Where do you start with this game?
I think I know.
Thank you, Port Adelaide. Thank you, Essendon. After Friday night, I was a little down on footy. The Swans and Cats kind of sucked a bit of joy out of me, but coming into this one, I kind of felt this game had the capacity to restore it.
Even without the amazing finish, I felt we were going to learn a hell of a lot from this game. Essendon were desperate to establish themselves as a contender and not just a team looking to make up the numbers in September – they’ve been there and done that. They’re sick of occupying that spot. Getting Port Adelaide coming off the bye… well, if you believe in hoodoos and jinxes, then Port was going to be hard up against it.
And you know what? They were.
They didn’t receive the normal output from Travis Boak, who’s usually so reliable. They got the same from their boom recruit, with Jason Horne-Francis unable to have any impact on the contest, and they did it with their number one ruckman, Scott Lycett sitting in the grandstand after being withdrawn from the game at the last minute.
With an 11-game winning streak on the line, all looked set for a banger and even with the weather not coming to the party, the Power and Bombers put on a show.
It came down to the last kick of the game.
With 17 seconds remaining, Dan Houston marked a quick hack out of defence right on the fifty-metre line. Holding a wet footy, Houston didn’t flinch, immediately going back to take his kick at goal as the time ticked down and the siren sounded around the MCG.
His kick at goal will go down in Port Adelaide folklore. A booming 55-metre bomb carried the outstretched hands of the Essendon defenders, as Port extended their streak to 12 wins, won yet another interstate game, and rammed home just how good a football team they really are in 2023.
Let’s get into The Mongrel’s Good, Bad, and Ugly from this one.
Oh, what the hell? A Mongrel paywall? Yep, I believe my work is worth twenty cents per day. If you don’t, that’s fine. Don’t complain, though. Sometimes, I open these reviews up after 24 hours or so. Sometimes, I don’t. There is no favouritism… I just don’t. Want to join us and access the members’ game reviews, as well as columns like the Wingman of the Year, Recruit of the Year, and other nonsensical stuff HB comes up with each week?
