When I chose to review this game, and it was my choice, I did so with the expectation we’d have two teams looking to keep their season alive.
Both Essendon and GWS were sitting just outside the top eight with finals a legitimate possibility for the winner. It makes you think that you’d be in store for a knock-down, drag-out affair with so much on the line, right?
Well, yeah… that was right, to an extent.
GWS were doing the knocking down and the dragging out, and the Bombers were being knocked down and dragged out of contention.
It was a clinical display from the Giants, as they completely dismantled Essendon all over the park, posting their highest-ever score behind Jesse Hogan’s career-high nine goals.
I’m doing the good, bad, and ugly style of review for this one, and I guess there is no surprises as to what the bad and ugly will be, but I do like to focus on the positives where possible, and there were plenty to focus on for the Giants.
Let’s jump in.
THE GOOD
THE HULKSTER
Oh, this has been a long time coming. Over the years, I have reviewed a heap of GWS games and it seems that whenever I have, Jesse Hogan has not had a big game. As such, I have kept this in my back pocket, hoping that one day, he would break the shackles and have a huge game.
Today was the day, and with that, I’d like to hand over to my esteemed guest writer, Hulk Hogan, to run down the performance of Jesse Hogan against the Bombers.
“Let me tell you something, brother. In 1987, I took that big stinky Andre the Giant, pressed him up over my head in front of 93,000 Hulkamaniacs in the Pontiac Silverdome, and I slammed him down with such force that the shockwaves echoed right around the world. Millions of Hulkamaniacs were with me that day, brother, and I have never felt anything like it again, man. That was… until today, brother! Watching Jesse Hogan, my namesake, brother, dismantle this weak little Bombers, it was like I felt it all over again, man. It was 1987, it was Hulkamania, and it was Hogan with the biggest win of the year, brother!
Essendon were like Salvatore Bellomo out there, brother. Maybe Rusty Brooks, or Mario Mancini. At best, they were the Brooklyn Brawler, brother, as the power of Hogan and his python-like arms dismissed everyone that stood in his way.
He marked like his hands were a vice, brother. He tackled like his life depended on it, man, and after all these years of training, saying his prayers and taking his… err… vitamins, it all came to a head at Giants Stadium as he looked the Bombers in the eye and said ‘is that the best you got, Jack?’
Sure, he didn’t leg drop anyone, and he didn’t have lust in his eyes for one of his teammates’ managers like I did, but after all was said and done in this one, with 16 marks, nine of them inside 50, and six of them contested, he was a man amongst boys, and he exposed the Essendon defence and the laziness of their midfield for what they really were.
Looking forward, I have to end with a question for the Blues and that Jacob Weitering – whatcha gonna do, brothers, when Jesse Hogan, the Giants, and the power of HoganMania runs wild on you?”
THUNDER AND LIGHTNING
After years of persisting with the same-paced duo of Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper as their preferred one-two punch in the middle, the rise of Tom Green suddenly made one of those two expendable.
Some thought that perhaps Richmond were getting a bargain when they snapped up both guys and parted with a collection of draft picks for the privilege, but those at GWS knew what they had in Tom Green. Not to blow my own horn, but I could see it, too – hell, you’d almost have to be blind not to see it. He is like Patrick Cripps in stature with the hands of Clayton Oliver, and I genuinely believe we are seeing the best contested footballer in the land growing into his role.
But in eliminating two players (both of whom are very good) and replacing them with one (who will be, and nearly is great) they have gained a better balance in their midfield unit, and that is encapsulated by the form of Stephen Coniglio this season.
Remember a couple of years back… he was struggling for form, the burden of the captaincy was a heavy one for him to bear, and he looked as though he was a shadow on the player he was previously. Well, he has rebounded from that period with close to his best season, yet. And though he probably won’t pick up that All-Australian nod that has eluded him for his whole career, he is averaging career-high numbers in total disposals, inside 50s, and is having his biggest impact in scoring chains since 2018.
In the Green/Coniglio combination, the Giants have found a perfect Thunder and Lightning combination as Green does the heavy work and Coniglio provides the run and slick delivery.
Together, they combined for 70 disposals, 18 clearances, and 21 score involvements as they had their way with the timid-by-comparison Essendon mids, and I am already looking forward to seeing how Green fares next week when the young bull comes up against the old bull in the middle of the ground.
If it is not time to pass the torch from Cripps to Green, maybe it is time for Green to just snatch it away?
CEMENT HEAD
Below, I have one of the moments that set the tone for the game highlighted in the ‘bad’ section. Bad for Essendon, but great for GWS, because it involved Callan Ward doing exactly what Callan Ward does each and every week for this club – going harder at the footy than anyone else even thinks about.
Though just one instance is highlighted below, Ward actually did it twice, throwing his body in with reckless abandon to claim marks on a couple of long, high rainmakers that make even the most courageous players second guess their actions.
Unless, of course, your name is Callan Ward.
I really don’t think he gets the credit he deserves for what he brings to the table on a weekly basis. Sure, commentators will joke about his nickname, and laud the occasional courageous act, but his efforts have become so commonplace, that we are all guilty of taking them for granted.
His actions in this game, oftentimes at the risk of his own safety were off the charts in terms of bravery. I might be one who laments the way the game has gone due to the AFL’s lack of interest in maintaining the physical side of the contest (see Lachie Whitfield’s good spoil that was called a free kick against for confirmation of that) but as long as the game has players like Cal Ward playing like Cal Ward, I almost feel safe in the knowledge that there are some who play the game the way it should be played and don’t need quick whistles to protect them.
Long live Cement Head!
UNSUNG HERO
I doubt this bloke will get much attention, but when the game was won (and it was won in the first quarter, really), I thought his efforts were above and beyond. That man was Harry Perryman.
In years gone by, he has played a bit of an “everywhere man” role for GWS – a real Mr Fix-It in any spot they needed him. Remember him leading the Coleman in the early stages of that disgusting 2020 season? Then he was a wingman, and then a half-forward, then a half-back, and last week, he was forward again…
The bloke does it all, and his desperation in the first quarter of this game was the GWS mindset in a nutshell.
With six touches and three tackles, his work in close was of the highest order. He gave the Essendon half-forwards no room to move and effectively aided his team to cut off the supply inside 50, which made players like Sam Taylor feel like they had the day off. Think about it – if I told you that Taylor would have two spoils and one intercept for the game, you would think the Giants were spanked, right?
Nope, it was the efforts of blokes like Perryman, Ash, Himmelberg, and Whitfield that cut the supply lines and basically made anywhere within 30 metres of the Essendon goal a wasteland for most of the game.
And that sort of tone is set early and often. When the whips were cracking, it was Harry Perryman doing his best Indiana Jones impersonation back there.
THE BAD
NOT GOING
If there was one moment early in the game that captured where both teams were at in this game, it was a contest, or lack thereof between Callan Ward and Sam Durham.
A high kick going nowhere in particular was anyone’s ball but it was one of those situations where it was going to take extreme courage to win the footy cleanly.
Of course, that is Ward’s wheelhouse. H charged at the high ball, never once taking his eyes off it. He leapt at the footy, awaiting contact. It never came.
The nearest Essendon player was Sam Durham, who kind of looked around at teammates wondering what happened. Were they not talking? Did he expect someone else to go for the footy?
Whether or not teammates could have helped, sometimes you just have to go and damn the consequences. It is what has made Ward a great player over the journey. The opportunity to go was there, he took it, and no one else did. And in that very moment, you just knew there was no coming back for the Bombers. It was the contest in a nutshell – one wanted it and the other didn’t.
NO UNICORN SIGHTINGS?
This one is a bit of a low blow, so I am not going to sink the boots in too much, but I’d like to know what happened to the development of Nik Cox over the past two years.
Remember when Essendon and anyone in the media who had ties to Essendon were pushing him as the Rising Star in 2021? Playing mainly on the wing, he averaged 11.8 touches per game and looked like a matchup nightmare that could outmark your standard wing, and match it with them when the ball was on the deck.
Then came injuries and working back into form and those aspects have meant we have only seen him nine times over the 2022/23 seasons.
But where is his game at? He was deployed as a half-back in this one and looked out of place. It seems as though Brad Scott would like him to be moulded into something akin to what Nick Blakey is at Sydney at the moment, but does he have the right skill set for this role?
Those back-to-back-to-back picks in the 2020 draft should have been the foundation the Bombers built on. Archie Perkins has been good. Nik Cox started strong and has faded rapidly. And Zach Reid (pick ten) hasn’t played a game all year.
It’s a bit early to call it, but I wonder how Bomber fans are feeling about those picks now? You could always let me know, as on paper, and on current form, none of the top ten looks particularly brilliant outside Jamarra.
THE UGLY
NO BLOODY EFFORT
During the week, GWS players were quoted as saying this was an “elimination final” against Essendon. Well, I guess the Bombers took that literally, as they played like they have in just about every final they have for the last however-long.
That might be a low blow, and I am sure Essendon supporters are sick of hearing that stuff – I am too, for the record, but after this effort against the Giants, the Bombers deserve every single whack they get. They fell in against the Eagles and Kangaroos in recent weeks, which should have set alarm bells ringing, but even those who thought GWS were going to win this didn’t see this type of dominance coming.
If you take the time to rewatch this game (if you’re an Essendon fan, I’d recommend taking off your fingernails with bamboo – it’s slightly less painful), watch the pathetic efforts to get back and help on defence through the first half. There is no help. None.
The defenders were under siege and the midfielders just hung them out to dry at every opportunity. Darcy Parish, Zach Merrett, Sam Draper… they just meandered around out there jogging back to “help”, and by the time they got there, GWS had already hit a target and were lining up for goal.
How often did you see someone willing to drop back in the hole in front of Jesse Hogan?
Did you see anyone willing to do it, at all? I didn’t!
You had Dyson Heppell out there turning the footy over like he was allergic to making a good decision, and Mason Redman was seemingly satisfied with the big deal he’s signed, giving an occasional effort, but that is about it. Meanwhile, those who were supposed to be helping them out just completely abandoned their defensive responsibilities. In short, it was a disaster.
I sometimes read those stupid quotes you see online sometimes… you know the ones – “When someone shows you who they really are, believe them”. You know that one?
Well, after seeing this effort today, I believe you, Essendon. I really do. I believe that you’re a heartless football team with no business being near finals this season. It is going to take some real soul-searching this off-season to rectify the issues exposed in this outing. It was the most insipid display I’ve watched all season, and this is from a bloke who has reviewed North Melbourne and West Coast games.
Essendon fans, I don’t think you’ll be in the mood to take sympathy from a Hawthorn supporter after a game like that, but far out, I felt for you. With so much on the line, THIS is what the club conjured?
An absolute disgrace.
SOME HOME TRUTHS
Quickfire ones.
Jake Stringer should not be playing. Looks out of shape.
Brad Scott needed to use Peter Wright up the ground more to give Essendon a marking option. He was stationed within 30m of goal for the entire first half and the footy wasn’t getting there at all.
Lachie Whitfield is now just about the most potent running half-back in the game. There is some stuff competition out there, but when he runs with purpose, few can go with him (particularly if they don’t really want to, right Darcy Parish? Right?!?!)
Loved seeing Brent Daniels hit the scoreboard early. I’ll say it again – his best over the course of a season is AA-worthy. He just needs an injury-free 12-18 months and look out.
Also, you have to love what Toby Bedford is bringing the Giants. Stuck behind Kysaiah Pickett at Melbourne, this move was a great one for him.
Jake Riccardi dropped three marks in this one he should have taken. Two were mopped up by another Giant (always first to the footy) but given his opportunities, he should have had a 3-4 goals outing.
Get Nic Martin back onto the wing to provide run and carry. Playing him at half-forward robs you of that dash through the middle, and at half-back, he gets caught up in traffic too often. He is hard to stop, but Brad Scott is making it easier.
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