Essendon VFL has leapfrogged Port Melbourne into second spot on the ladder, following a comfortable 69-point triumph at Adcon Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The VFL Dons led from start to finish in the 18.20 (128) to 9.5 (59) affair, recording their third biggest win away from home this season.

With a top-two spot on the line, it was Essendon which came out of the blocks firing. 

Despite the early behinds, the Dons were able to lock the footy in their forward half by taking intercept marks and laying crunching tackles.

The first major came via a Noah Gown set shot approximately 10 minutes in, as the nine-to-two inside-50 count proved Essendon’s early dominance.

The Bombers weren’t all that accurate, kicking 2.5 for the term, but in the meantime managed to hold off the Borough from scoring until the 22-minute mark.

Essendon continued its control in the second, preferring to move the ball quickly through the corridor or switching the play to find more space.

Port Melbourne began to slowly work itself back into the match, but an unanswered four-goal haul and increased work rate from the Dons stopped the Borough getting any closer.

Defenders Brandon Zerk-Thatcher, Michael Hartley and Wilson Berry had impressive first halves, while Irving Mosquito excited the crowd with his closing speed and defensive pressure.

At the other end, Aaron Francis was presenting well, while vice-captain Heath Hocking set up a number of scoring opportunities.

Half-time saw both sides register 25 inside-50s apiece, but was clear who was using them more effectively. 

The third term was all Essendon, which booted eight goals to three to reach triple figures late in the quarter.

The VFL Dons were relentless in their approach, and brought immense pressure to every contest across the ground. 

Both sides traded goals in the fourth, but by then Essendon had done more than enough to cement the win.

Will Snelling finished atop the stats sheet with 29 disposals, three goals and 10 tackles, followed by Brayden Ham (26 disposals, two goals) and Younan (25 disposals, three goals). 


Everyone wanted a piece of Will Snelling after his sensational performance. (Photo: Ben Johnstone)

The winning side featured 17 senior-listed Bombers, including youngster Kobe Mutch (23 disposals, six marks) who played limited game-time in his successful return after an injury layoff.

The only sour note however was losing Zerk-Thatcher to a hamstring injury late in the third term, with the promising youngster to have scans tomorrow to assess the extent of his injury. 


Kobe Mutch made a successful return from a serious hamstring injury. (Photo: Ben Johnstone)

Senior coach Dan Jordan was extremely proud of the playing group for the way it handled the contest.

“The attitude today was terrific. Some of our guys played different roles for us and they just grasped it - their effort and intensity right from the first bounce was just huge," Jordan said.

“We knew Port Melbourne are a pretty good pressure side, so we really wanted to bring our heat in there and I thought we did that particularly in the first half.

“To be able to sustain that for the whole game was really pleasing – we were good in patches in that area prior to this week, but today was probably as close as we’ve played to a four-quarter performance.”

Jordan said “making quick defensive decisions” and “not allowing (Port) to use their run and chain” was what helped the Dons extend their lead especially in the second and third terms.

“We’ve got a strong back six at the moment who are defending really well, and if we’re putting pressure on around the ground it really helps them out,” he said.

“We started to click a little bit offensively today as well - we probably didn’t get reward for effort in the first or last term, but those two quarters (in the middle) we were really efficient going inside 50 which was potentially the difference.” 

He also credited the group for its ability to work around less interchange rotations to rest some of the AFL-listed players, which at times left only two or three fit men on the bench.

“We had some AFL guys who only played one half, so that’s a challenge for the group to be able to work through that and pick up some minutes.

“I thought they did that really well though, and there was no difference in terms of their work rate out on the ground. 

“That’s a credit to where they are physically, and also to their mindset to be able to adapt to that and pick up that extra load from the boys who we were conserving.”

Essendon VFL will take on Werribee at Avalon Airport Oval on Sunday, June 30.

The first bounce will be at 11:40am and televised on Channel 7.

Essendon 2.5 7.9 15.12 18.20 (128)
Port Melbourne 1.1 2.3 5.5 9.5 (59)

Goals: Francis 4, Snelling, Younan 3, Ham 2, Gown, Hartley, Mynott, Lazzaro, Ridley, Houlahan

Disposals: Snelling 29, Ham 26, Younan 25, Mutch 23, Hartley, Heppell 22

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.