Essendon Bombers v Sydney Swans: Results, commentary, score and highlights

Tom Naghten

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Essendon Bombers v Sydney Swans: Results, commentary, score and highlights image

It looked like it could blow out at any moment and that's what happened in the final quarter at Etihad Stadium on Friday night as Essendon ran out 43-point winners over Sydney.

They dominated the possession and inside 50s for most of the game, with the Swans efficiency in front of goal the only thing keeping them in it until four-goal to none final quarter blew the margin out.

Dyson Heppell, Michael Hurley, David Zaharakis, David Myers, Anthony McDonald-Tipingwuti and Mitch Brown all dominated for John Worsfold's side to pull off the big victory.

The win keeps the Bombers' finals hopes alive while means Sydney may drop out of the eight depending on how the rest of the weekend goes.

ESSENDON BOMBERS V SYDNEY SWANS LIVE UPDATES

Full time: 15.19 (109) - 10.6 (66)

27 mins: Smith gets his second of the match and compounds Sydney's misery as Essendon finish off a handy percentage boosting win. This is the first time the Swans have conceded 100+ points since their 0-5 run at the start of 2017. 109-66

21 mins: Jones finds himself on report for the second time in the game and this one looks a bit more serious. Opted to bump Kyle Langford and collected him in the head. The Essendon forward was able to continue which should help his case but Jones could be due for a rest after tonight. 101-66


15 mins: A brain-fade from Oliver Florent gives David Myers the space to open the flood gates with a long bomb. 98-66

11 mins: Game over? Smith beats Rampe as the ball comes in and snaps a nice goal to just about seal it. 91-66


3 mins: Essendon draw first blood. Rampe gets penalised for deliberate and Stringer finds Baguley who goals from long range. 84-65

Three-quarter time: 11.11 (77) - 10.5 (65)

Another pulsating term that sees the home side take a handy, but certainly not comfortable, lead into the final change.

The Dons threatened to break the game open but Sydney stuck with them.

We're set up for a massive final quarter at Etihad.

28 mins: A delicate McDonald-Tipingwuti kick finds Orazio Fantasia who makes no mistake with the set shot. 76-65

26 mins: Buddy gets his second after a rare one-on-one win over Hurley. The locals don't like the umpire's decision but Franklin brings Sydney to within a kick again. 70-65

26 mins: Ben Ronke snaps on the wrong side of his body and wobbles one through to keep Sydney in touch. They won't go away. 70-59

23 mins: Walla! McDonald-Tipingwuti gets his second with a brilliant snap after pouncing on a loose ball. Essendon threatening to run away with it. 70-53


21 mins: Stringer gets his first goal of the game after a lightning chain of handballs straight through the middle of the ground. 64-53

17 mins: Sydney get a goal from an unlikely source in Heath Grundy. The fullback has been swung forward and gets on the end of Tom McCartin kick. 57-53

7 mins: Buddy's on the board. The Sydney superstar boots a ripper from the point of the arc after Michael Hurley gives away a free kick. 56-46

5 mins: Merrett gets on the end of a turnover and finishes well and the Bombers have a handy lead all of a sudden. 56-40

2 mins: Brown gets the last of the first and the first of the second after taking a mark and kicking truly. 49-40

Half time: 6.7 (43) - 6.4 (40)

After looking like going into the main break behind, John Worsfold's side kick two late ones to take a slim lead.

Essendon had the majority of the football in the opening two quarters, smashing the Swans 34-18 in inside 50s and having 20 more contested possessions.

Despite the protests of the home fans, the Bombers also lead the free-kick count 17-7.

Can they break the back of Sydney in the second half? The Swans do have Wolverine on their side.


30 mins: And the Bombers go into halftime in front after Mitch Brown kicks a goal from a free kick in the dying seconds of the quarter. 43-40

29 mins: Conor McKenna gets a late goal for the Dons courtesy of a sloppy kick that clean bowls Dane Rampe on the last line of defence. 37-40

24 mins: Another Sydney goal. The ball has spent most of the time at the other end of the ground but they keep catching Essendon out. This time Jordan Dawson with a nice long-range finish to kick his first AFL goal. 30-40

20 mins: Devon Smith might find himself in a spot of bother after hanging a leg out as Luke Parker runs past. Not a lot in it not the smartest move. 30-34


18 mins: Sydney are absorbing a heap of pressure and taking their chances. Nic Newman finishes from a tight angle after a Buddy Franklin handpass. The Swans superstar has struggled to make an impact so far. 30-34

16 mins: Aliir is back out there and still looks like he could intercept an ICBM. 29-28

14 mins: Back square with Heeney the beneficiary of a 50m penalty. 28-28

8 mins: Mark Baguley puts the Dons in front, getting on the end of a Jake Stringer handball from a loose ball in the forward 50 to snap home. 27-22.

4 mins: Darcy Parish levels it up early in the second term. After a bright start to the game, Sydney defender Aliir Aliir limps off with a knee injury. 21-21

Quarter time: 2.3 (15) - 3.3 (21)

Sydney take a one-goal lead into the break after a fascinating opening term.

Dyson Heppell and David Zaharakis have been involved in everything, while Isaac Heeney and Josh Kennedy have impressed for the Swans.

29 mins: Hang on, ruckman aren't supposed to do that. Sinclair picks up a loose ball, evades a tackler with a spin and throws it on the boot to extend the visitors' lead. 15-21


25 mins: The locals are getting mighty restless with some of the umpiring decisions. 15-15


18 mins: Tom Papley takes a strong contested grab on Brendan Goddard and kicks the goal from 40m out in front. He then lets the Bombers veteran know all about it and gives away a free kick in the process. Plenty of feeling in this one. 14-15.

17 mins: Matt Dea looks in big trouble after landing hard on his head following a marking contest with Robbie Fox. 14-8


12 mins: Anthony McDonald-Tipingwuti kicks truly after Aaron Francis lowers his eyes to hit the target inside 50 in his first game at this level in more than a year. 13-8

6 mins: David Zaharakis gets coat-hangered by Callum Sinclair and finishes off the free kick from close range. 7-7

1 min: We don't even get underway with a bounce as Sydney's Zak Jones gives away a free kick and gets reported for a left hand to the neck area of Zach Merrett. The Dons midfielder's kick goes across the face for a behind. Luke Parker then takes a mark at the other end and kicks a goal at the end of a frantic first minute. 1-6


7:45pm: No late changes for either side. First bounce is just around the corner.

ESSENDON BOMBERS VS SYDNEY SWANS PREVIEW

The Swans head down to Melbourne and will be desperate to bounce back from a shocking loss to Gold Coast Suns in round 18. Sydney built a 29-point first-quarter lead before going goalless in the next two terms and losing their first ever match to the Suns by 20 points.

The Bombers will play their second match on the trot in front of home fans and will be confident following their 29-point victory over Fremantle.

The match is crucial for both clubs, with Sydney sitting just inside the top-four based on percentage, and the Dons sitting a game outside the top eight.

A loss for the Swans could see them drop as low as 10th on the AFL ladder, a ridiculous predicament for one of the pre-season favourites. If the Bombers lose on Friday, they can almost count their finals chances out considering they still have to line-up against Hawthorn, Richmond and Port Adelaide, all away, in their remaining fixtures for the season.

Lance Franklin goes into the Friday night blockbuster following a goalless performance against Gold Coast, the first time this has happened all year. The champ has now fallen 10 goals behind Ben Brown in the Coleman Medal race and will need to get a move on if he wants to win his fifth medal.


 

Sydney have lost three out of their final five matches, and have been targeted recently for their use of Buddy. 

On the other hand, the 'Dons have won four of their last five matches, including victories over West Coast and North Melbourne.

The last time these two clubs met was in an elimination final in 2017, where the Swans wiped the SCG with the Bombers to the tune of a 65-point victory. Sydney have been victorious 10 out of the last 11 times they have played Essendon, and are currently on an eight-game winning streak against the Dons.



ESSENDON BOMBERS TEAM LIST:

B: Matt Dea, Cale Hooker, Andrew McGrath.

HB: Adam Saad, Michael Hurley, Conor McKenna.

C: Dyson Heppell, Zach Merrett, David Zaharakis.

HF: Devon Smith, Jake Stringer, Mark Baguley.

F: Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, Mitch Brown, Orazio Fantasia.

FOL: Tom Bellchambers, Brendon Goddard, David Myers.

I/C: Darcy Parish, Aaron Francis, Kyle Langford, Matt Guelfi.

SYDNEY SWANS TEAM LIST:

B: Dane Rampe, Heath Grundy, Nick Smith.

HB: Jake Lloyd, Aliir Aliir, Colin O'Riordan.

C: Harry Cunningham, Josh P. Kennedy, Isaac Heeney.

HF: Oliver Florent, Lance Franklin, Tom Papley.

F: Ben Ronke, Tom McCartin, Will Hayward.

FOL: Callum Sinclair, George Hewett, Luke Parker.

I/C: Jordan Dawson, Robbie Fox, Nic Newman, Zak Jones.

Tom Naghten

Tom Naghten Photo

Tom Naghten is a senior editor at The Sporting News Australia where he's been part of the team since 2017. He predominantly covers boxing and MMA. In his spare time, he likes to watch Robbie Ahmat's goal against the Kangaroos at the SCG in 2000.