Round 17 2003
ESSENDON v. MELBOURNE

ESSENDON 6.2 8.6 10.8 13.10.88 MELBOURNE 1.3 7.7 8.8 10.11.71 Result: Essendon won by 17 points. Venue: MCG     Crowd: 33,368

ON THIS PAGE: Goals - Report - Injuries - Next Week

	ESSENDON: Cupido 3, Lloyd 3, Alessio 2, Mercuri, Bolton, Ramanauskas, Misiti , Rioli
	MELBOURNE: Robertson 2, Rigoni, Yze, Bruce, Ward, Armstrong, Johnstone, Green, Walsh

ESSENDON: Misiti, J Johnson, Ramanauskas, Mercuri, Rioli

Today’s match between Essendon and Melbourne definitely won’t go down in the history books as an epic encounter. After a six goal opening term to Essendon it soon became a scrappy affair between the two teams. The main thing to come out of the match was the Bombers came away with the four points and kept its season alive. However, midway through the final term, Essendon looked in doubt of securing the win, but two goals in as many minutes set up the 17-point win. Essendon didn’t get the ideal news before the start of the game when James Hird was a late withdrawal with a slight hamstring strain. The team appeared to put this disappointment behind them when they turned on a six-goal to one first term and it seemed like Melbourne was in for a massacre. Damian Cupido was the key to the one sided first quarter. The 21-year-old weaved his magic in front of goal and finished with three for the term. Essendon controlled the majority of play and although only had 16 more possessions than Melbourne, they used the ball more effectively and moved the ball forward without much pressure from the opposition. Essendon headed into the first change with a handy 29-point lead. The second term followed an identical pattern as the first quarter, however it was Melbourne in command. The Demons decided to come out and play and created a contest. They booted four goals in the first 10 minutes to peg back the margin to just four points. Similar to Essendon in the opening term, they ran in numbers, created targets and capitalised on its forward opportunities. The Bombers on the other hand stopped dead in its tracks. It battled to move the ball forward and was chasing rather than attacking. Essendon finally stopped Melbourne’s goal onslaught at the 18-minute mark when Steve Alessio steadied the ship and booted the team’s first goal for the quarter. It was an arm wrestle for the remainder of the term - the lead switched four times. Essendon finished marginally in front at the major break with a five-point lead. The match evened up further in the third term when the rain came. The wet conditions slowed the pace of the game and it was difficult for either team to gain ascendancy. The Bombers managed two goals for the quarter to Melbourne’s one to give them a two goal lead at three quarter time. The first of Essendon’s goals came from Matthew Lloyd at the 11-minute mark. Joe Misiti mastered the slippery conditions when he kicked a long goal on the run from outside 50m. The Misiti goal gave the team a bit of breathing space and momentum heading into the final term. In the opening minutes of the final quarter a reversed free kick against Mark Johnson proved costly for Essendon. Brad Green capitalised on the free kick in front of goal and put Melbourne within five points of Essendon. Melbourne kicked its second goal for the term soon after and Essendon appeared in serious trouble. Lloyd pushed Essendon back in front when he converted from a free kick to give his team a four-point lead. The pressure continued to intensify and it came down to the last eight minutes for Essendon to keep its season alive. With only five minutes to go Dean Rioli found space and kicked a long goal on the run to push Essendon’s lead out to 12-points. A controversial free kick awarded to Lloyd immediately after Rioli’s goal secured Essendon’s ninth win for the season. The dual Coleman medallist was awarded a free kick in front of goal after Alistair Nicholson pushed him to the ground behind play. Lloyd kicked truly and it was game set and match for the Bombers.

> MORE PHOTOS...

Relive the match! Each week we present live scores and live reports throughout the match. So if you missed the game, or just want to relive what happened, click on one of the links below to read all about it. FIRST QUARTER REPORT... SECOND QUARTER REPORT... THIRD QUARTER REPORT... FOURTH QUARTER REPORT...

	Mad Dog's Fan Rant - Round 17, Wednesday, 28 July 2010
	Weekend Rewind: Round 17 vs North Melbourne, Monday, 26 July 2010
	Highlights: Round 17 vs North Melbourne, Monday, 26 July 2010
	Matthew Knights press conference, Saturday, 24 July 2010
	The Recovery Room - Round 17, Monday, 19 July 2010
	Match Highlights Round 17, Monday, 27 July 2009
	Weekend Rewind: Round 17, Monday, 27 July 2009
	Winderlich says Bombers must earn Finals, Monday, 27 July 2009
	Matthew Knights Press Conference, Sunday, 26 July 2009
	Best 22: Round 17, Thursday, 23 July 2009
	Welsh ready for Rivalry Round, Wednesday, 22 July 2009
	Knights expects fight from Tigers, Tuesday, 21 July 2009
	Jobe Watson interview on SEN, Wednesday, 30 July 2008 (Engine Room only)
	Bomber Radio - July 29 2007, Monday, 30 July 2007 (Engine Room only)
	Bomber Radio - 24 July 2005, Monday, 25 July 2005 (Engine Room only)
	ROUND 17: KEVIN SHEEDY TAKES TALKBACK, Monday, 26 July 2004 (Engine Room only)
	ROUND 17: JOHN QUINN AND KEVIN SHEEDY, Monday, 26 July 2004 (Engine Room only)
	ROUND 17: BOMBER RADIO INTRODUCTION, Monday, 26 July 2004 (Engine Room only)
	ROUND 17: KEVIN SHEEDY POST MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE, Friday, 23 July 2004 (Engine Room only)
	ROUND 17: JOHN QUINN INTERVIEW, Tuesday, 29 July 2003 (Engine Room only)
	ROUND 17: MATTHEW LLOYD INTERVIEW, Tuesday, 29 July 2003 (Engine Room only)
	ROUND 17: AARON HENNEMAN INTERVIEW, Tuesday, 29 July 2003 (Engine Room only)
	ROUND 17: KEVIN SHEEDY POST MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE, Saturday, 26 July 2003 (Engine Room only)

ESSENDON   MELBOURNE 201 Kicks 181 122 Handballs 106 83 Marks 64 29 Hitouts 39 45 Tackles 48 14 Free kicks 22 View all individual player stats for this game...

Welsh (shoulder); Hird (slight hamstring soreness) and Winderlich replaced in selected side by Barnard and Mercuri.

Round 18 v Carlton at the MCG on Saturday 2 August 2003.