ESSENDON 5.2 12.8 16.10 19.11 (125)
WEST COAST 2.4 3.7 5.13 8.16 (64)
Goals: Essendon: J Daniher 5 O Fantasia 3 A McDonald-Tipungwuti 2 C Hooker 2 J Green 2 D Parish J Stewart M Dea M Leuenberger T Colyer. West Coast: J Kennedy 4 J Darling 2 N Vardy 2.
Best: Essendon: Z Merrett, D Zaharakis, M Hurley, J Daniher, J Watson, O Fantasia. West Coast: A Gaff, J Kennedy, D Sheed
Umpires: Shaun Ryan, Simon Meredith, Eleni Glouftsis
Official Crowd: 36,403 at Etihad Stadium.
All eyes were on Eleni Glouftsis and whether the first female field umpire in VFL/AFL history would take the opening bounce at Etihad Stadium. But it was something else in the first minute that set the tone for a triumphant day for Essendon against West Coast.
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Essendon crush West Coast
The bombers took the Eagles to task at Etihad stadium, dominating them from the outset to win by 61 points.
That something else was the first goal of the game to Essendon spearhead Joe Daniher. The sometimes wayward forward was on target with his set shot from the pocket and the Bombers were away. He managed another for the term and had four goals to the main break, by which time the game was effectively over and the four points were Essendon's.
As it turned out, Glouftsis took the second centre square bounce just moments after Daniher's opener. But soon enough the spotlight quickly switched to the output of some of the travelling West Coast players as Essendon did as they pleased on their way to a 61-point victory. Essendon boasted a raft of goalkickers, most notably five from Daniher, while the Eagles were inaccurate and only three forwards managed majors - Josh Kennedy, Jack Darling and Nathan Vardy. It was simply not their day and again raised the issue of their poor form away from the west.
The template for this match was set in the first part of the second quarter thanks to Essendon's frenetic attack on the ball and their opponents.
Daniher's third major after two minutes precipitated a run of five straight goals for the Dons. When, at the 13-minute mark, Orazio Fantasia snapped beautifully on his left foot for his second goal in as many minutes, the lead had jumped out to 47 points.
With Zach Merrett dominating and David Zaharakis, Michael Hurley, former skipper Jobe Watson and Dyson Heppell also all having a strong impact, the game was as good as over.
By half-time the margin was 55 points, the contested possession count was plus 32 for the Bombers and Essendon fans were already rejoicing in a 5-4 win-loss record after round nine.
The lead raced out to as many as 70 points late in the third quarter but in the latter stages both teams were playing out time. The Eagles, in fact, narrowly won the final quarter, but it mattered nought.
Pace was the order of the day at this venue. Essendon's advantage in this area and West Coast's poor conversion in front of goal spoke volumes. Jack Darling, for example, finished with 2.5 but he was far from the only culprit for the Eagles. Mark LeCras was off-line while Kennedy was serviceable.
Not for the first time this season did Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti catch an opponent napping. When it happens in Essendon's 50 it usually pays off in spades. Such a moment happened in time-on in the first quarter when he chased down Chris Masten. The Bomber converted his free kick into a goal and a 17-point lead. Essendon was up and running and wouldn't look back.
A massive 55-metre roost in the final quarter for his second goal left Essendon fans smiling and the cult figure in the mix for Brownlow votes.
Essendon's tackling effort, especially in the first half, satisfied coach John Worsfold who made special mention of McDonald-Tipungwuti's chase as well as Josh Green's effort in running down former Hawthorn champion Sam Mitchell. Both actions resulted in Essendon goals.
Top Eagles players were hard to find and the output of Mitchell, who still dragged in 24 touches, was diminished. Certainly Essendon fans have long memories as many Mitchell possessions were greeted with a chorus of boos from the stands. Mitchell, you remember, famously mimicked an injection while playing for the Hawks against the Bombers at the height of the supplements scandal two years ago.
Essendon are now on the cusp of the top eight, having drawn level with Richmond and other clubs, setting up an intriguing clash against the Tigers at the MCG next Saturday night. West Coast return to their preferred location, Domain Stadium, but the task doesn't get any easier as they meet Greater Western Sydney on Sunday..