“The Bulldogs have been in really good form and we knew it would be tough. They kept charging at us for the whole game. We’re not dominating games at the moment, but we’re still winning, which is an encouraging sign,” he said.
It was an even performance across the board for the Bombers, who had contributors in all departments. The team had eight goal scorers, with spearhead Matthew Lloyd topping the scoreboard with five majors.
The Bombers’ experienced campaigners stood up at crucial moments of the game. Misiti collected 19 possessions in just over two quarters of football and was the spark that ignited Essendon’s midfield midway through the final term. “I thought Matty Allan and Joe Misiti and these sort of guys really stood up for us late in the game which is a good sign for the club,” he said.
Dean Rioli and Sean Wellman also played vital roles in the victory. Rioli’s skill and poise was instrumental in Essendon’s opening half performance. He was in the thick of the action and clearly the Bombers best at half-time.
Wellman was also a solid contributor in the opening half. The 29-year-old made a welcome return to form, providing a spring board from half back for the Bombers. “It was a good win and I was glad to find the footy. I was pretty poor last week. I didn’t want to have two bad ones in a row,” Wellman admitted.
“It was an intense game. We always have a tough game against the Bulldogs and we just had to go in with the right attitude. They were pretty tough to shake until about 20 minutes into the last quarter,” he said.
Wellman also acknowledged the courage of Adam McPhee who recovered well from a heavy first half bump. “He looked gone I thought. He was fantastic in that last quarter and really provided us with some run that helped finish the result,” Wellman said.
