Essendon Bombers 106-66 North Melbourne Kangaroos: 5 hits and flops from the Round-10 clash AFL 2024
The Essendon Bombers flew into second place with a 40-point victory (106-66) over neighboring North Melbourne Kangaroos at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.
Brad Scott’s men prevailed after an eight-goal-to-two third-quarter demolition, which the Roos could not recover from despite having dominated the midfield and being competitive for three of the four quarters.
Alastair Clarkson had rung the changes from the previous week to bring a spark, with six players coming into the line-up and an 18-year-old debutant Wil Dawson. His counterpart was forced to make late changes with Elijah Tsatas and veteran Dylan Shiel coming in for Nik Cox and Darcy Parish.
The first quarter was an even contest, with the Bombers putting a four-goal gap by the middle of the second stanza, before North rallied with three goals of their own to narrow the gap to just seven points at the half.
Whatever Bombers coach Scott said at half-time to his Essendon charges must have worked because they came out swinging in the Premiership Quarter, with Clarkson’s young team having no answer to the onslaught. They were outscored 50 points to 12 and the game was all but over.
Essendon leapfrogged Geelong into second place despite having the 11th-best percentage while North Melbourne remains winless after 10 games in 2024.
5 hits and flops from Essendon Bombers vs. North Melbourne Kangaroos
#5 Hit - Toby Pink’s first AFL goal
It seemed to take forever to be reviewed, with the ARC spending a full two minutes before giving the green light. But if that seemed an eternity, Pink’s journey from being drafted and spending three years in the NEAFL without getting an AFL debut, to being delisted after 41 games, then having a 61-game stint with Glenelg which ended in a SANFL flag last year, the wait was well worth it for mature-age defender.
#4 Hit - Jye Caldwell steps up
In the absence of Darcy Parish, Caldwell was immense with nine clearances and nine scoring involvements from 25 possessions, leading Essendon’s fight against a dominant North midfield. The former Giant has been a consistent performer for his second club, but this year has seen an uptick in his game, going past some more seasoned teammates.
#3 Flop - North Melbourne’s contested ball
Right across the park, the lack of contest and attack on the ball cost them any chance of remaining in the contest in the second half. Possession and ball use wasn’t under question, however, too many turnovers and nowhere near enough inside the 50s is what saw the Roos lose touch in the third quarter.
#2 Hit - Peter Wright’s return
The big man's comeback from suspension to the ruck-forward role in the past three weeks has seen the Bombers win all three games. Against North, he had four goals, nine marks, 11 chopouts, and nine score involvements to be one of Essendon’s best players. Despite the Bombers losing at the stoppages, Two Metre Peter seized his moments to wrestle the game back in his team’s favor.
#1 Hit - Xerri overtakes Goldy
Alastair Clarkson’s decision to hand the ruck role to Tristan Xerri in 2023, leading to Todd Goldstein moving to the Bombers in Free Agency was vindicated, with the young Roo getting the better of his former mentor to give North the upper hand in the stoppages. However, the North fans were very generous to Goldy, cheering for him at stages, while booing Ben McKay whenever he touched the ball.