As the teams trudged off the ground at halftime, you could have looked at this game either of two ways.
Either the Bombers had Sydney’s number, or the Swans had not yet found their groove. Maybe it was six to one and half a dozen to the other?
Essendon looked strong through the opening half, but were unable to capitalise on their inside 50 dominance. Just about every statistical marker pointed to Essendon having the advantage, and yet, it resulted in just a seven-point lead. Despite a 36-17 inside 50 advantage at one stage, the Bombers were unable to hit targets going forward, and found it difficult to convert when they did. It really felt as though the Swans were absorbing punches, and I awaited the second half to see whether they’d throw any back.
The end result was that the Bombers lay on the canvas, down and out, as their season came to an end. Not only did the Swans throw some punches of their own, they connected with some knockout blows, and ended up running away to win by 39 points.
It was the “premiership quarter” that made the difference, with Isaac Heeney, Luke Parker, and Ollie Florent all playing pivotal roles in Sydney assuming control of the game, and in effect, snuffing out whatever chances Essendon had. When Jake Stringer missed a set shot after the siren (35 metres out, directly in front, for the record), it summed up the game in a nutshell. When they had to, Essendon could not convert.
And when the Swans were given an opportunity, they took it.
Lots to get through in this one – let’s jump into The Mongrel’s Big Questions.
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