Dean Rioli was in sensational form for the Bombers. He dominated throughout the middle and delivered the ball into the forward line with pin-point accuracy. He was clearly the best man on the ground and used his strength and speed to advantage. He finished the match with one goal.
Essendon went into its final practice match with a high calibre line-up but it still wasn’t enough to overrun the in-form Geelong. Dustin Fletcher, Mark McVeigh and Mark Bolton were the main absentees from the 26-man squad. The coaching panel opted to rest Fletcher in light of him being unavailable for the Round 1 match against Brisbane due to suspension. Bolton missed for similar reasons. McVeigh received a light knock to his knee and was given the week off despite the injury not being serious.
In warm conditions at Lavington Sports Oval, Geelong got off to a perfect start kicking the first goal in the first 30 seconds of the match. Essendon responded shortly after when Matthew Lloyd converted from 30 metres out after being awarded a free kick for an incident up field off the ball.
The Cats controlled most of the play in the first term and dominated at stoppages. The forward structure was left open for Matthew Lloyd to lead, however the delivery at times was poor. Paul Barnard provided a focal point in attack and took a few strong marks. He kicked the Bombers second goal in the dying moments of the quarter to bring the margin to 12-points at quarter time.
Essendon’s intensity significantly increased in the second term and won more of the ball out of the centre. Two quick goals from Lloyd in the first few minutes of the quarter put Essendon back in touch with Geelong. Rioli continued to dominant for the Bombers through the middle and his delivery of the ball was pin-point into the forward line. The lead changed several times before the Cats headed into half-time with a two-point lead when Joel Cory goaled just before the siren.
The Essendon line-up was strengthened heading into the second half with Jason Johnson, Damian Cupido and Sean Wellman all coming on after spending the first half on the bench. The Bombers’ started the quarter in a similar fashion to the second term. Adam Ramanauskas booted the first goal of the second half and put his side back in the lead in the opening seconds. Cupido showed how beneficial his speed will be to the Bombers this season when he crumbed off the pack and ran into goal to kick the Bombers’ second for the term moments later.
Rioli continued to notch up the possessions and use his strength through the mid-field. The 24-year-old has again been dynamic this quarter in winning the ball and is clearly best on ground. Paul Barnard fell awkwardly at the eight minute of the quarter and limped off the ground with a suspected ankle injury.
Essendon controlled the majority of the play but didn’t capitalise enough on the forward opportunities. Poor disposal into the forward line resulted in a number of wasted opportunities and could have been further ahead at the final change. The Bombers’ kept Geelong goal less until the 19-minute mark of the quarter. The goal resulting from a free kick against Dean Solomon. Essendon head into the final change with a five-point lead.
Geelong put themselves back in the lead in the opening minutes of the quarter when Darren Milburn goaled on the run from inside 50m. Essendon quickly answered the Geelong challenge when Sean Wellman was instrumental in the Bombers’ tenth goal. The All Australian defender ran the ball out of defence and delivered to Cupido on the lead. The former Brisbane Lions player used his lightning pace to fend off his defender and goal on tight angle from 30 metres out. Mark Johnson quickly followed suit when he snapped from 30 metres to give his team a 13-point advantage.
Geelong over ran the Bombers in the final five minutes and pegged the margin back. The Cats kicked the final three goals to record a nine-point win.
Bomber coach Kevin Sheedy was disappointed not to get away with the win but focused on the positives to come out of the match. ""The match was a good opportunity to look at our young players in a high pressure situation - players we might have to call on later in the year.
""I thought Cupido played pretty well when he came on. Cupido is a very creative player that brings other players into the game - these type of players are very hard to find. Steve Alessio and David Hille both got another game under their belt. Paul Barnard was very good before he got injured. I thought Rioli was very good in the middle and Mark Mercuri created three or four goals for us,"" Sheedy said after the match.
Sheedy was also very impressed with the performance of Jobe Watson. The four time premiership coach said despite Watson not getting a lot of the ball he was happy with his competitiveness.
Essendon will play an intra-club match next Friday, March 21st at Windy Hill before heading to Brisbane for the Round 1 clash against the Brisbane Lions.
