ESSENDON 4.2 6.8 8.11 12.18 (90)
GOLD COAST 3.1 6.1 8.1 9.3 (57)
GOALS - Essendon: Hooker 2, Begley 2, Stewart 2, McDonald-Tipungwuti, McKenna, Heppell, Parish, Daniher, Green. Gold Coast: Ainsworth 3, MacPherson, Swallow, Martin, Schoenfeld, Hallahan, Wright.
BEST – Gold Coast: Hall May McKenzie Hanley Saad Hallahan. Essendon: Zaharakis Goddard Heppell Baguley Bellchambers Hooker.
UMPIRES Stevic, Foot, O'Gorman.
CROWD 16,817 at Metricon Stadium.
For the first time since 2014 – since, well, the proverbial hit the fan – Essendon are back in the eight. And if they're good enough, they should stay there, hosting Fremantle at Etihad next week, although they'll need to stay in front of West Coast on percentage.
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Essendon into top eight
The Essendon Bombers outlast the Gold Coast Suns, winning 90-57 to boost their chances of playing in the finals.
They'd deserve it, too. It's some achievement for John Worsfold and his team, coming from the club's lowest ebb. But they had to fight hard for it, wasting their chances against a determined Gold Coast Suns at Metricon Stadium, who fought them almost every inch of the way.
That would have given former Bombers defender Dean Solomon, in the Suns' coaching box for one more week at least, some reason to smile. With Gary Ablett in the stands – possibly for good – along with co-captain Tom Lynch, the Suns never really stood a chance, but at least they're finishing the season with some character.
The Bombers were brilliantly served by David Zaharakis, who had a game-high 38 possessions to be comfortably best afield, with Brendan Goddard also in vintage touch with 14 marks on top of 25 disposals. Dyson Heppell's contribution was important, too, rising to the occasion when his team needed him.
Then there was Josh Begley, who's been an emergency eight times this year after being drafted at No 31 last year. Begley had a first quarter that might have made Bombers fans wonder why he hadn't been promoted earlier, with two goals and two assists from his first five kicks. He faded thereafter, but promised bigger things.
On the end of two of his passes, both beautifully weighted, was James Stewart, who kicked the Bombers' other two goals of the first quarter. For the Suns, Peter Wright roosted home a huge bomb from 60 metres, Ben Ainsworth crept out the back to accept from Aaron Hall, and Jack Martin kept them in it with a goal after the siren.
Hall was busy, with two creative handballs helping set up Wright's goal, breaking the lines again to set up Ainsworth, and in the second quarter – after the Bombers burned themselves with four consecutive behinds – he put the ball inside 50 again for David Swallow to take advantage.
Equally busy was Trent McKenzie in the backline. The "Cannon", as he's known, hasn't shown too many tricks beyond his booming left-foot kick in his seven years at the Suns, but on this occasion he was seriously involved, and he used that kick to the Suns' advantage from the backline.
Both players, along with Swallow, were crucial to the Suns hitting back in the second quarter with four goals to two. Darcy Macpherson put them in front briefly, on the end of a chain started by a brilliant McKenzie kick to Martin, before Josh Green and Conor McKenna, after a four-bounce run, retrieved the Bombers' lead at half time.
But it was slight, just seven points, and the under-strength, battered Suns – most of them strapped up like mummies – were making a better than expected fist of a game in which they had little but pride to play for. The Bombers, with so much more at stake, needed to make a statement.
Heppell provided it with a genuine captain's goal on the run to lift his team, then Jayden Laverde found Cale Hooker dead in front to extend the margin to a game-high 20 points. But the Suns weren't about to set. Ben Ainsworth – a pure football talent with confidence to spare – kicked the last two goals of the quarter.
That made it 10 points at the last change. To that point, the Bombers had 8.11 on the board to the Suns' 9.1; they'd doubled the Suns' inside 50 count; clearances were 28–17; and Joey Daniher had been held goalless by Steven May. Ditto Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, blanketed by Adam Saad, who defends as hard as he runs.
But it was McDonald-Tipungwuti who found Hooker early in the last quarter, then Daniher got on the board when May gave away a free kick, and McDonald-Tipungwuti who applied some icing with five minutes to go. The final margin was 33 points – comfortable enough – but the Suns can at least hold their heads up.