If I sat you down right before the season started and told you that one of the Bombers and Demons would be sitting at 4-1 after their Round Five clash, who would you have picked as that team?
My guess is around 95% of footy supporters would have had the Demons riding high and the other five percent were probably die-hard Bomber fans making their selection based on hope.
How times have changed. And how the Bombers have gone about proving people wrong when it comes to their 2023. A new coach, a horrible off-season behind them, and a team playing inspired footy have lit a fire under the club and its supporters.
With four wins from five starts, Essendon have done the work to set up their season.
Coming into this contest, many had their jury out on Essendon. I mean, who had they beaten, really? The Suns, the Giants, and the Hawks? Not exactly the stellar lineup when it comes to AFL powers in 2023, are they?
No, people were waiting to see how this Essendon team fared against a legitimate contender.
And now, they’ve seen. Now, they’re almost forced to sit up and take notice. Now, the reality of the situation is dawning on them.
The Bombers played an irrepressible style of footy against the Dees, taking the game up to them and daring them to try to halt their run and carry. They stretched the lone Melbourne ruckman, rendered their main stoppage player ineffective through the first three quarters, and lowered their eyes going inside 50, which was the exact opposite of what the Demons were able to do.
And that came down to pressure.
The Bombers tackled en masse, with a +16 differential on the game. You hear it a lot in footy, and usually it is used as a throwaway line, but watching this game, Essendon just seemed to want this more. They were the ones making the play. They were the ones attacking the footy and the bodies of their opponents. They were the aggressors.
Melbourne just seemed to be… there.
Let’s jump into The Mongrel’s Big Questions.
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