“If you give the ball back too easily that always hurts, especially with a side like the Bulldogs. They are quick and skilful and they use the ball to their team-mates’ advantage and it’s through the goal before you even know about it,” he said.
“Our work rate when we had the ball could have been a fraction better coming out of our back half, we were a bit stagnant but when we did move the ball quick and sharp and hit our handballs at top end speed we used the ball well.”
Hickmott praised the effort of captain, Matthew Lloyd.
“Lloyd word hard all day and was very good. What stood out for me was his work rate around the ground. He communicated well and he was a shining light around the young kids,” he said.
“Tonight was a great experience for first gamer, Cale Hooker, and once he puts on a few kilos and has a good pre-season I think there will be good things to come. He works hard to get the best out of himself.
“Tom Bellchambers in just his second game tried hard all day and won a few hit-outs and around the ground was pretty good. He will only get better as he gets used to the pace of the game.”
Tonight’s game also marked the return from injury of Jason Johnson.
“He turned the ball over a fraction but worked tirelessly all day,” Hickmott said.
“He got his hands on it a lot and then used it. You have to take your hat off to him after being out of the game for so long and coming back and doing what he did tonight.”
The game started well with Lloyd kicking the first goal after a beautiful pass from McPhee. The Western Bulldogs responded with force kicking the next two goals with Murphy looking particularly dangerous. Good body work by Ryder set Lovett-Murray up for a goal and McPhee then joined the party with his first major from outside 50m. Essendon finished the term one point up with veterans Johnson and Peverill gathering the most touches.
The second quarter started like the first with Lloyd kicking a goal, this time from a snap in the forward pocket. Lonergan chipped in for his first goal and the Bombers started to pull away. Then the game took a dramatic turn for the worse with the Bulldogs finding some run and the Bombers starting to make silly errors. The Bulldogs piled on five goals to nil with Johnson and Cooney looking dangerous.
The Bulldogs continued that form into the third quarter and kicked nine goals to the Bombers’ four to all but end the game. Hahn, Akermanis and Johnson looked set to rip the game apart while Essendon appeared shaky across the field, particularly in defence. One of the Bombers’ four goals was a spectacular Stanton snap over his head and another from a mark and lead from defender Mal Michael. Essendon trailed by almost 10-goals at three quarter time and looked out of run and out of options.
