a target for the West Coast mids for years to come.
Tom McCarthy is growing into his role in the backline, and the confidence to go forward and hit the scoreboard demonstrates that he is now comfortable.
And th run and carry of Bo Allan is starting to cause issues. This, on top of the work of Willem Duursma… the Eaghes have taken huge steps from where they were in 2025, and whilst the next step will not be easy, with these young guys coming along nicely, it may not end up being as difficult as it appeared even just six weeks ago.
Undisciplined Bombers
A key part of playing at an AFL level is surely being able to be disciplined, and in a game where they needed things to go their way, the Bombers certainly didn’t help themselves with undisciplined acts. This was highlighted as Milan Murdock kicked a goal with the first kick of the second half after being bumped off the ball to receive a free kick. Bailey Williams kicked his team’s second goal of the half after drawing a free kick from Nick Bryan in a forward 50 ruck contest.
The Bombers’ discipline issues only got worse as the game developed, as Essendon continued to give free kicks away as the Eagles extended their lead, kicking multiple goals in a row.
The game was getting away from them, and they were almost assisting the Eagles in taking it away.
Some blokes can just play
You don’t win awards inthe league vbelow for years on end if you cannot play, and sometimes, all you need is an opprtunity to prove you can also compete at the highest level.
That Milan Murdock was not an AFL list this time last year seems crazy when you watch him play, doesn’t it? He is a pure footballer, and at 25, he has latched onto his chance to become an Eagle with both hands, and has been so good, I reckon he would be one of Andrew McQualter’s first picked every week.
His passion, desperation, and flat out footy smarts to get to the right spots and make things happen, is infectious. With 19 touches and three goals in this one, he continued to build on what has been an excellent, if belated, start to his career. And unlike many mature-age recruits, he is going to be a fiuxture in this team as their young players turn into stars, because when a man plays with the passion that Murdock does, he earns his place each and every week.
Not up to AFL Standard
It’s a shame to see it, but it appears that there are a couple of Bombers, especially players in their leadership group, that are just not up to AFL standard. Jade Gresham had a dirty game for the Bombers, missing multiple shots at goals that the average punter would have slotted with some ease. However, Gresham wasn’t alone in his poor performance.
Darcy Parish and Zach Merrett, both of whom are members of the Bombers’ leadership group, struggled to hit the target by foot throughout the game, with Merrett looking particularly uninspired. Merrett could perhaps be excused for a bad game, given how much he has already given so far this season and also given the comments that Brad Scott was fine with him leaving during the last off-season. Meanwhile, Parish butchered the ball the entire game with his kicking skills, letting him down significantly. It almost seemed like every time Parish put the ball on his boot, it inevitably ended up in the hands of his opponent, despite the stats assuring me that his disposal efficiency was above 70%.
There were a few things that Essendon fans can take out of the game, though, as Nick Bryan had a great game against the much more experienced Bailey Williams. Former Blue and Giant Will Setterfield was also a welcome addition back into the Bombers’ side. Finally, Xavier Duursma looks like a genuine star and was one of the Bombers’ best players on a dirty day for the team.
Apologies to Mr Reid
Time for the humble author to eat some crow. Earlier this year, I mentioned that Harley Reid’s choice to cut off his hair rendered him powerless and compared him to the biblical figure of Samson, suggesting that the Eagles star should regrow his hair to restore some of his powers.
While not a performance we saw when he sported the full locks, Reid was impressive again against an undermanned Bombers side. Reid not only kicked a goal, but also had a game-high nine score involvements.
His ability to absorb contact is also a very underrated aspect of his game, as evidenced by the way Zach Reid was laying on the deck and Harley was staring down at him after the Bomber tried to lay a hit on him
It appears that a large part of Reid’s reversal in form could be the fact that he doesn’t need to do as much, as he is now better supported by the players around him, including Tim Kelly’s return to form, as well as the addition of fellow number one pick Willem Duursma.
So fair to say, Harley, keep the hair as it is; it seems to be working for you and your team this year. That goal in traffic – Samson would have been envious.
