Fast footy

There were no stoppages during the opening 19 minutes of the first quarter. That means there were no ball ups or throw ins around the ground where players could catch their breath. 

By the final siren there had been 26 stoppages (a stat the Dogs won 17-9) in the match. To put that in perspective there were 70 stoppages in the game between Melbourne and North Melbourne on Saturday and the average stoppages across the other eight games in the round was 53, more than double the amount in the Dons match.

The finish

In a season so close, every little bit of percentage counts. It’s why the Bombers would have been disappointed with the way they finished off against the Bulldogs on Sunday.

With four minutes to play, the Dons were down by a goal. But the reigning premiers slammed on four goals to record a 30-point win.

The Bombers lost about two per cent in that final four minutes.

David Zaharakis

The Bombers midfielder capped a brilliant month of football with another quality performance against the Bulldogs.  He picked up 32 possessions, laid four tackles and kicked a goal.

Over the last four matches Zaharakis is averaging 32 disposals and he has also kicked five goals in this time.

Tagging 

Luke Beveridge swung his Norm Smith Medal winning defender Jason Johannisen into the forward line against the Bombers. Johannisen has been the target of some close checking from opposition sides this season.

Essendon generally doesn’t assign hard run-with players but the Beveridge move almost took almost took any decision out of the Dons coaching staff’s hands. Put simply, he had a defender on him, but played a good game – just like the Bombers group of small forward have done this year.

The Coleman Medal

A six-goal haul sees Joe Daniher take the outright lead in the Coleman Medal race. The 23 year old has booted 53 goals this season, two clear of North Melbourne’s Ben Brown and Sydney’s Lance Franklin with four games to play.

Matthew Lloyd was the last Essendon player to win Coleman Medal in 2003. 

The finals race

With four games to play, the Bombers (36 points) are tenth on the ladder – one game out of the top eight. Sydney, Melbourne, West Coast and the Western Bulldogs are locked on 40 points each and occupy sixth through to ninth on the ladder. 

The Bombers face Carlton (17th), Adelaide (1st), Gold Coast (15th) and Fremantle (14th) in the final month of the season.