Essendon has recorded a useful victory over Melbourne, prevailing by 12 points at Colonial. A big crowd saw the Dons blow the game apart in the first half, with some of the lower-profile Bombers such as Danny Jacobs and Mark Bolton excelling. However Essendon failed to run the match out hard, making the last quarter nerve-racking and the result less convincing. The biggest negative was the loss of Mark Mercuri to a groin injury.