Essendon ruckman Zac Clarke says he will take plenty of confidence out of his sensational game in the Bombers’ nail-biting five-point victory over North Melbourne on Saturday.

Carrying a big weight on his shoulders in the absence of regular first-choice ruck Tom Bellchambers, Clarke thrived on the big stage at Marvel Stadium in one of the games of his career.

Clarke set the tone early in the contest against star opponent Todd Goldstein and continued to battle strongly throughout the match, finishing up with 12 disposals, 35 hitouts and an impressive six clearances.

It was an inspirational game from the mature recruit as he continued to benefit from genuine game time after being withheld from a number of games throughout the season as a senior emergency.

“I’m pretty satisfied,” Clarke said

“I wasn’t great last week (against Sydney) and it’s taken me a while to really hit some form, so I’m pretty happy with that.

“You certainly don’t lose confidence playing well, so hopefully I can keep it up at that standard for the rest of the year.”

View this post on Instagram

Sing it for the third week in a row (if you’ve got your voice back ) #MightyBombers

A post shared by Essendon Football Club (@essendonfc) on

The game was a see-sawing classic but there were times when neither team could capitalise on their opportunities.

That stage came in the second term for the Bombers, when they simply dominated the Roos with 17 inside 50s to eight but could only boot 2.7 to North’s 1.2 for the quarter.

The side’s control on the game continued in the third term, but this time the side reaped the rewards of their efforts with five goals to two and Clarke said he was confident the mid-game domination would eventually be reflected on the scoreboard.

“It was a very hard-fought game.

“Every team has momentum shifts. You’ve got to have the ball in your (forward) 50 to score and we were getting that, and it was only a matter of time before we started scoring.”

Star Bomber Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti was the hero in front of the deafening crowd on Saturday, kicking the winning goal – his fourth major – with 20 seconds left on the clock.

Clarke described McDonald-Tipungwuti as “incredible” and he said the classy forward’s talent was immediately noticeable when he arrived at The Hangar late last year.

“He was the first bloke in the pre-season where I just took a step back and thought some of the things he does at training are unbelievable.

“He does that in game day as well, so he’s great.”

Clarke and McDonald-Tipungwuti celebrate the heart-stopping victory. (Image: AFL Photos)

Clarke was also full of praise for young midfielder Dylan Clarke, whose outstanding form as a tagger continued at Marvel Stadium in a drubbing of leading Kangaroo Ben Cunnington.

Clarke, of the Dylan variety, kept Cunnington to season-low tallies for disposals (15), kicks (three) and clearances (two) to claim another personal victory in what has been a breakthrough season.

“It was another scalp for him,” Zac Clarke said.

“Just watching how he went about it in the VFL, he’s the ultimate professional.

“He comes in here (at AFL level) and just does jobs, so it’s a credit to him and it’s another notch on his belt.”

The tough tests continue for the in-form Bombers when they travel to Adelaide to take on the Crows at Adelaide Oval next Friday night.