A furious ten minute burst in the final quarter saw Essendon breathe life into their 2024 season, as they piled on four quick goals to erase what appeared to be a relatively safe Fremantle lead.
For a while, it looked as though the Dockers had lulled the Bombers to sleep. On the road, and with Essendon sputtering over the previous weeks, Freo wrestled away control of the game in the second quarter, and maintained their grip through the next hour-or-so of footy. With Josh Treacy looking once again like a potentially generational forward, and Jye Amiss making the most of being matched up by Jayden Laverde, Freo were controlling the game, but couldn’t quite put the Bombers away.
And by staying close enough, Essendon gave themselves a chance to snatch the game.
They can thank Jake Stringer for that, as his work through the first three quarters managed to drag his team to within striking distance.
Essendon got their last quarter lift from Nic Martin, who slotted two goals for the period playing on the wing, and a combination of Sam Durham, Zach Merrett, and Mason Redman, whose possessions genuinely hurt the Dockers.
Plenty to get through in this one. Plenty to uncover, and plenty of complaints to address.
Let’s jump into The Mongrel’s Big Questions.
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