Living in the Seventies
At the risk of sounding precious, the low-level noise of the crowd just chattering away in the background in muffled sounds, barely audible under the commentators really did my head in. However, in a roundabout way, it brought me back to my childhood memories of going Shepley Oval in Dandenong and watching the Red Legs take on Port Melbourne, Coburg, Geelong West, Preston or Williamstown. Memories of Freddie Cook, Frosty Miller, Phil Cleary, Jamie ‘Spider’ Shaw, Billy Swan and Billy Coggin came flooding back. The VFA players back in the day (I hate that expression) were rock stars within their local communities.
It is hard to compare Shepley Oval to the Sydney Cricket Ground, and maybe this is the one and only time they are ever used in the same sentence, but the atmosphere at the SCG triggered memories of long forgotten of lazy Sunday afternoons at Shepley Oval, especially with the cold rain and wind sweeping across the SCG’s turf combined with the mumbled conversations in the background.
About the only thing missing was the smell of the old beer tent on the hill, full of robust men telling tall stories about how good they were in the Under 10s, and how, if they had put their minds to it, they could be out on the field. That is where, as a child, I learned the great Australian art of ‘talking rubbish’.
Anyway, I digress as I am avoiding reviewing a game that boringly went to script, with very few highlights.
The Game (if I must)
Swans: 04:03:27 / 06:09:45 / 08:12:60 / 09:14:68 defeated the
Bombers: 02:03:15 / 02:06:18 / 04:10:34 / 07:12:54
Goals:
Swans: McInerney 2, Campbell 2, Buller 1, Gulden 1, Rowbottom 1 Papley 1, Heeney 1,
Bombers: Perkins 1, Guelfi 1, Clark 1, May 1, Redman 1, Kako, Blakiston 1,
Best:
Swans: Grundy, Blakey, Sheldrick, Heeney, Gulden, Mills, Rampe
Bombers: McGrath, Laverde, Prior, Roberts, Redman, Merrett?
A Quick Game Summary
It is hard to describe a game that never really got started.
The Highlight
The highlight in this match did not happen on the field, but rather it occurred in the commentary box midway through the third quarter.
Dermie was yapping on in a manner that only Dermie can, and he said something about an umpire calling the players by their first names, to wit Mark Howard immediately replied, “He must work at Fox”, in reference to the commentators at Fox receiving a directive not to use nicknames anymore.
Howie’s reply was quick, witty and very satirical, and I hope he still as a job next week as a commentator.
Back to the Game
Sydney jumped to an early four goal lead, and basically maintained that lead all match. Essendon were left chasing their tails for three quarters hoping they could get the chance to snatch an unlikely victory.
Like a carrot dangled in front of a horse’s nose on a string, no matter how hard the Bombers tried (and they did) they couldn’t quite get the carrot.
Nearly half of Essendon’s team either debuted this year or has played under 25 games, so considering their inexperience, to be within 14-points of the Swans at the end of proceedings was admirable, but they could/should have won.
The pivotal moment that decided this match came just after midseason recruit Lachlan Blakiston marked and goaled for the Bomber midway through the last quarter. A few minutes later, Essendon skipper Zach Merrett gathered the ball with space enough to run inside the 50-metre arc, but instead he lazily turned and immediately bombed the ball from outside the 50-metre arc for a point.
Momentum lost.
Merrett was amongst the best Bombers players on the day, however, the question mark beside his name in the list above is a result of his shot on goal in the last quarter. As the captain of a struggling, young, and inexperienced team, Merrett must lead by example, and that includes playing with poise and polish under pressure.
In more ways than one, this game really felt like a trip back in time to the halcyon days of the VFA, especially given the style and intensity of play of both teams displayed. It was not up to AFL standard. I get it, the Swans have nothing left to play for this season, while the Bombers are currently in a worse position with injuries than the Eagles a couple years ago, but the punters still pay good money to get through the gate as well as paying for streaming services at home.
This game is not the only game in the last couple of weeks which has not been up to AFL standard, as teams with young inexperienced players generally fall away at the end of the season, and teams who were in the hunt immediately start their preseason for the next season when their chances of making the finals becomes mathematically impossible. Some clubs give their youngsters game time, while players who need an operation or three are normally already in hospital.
Brodie Grundy and the Swans A-Listers
Brodie Grundy’s form since the bye round has been extraordinary, and he must now be in serious consideration for sharing the ruck duties with Max Gawn in the All-Australian team. For the record, Grundy had 39 possessions – yes 39 possessions – for the match, with 11 kicks, a staggering 28 handballs, as well as taking eight marks and obliterating Todd Goldstein in the ruck with 32 hit outs to a mere 14 for Goldie.
Errol Gulden, who was upset after the match he didn’t pass the ball to Grundy for his 40th possession, is the most important player in the Sydney team. Since the bye, the Swans have turned their form around somewhat, and it is not coincidental that Gulden came back from injury around the same time.
It is a moot as to who is the Swans best player, Gulden or Isaac Heeney, and I am not going to debate it, but rather Gulden is the silk to brings all the moving parts together while Heeney is the brute who goes where angels fear to tread.
Chad Warner tries to lead, but his idea of leading is to take on everything and everyone in his path, and he often gets run down and/or caught. The Chad is a must watch player when the Swans are on song as he can turn a game in five minutes, but he needs to learn part of being a leader is bringing other players into the game and not necessarily trying to do it all on his own.
The jury is still out as to the status of Nick Blakey being called an A-lister, but he is all heart, and he never stops trying, and like Warner sometimes he tries too hard to do it all himself. Blakey seems to have limited peripheral vision, and it is something he needs to work on to be truly considered an A-lister.
Angus Sheldrick
At the start of the season, I had Sheldrick marked as a player on the rise with a bullet in season 2025, however, it has taken him time to find his feet being in the firsts on a regular basis. Credit to him though, he has battled on, and his efforts against the Bombers were probably his best performance in his career to date, with 24 possessions.
Oliver Florent
For reasons not made public, Ollie Florent has been out of favour with the selectors at the Swans for the majority of the season, and after witnessing his performance against the Bombers, I get it. He wasn’t the worst player on the field, but he was nowhere near the beat. After spending the majority of the winter in the Magoos he didn’t exactly do himself any favours to strengthen his case if the club is thinking of getting rid of him.
Andrew McGrath
Once the number one pick in the 2016 National Draft, Andrew McGrath seems to be at a little lost and at a crossroad in his career. McGrath is conundrum as he can get his hands on the ball often enough, but his decision making and disposal with ball in hand is ordinary. Both McGrath and Sam Durham are the future of the Bombers and somewhere along the way they need to learn to coordinate a bit better with each other, don’t leave the burden of leadership purely on the shoulders of Zach Merrett, and bring other players into the game.
Essendon’s lack of Leadership
Essendon have every right to blame their demise this season on injuries, but that shouldn’t mean they ignore the leadership crisis the club is going through as well. Apart from Merrett and Jayden Leverde up back who tried all game to bring his young defence into this game, the Bombers need more players to stand up and lead.
The Bombers should have really overrun the Swans in the second half, but they lacked the leaders to inspire the team.
Todd Goldstein
Most in the football world would agree Todd Goldstein has been a great servant to both the Kangaroos and the Bombers, but the time has come for him hang up the boots, content in the knowledge he played his career out to the end and to the point he had nothing left to give.
That sounds like an obvious statement, given he was called upin the fill the ruck void during the the Bombers’ injury crisis, but watching him go around now… well, there is a very good reason Brodie Grundy dominated this game, and it is not only because Grundy is a beast.
The Kids
Make no mistake, this game was a real snooze fest, [articularly when you line it up against the games on both Friday and Saturday night. However, there would have been many proud families and friends in the stands watching and cheering a young player early in their career.
I’ve got to be honest; there were many players on the SCG turf that I barely knew, or knew anything about. For their families and friends, I am going to mention a little something about each of the players who has played limited games and/or has debuted this year.
Brad Scott’s Kindergarten
Angus Clark 10th game: pick number 39 from the 2024 National Draft, Clark is a promising mid-sized player who caught the eye in this match and he shows a lot of potential. His breakout game this season was in Round 11 against the Tigers and he hasn’t looked back since. Clark has taken the advantage of the Bombers’ injury crisis, and he has put his hand up to prove to the coaching staff that he intends to be around the Hangar for the long term.
Lachlan Blakiston 7th game: is a mature age player who was picked up by the Bombers in the midseason draft. He has played six games since being recruited, which is impressive. Like a lot of midseason draftees, he will benefit greatly from a solid preseason. Blakiston’s highlight for this match was a lovely, contested mark he clunked from a kick in, which resulted in a goal after a fifty-metre penalty was conceded by Jesse Dattoli who knocked the ball out of his hands (a pure rookie mistake).
Luamon Lual 7th game: like his teammate Angus Clark, Lual was also a pick 39, but he was drafted in 2023. At 181cms Lual has the potential to be a good small forward. In the games I have seen this year he has performed well out on a wing, or at half-forward, but like Blakiston, another preseason will do him good.
Archer May 7th game: was also another Bomber midseason draft pick up by the Bombers this year, and at 198cms the wraps on May suggests this very strong and athletic 21 year is not a mere fill-in player, but rather one the Bombers intend to be part of their forward structure in the coming years. In a game where he would have learned a lot from the experienced and battle-hardened Swans backline, he never gave up all game and he was rewarded with the last goal of the game.
Isaac Kako 19th game: was pick number 13 in the 2024 National Draft. He debuted in the opening round of this season, and he has played every game since – impressive. Kako has the build of the classic small forward and he can hurt teams with a quick ten-minute burst of brilliance. Kako’s debut season has been really impressive, however, he looks like he really wants the season to finish, as do most players in their first season.
Jayden Nguyen 1st game: is an Academy/NGA program player who debuted at the SCG in this game. Nguyen is the first ever player with a Vietnamese background to crack a game in the AFL, so congratulations. Nguyen is a defensive small, and he worked hard for his six possessions in his first game. He is another who will benefit from the preseason.
Oskar Smartt 4th game: I hope I’m correct here, as I believe he was picked up at pick 7 in the Rookie Draft 2025 (please correct me if I’m wrong). Smartt started as the sub in this game, and he had minimal impact when he was subbed into the game. Injuries have given Oskar the opportunity to play a few AFL games this season, and he is another young player who can take the experiences from this year into the offseason and beyond.
Liam McMahon 3rd game: originally McMahon was pick number 31 in the 2020 National Draft but after a few years in the wilderness, and after being overlooked by both Carlton and Collingwood in the preseason-supplementary draft, the Bombers swooped with pick 4 in the midseason draft to secure him. At 23 years of age, he is getting a chance to prove himself at the highest level, and like the other midseason draftees, a solid preseason will do him no harm.
Archie Roberts 24th game: was drafted by the Bombers with pick 54 in the 2023 National Draft. Young Archie just looks like an AFL player with a bright future ahead of him. Roberts took his chances late last season when the Bombers were imploding at the end of the season to impress the powers that be, and he has maintained his place in the team ever since. He had a 21-possession game at the SCG which was probably close to his best game in his short career. At this stage Roberts is the pick of the Essendon kindergarten.
Sydney’s Newcomers
Jack Buller 8th game: was the Swans pick number 13 in the 2023 midseason draft, and it has been a slow burn since his first game in 2023 to his second game this season. At 23 years of age Buller is a forward who brings a point of difference, and when he learns to get a few silly errors out his game, he could be a very handy forward. Jack Buller reminds me of former Shinboner, Gary ‘Crazy Horse’ Cowton – a lot of awkwardness mixed with a lot of talent.
Jesse Dattoli 1st game: the Swans drafted Dattoli with pick 22 from the 2024 National Draft, but he suffered an injury earlier in this season which has delayed his debut. Dattoli became a bit of a social media sensation earlier in the week with his responses to being told by the Club he was being selected for his first game. A video of when told his grandparents also went viral. As first games go, Dattolli’s debut was good, and if he remains injury free, he showed enough to suggest he will be around for a few years at least.
Caiden Cleary 11th game: was pick number 24 in the 2023 draft, and he is learning what it is like to try and crack a regular spot as a small forward in a team stacked with talent. Cleary has really persevered, and when he has been given an opportunity, he has performed well. Cleary had seven possessions in the last quarter after starting as the sub which was impressive.
Why Sydney didn’t make the Finals
The Swans have a habit of getting four or five goals in front of teams and then they try to the play the rest of the match out on autopilot. They have suffered from this syndrome since last season and in the year after another Grand Final thrashing, the Swans inability, or want to play out games, is being exposed by teams good enough to take the game up to them.
Any aura of invincibility surrounding the Swans is long gone, and if they are to improve next season and bounce back, then they can’t continue to let games slip as they did after halftime against the Giants last weekend. We were a couple of games away from seeing almost the same result against the Bombers at the SCG, a team full of kids who would still need to show their ID to get a drink at a bar.
The Titbits
Peter Ladhams has tried his hardest to be an AFL player, and to his credit he has punched above his weight to play 62 games in the big league since 2019. He might be a wanted player again next season, but not as a regular in the seniors, rather as a mentor in the seconds.
Peter Wright, plays his 150th game either next weekend or the one after, and the football world is still waiting for you to explode onto the scene, in the same manner Joey Daniher did in the latter years of his career. It may be a big ask, but???
Both clubs really want this season over and done yesterday, but they have to struggle on for another four weeks for the Bombers and three weeks for the Swans.
Next weekend the bedraggled Bombers have to travel down the highway to play a Geelong team loaded with players vying for finals spots, so um, good luck, while the Swans await a similar fate when they travel to the Gabbatoir to be feasted upon but the hungry Lions.
