Essendon VFL has bounced back from last weekend’s narrow defeat with a comfortable 41-point win over a feisty Northern Blues outfit on Sunday afternoon.

While the final scoreline of 12.12 (84) to 6.7 (43) might not show it, it was a tough challenge between two sides determined to walk away with the four points.

But it was the VFL Dons who proved they wanted it more, storming home with five goals and holding the Blues to just two behinds.

The opening term was a different story, with both sides competing hard both in the air and on the ground.

Essendon was able to get the ball inside 50 quickly with some good handball chains on the wing, but wasn’t clean – allowing Northern Blues to force turnovers and go back in the opposite direction.

Unable to capitalise early, the Bombers went into the first break with just a one-point lead, thanks to a Nick Dixon goal just seconds before the siren.

The second quarter was off to a good start with an early Brayden Ham soccer-style goal, but the Blues were quick to respond, taking strong intercept marks and cutting off the Dons’ attempts to move the ball forward.

Essendon’s back six, including Marty Gleeson (22 disposals, six marks, five rebound 50s), Brandon Zerk-Thatcher (21 disposals, 10 marks, four rebound 50s) and Michael Hartley (18 disposals, four marks, six rebound 50s), worked overtime under attack from the visitors to save potential scores.

The Blues managed to level the scores 18 minutes into the quarter, but the Dons chipped away at their lead with some behinds.

Ham (13 disposals, three inside 50s, three goals,) then broke through with his second major of the term – a nice reward for his hard-working efforts.

Despite leading at the main break, Essendon’s earlier inaccuracies (4.8 at half-time) meant Northern Blues were still within reach.

In the third, it seemed the Blues had caught the Bombers off-guard, kicking three unanswered goals to snatch the lead.

But inspired by David Myers (26 disposals, seven inside-50s, two goals) and his beautiful snap on goal, the Dons lifted their pressure and intensity, and were now playing on their terms.

A highlight was the huge screamer from Jordan Houlahan who went on to slot his second goal of the day from a tight angle.

Air Jordan at Windy Hill just now pic.twitter.com/7yRhq3tXi2 — Essendon FC (@essendonfc) June 2, 2019

Essendon carried this momentum into the fourth quarter, booting five consecutive goals from 13 inside 50s to overrun the feisty Northern Blues.

Skipper Aaron Heppell (20 disposals, four tackles, three inside 50s, one goal) made his impact known early, while Trent Mynott (24 disposals, five tackles) was also solid in his second game back from injury.

Senior coach Dan Jordan, who coached the majority of the second half from the bench, was pleased his side could get the job done.

“It was a super effort – particularly from our defenders who were under a bit of siege early and Northern could have gotten out to a greater lead but they stood firm,” Jordan said.

“To keep them to two points in the last quarter was brilliant, and then we were able to impact the quarter ourselves which we’d struggled to do all day,” he said.

He described the first half in particular as “an arm wrestle” with mistakes from both sides, but thought the group did well to match the Blues.

“It wasn’t a high-quality game (early) – we weren’t quite on with our structures and the way we wanted to play but we challenged them at each break and got better at every one.

“The Northern Blues are a (tough) side, and have had some good results this year so fortunately our guys stuck to the process in that last quarter.”

Jordan also praised midseason draftee Will Snelling (23 disposals, seven marks, five tackles) in his debut match.

“I thought (Will) played his role. You could tell he’s a good operator inside and around the contest, and will find his way into our structure and our system in time.

“As he evolves and gets to know the boys a little bit more, he’ll get more comfortable within the team and hopefully we can see put some really good games together to push for an AFL selection.”



Will Snelling impressed in his debut in the red and black. (Photo: Ben Johnstone)

Essendon VFL go into round 10 with a bye, which Jordan says will be used as both a reset and time to recover.

“It will be nearly halfway through the season for us, so the boys will have a break. Some of them will go back to local footy and some of them will use the opportunity to rest.

“We’ve got a big period coming up against some real quality sides and know we are going to get challenged for depth, but it’s exciting for guys like Nick Dixon, Jacob Brown, and a few others who get another opportunity to show that they can play their roles – it’s good signs for our list.”

Not even our departing Operations Manager @ashbrown05 can escape the Gatorade shower #MightyBombers pic.twitter.com/Q3KLdk1k4O — Essendon VFL (@essendonvfl) June 2, 2019

Essendon 2.3 4.8 7.11 12.12 (84)

Northern Blues 2.2 3.5 6.5 6.7 (43)

Goals: Ham 3, Houlahan, Sibbald, Myers 2, Dixon, Heppell, Younan.

Disposals: Myers 26, Mynott 24, Snelling 23, Gleeson 22, Zerk-Thatcher 21

Brooke Varney is in the final year of her Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) degree at RMIT University. As part of their strategic partnership, Essendon Football Club and RMIT University are committed to providing opportunities for students, staff, players and the wider community.