The Bombers were brilliant, running the ball superbly through midfield and scoring freely against an undermanned North side. Michael Long, Damien Hardwick, Steve Alessio, Chris Heffernan and Darren Bewick were all outstanding as we ran out winners 141 points to 106.
But the real story of the night was the injury to Hird, which will probably see him sidelined for 10-12 weeks.
Before the match, stories ran in the media confirming that Hird had experienced a recurrence of the stress fracture injury he suffered in 1997. So all eyes were on the Essendon champ to see how he would get through the game.
Sadly, he couldn’t even make it to half-time. After a first half in which he was clearly struggling, Hird began limping badly midway through the second term. He left the ground shortly before the break and cut a dejected figure on the bench, seemingly in tears.
Immediately after the game, it appeared likely that Hird would see a surgeon as soon as possible, for another operation during the week. The only positive news is that, due to medical advances in the treatment of injuries like Hird’s, he is given a 90% chance of full recovery.
But even so, the early estimates suggest he will be sidelined for around 10-12 weeks. That is likely to give Dean Rioli his chance for promotion from the Rookie List, after yet another terrific performance in the seconds.
More bad news came for the Bombers after half-time, when Joe Misiti joined Hird on the sidelines with his hand in plaster and arm in a sling. He has a broken or fractured bone in his hand, and diagnosis during the week will determine the extent of his absence. It could be as little as two weeks or as much as six-to-eight.
Then Mark Johnson, again playing well in his second match, broke his collarbone in a bump with Adam Simpson. He is expected to be out for eight weeks.
All the injury dramas, unfortunately, overshadowed a magnificent team performance that blitzed the Roos.
It started with a blistering first term, inspired by the midfield possessions of Misiti (9) and Chris Heffernan (7), and the brilliance of Darren Bewick (8, including two goals). By quarter time we had eight goals on the board to North’s three and things were looking rosy.
Nine minutes into the second term and the lead had blown out to six goals. But North hit back, twice closing the gap to 14 points before the long break brought a 20-point margin.
North started the third quarter well and got to within two kicks before important goals to Lucas and Alessio stemmed the tide. We were never seriously threatened from then on.
Good players were everywhere to be found. Michael Long was brilliant, every one of his 22 possessions creating something for the team. He kicked three himself, should have had another, and set up several more for teammates. His best game in a long time, highlighted by two or three sublimely deft tap-ons to running teammates.
Steve Alessio was good in the ruck and even better up forward, where he kicked four crucial goals, including a belter on the run from outside 50 in the third term that seemed to finally kill off the North challenge. Darren Bewick cut North apart early, kicking two great goals from tight angles and another from outside 50, while Chris Heffernan gathered 21 possessions in his most accomplished display yet an senior level. And Damien Hardwick was simply superb in defence, some of his hard-ball gets in the first half requiring great courage.
Others, like Dean Wallis, Sean Wellman, Mark Fraser and Michael Symons, also chipped in with valuable contributions at crucial times.
All in all, it was a wonderful team effort. But for all the class and excitement the team generated, it was the image of a forlorn James Hird, on the bench and close to tears, that will remain the lasting image of this night.
The Highlight
Apart from a couple of special Darren Bewick goals, and some moments of Michael Long magic, the highlight was possibly Dean Wallis’s speccie in the first quarter. And no, that’s not a misprint.
The Lowlight
No contest. Hirdy’s injury.
