Match

Essendon vs Sydney Swans

Commentary / 06 Jul 2019

Pre Game

00:00
Essendon have averaged over two more centre clearances per game than their opposition in 2019, the fourth-highest differential measure of any side in the competition this season. However they have lost both Dyson Heppell and Tom Bellchambers for today's match, who rank third and fourth respectively in Centre Clearances for the Bombers in 2019.

Quarter 1

00:00
Q1 is now underway.
04:38
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Mitch Brown)
05:31
All seven of Essendon's contested possessions in the early part of this match have been recorded post-clearance, whereas Sydney have recorded four contested possessions pre-clearance and are leading the clearance count 2-0 as a result.
09:09
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Mitch Brown)
09:19
Mitch Brown has had two chances to kick the first goal of this match, with his first effort only just nicking the post on the way through. He ranks equal-fifth at the Bombers with a goal-kicking accuracy of 53 per cent.
11:29
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Rushed)
13:46
Both teams are struggling to retain possession of the ball going inside 50, only retaining possession from less than 60 per cent of their kicks inside 50. Essendon at 57 per cent, Sydney at 40 per cent.
15:10
Nick Blakey gets the Swans off the mark and the first goal of the game after taking Sydney's first mark inside 50 for the match. Since Round 10, only GWS (4.8 per game) have won the mark inside 50 count by a larger margin per game than the Swans (4.2).
16:19
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Jake Stringer)
17:49
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti)
18:53
Essendon have won the last three centre clearances in a row and have reaped the rewards with two quick goals. Essendon have scored 22 goals from this source in 2019, the equal fifth-highest total of any side in the competition.
24:40
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Tom Papley)
25:23
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Dylan Shiel)
28:04
Aliir Aliir fails to score from a shot after the siren, but he has held his own in the ruck contests in the first term. He has recorded seven hitouts, including four of those to-advantage, to lead his opposing ruckman Zac Clarke in both categories.

Quarter 2

00:00
Q2 is now underway.
01:09
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Luke Parker)
02:53
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (David Zaharakis)
05:46
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Zak Jones)
06:12
All three of the goals that have been scored in the early parts of this second quarter have been scored from forward half Intercept Possessions. Both teams rank in the bottom five of all sides in the AFL for average points per game from this source (Essendon 24 points per game, fifth-lowest. Sydney 21 points per game, second-lowest).
09:58
Zach Merrett has become the 557th VFL/AFL player since 1965 to record 3000 career disposals in today's match.
10:15
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (David Zaharakis)
10:52
David Zaharakis gets his second goal for the match to get the Bombers out to beyond a one-goal margin again. He is the only player on the ground who recorded five disposals or more in the first 10 minutes of each of the first two quarters in today's match.
13:15
Bombers Interchange - Zach Merrett off due to an injury.
13:18
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Orazio Fantasia)
13:42
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Dylan Shiel)
17:45
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Will Hayward)
19:13
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Nick Blakey)
23:05
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Isaac Heeney)
25:20
Josh Kennedy has recorded eight groundball-gets in the first half of today's match, twice as many as any other player on the ground.
26:11
Sydney have taken six Intercept Marks in their defensive 50 zone in the first half of today's match, twice as many as the Essendon forwards have taken in the same zone. Sydney's 112 Intercept Marks in defensive 50 in the first 15 rounds of this season is the highest total of any side in the competition.
27:48
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Jake Lloyd)
28:51
Sydney have scored the only goal launched from a defensive 50 possession chain in today's match so far. The Swans win the total points tally from possession chains launched in this zone by 10 points per game since Round 10, the highest differential of any side in the AFL in this time.

Quarter 3

00:00
Q3 is now underway.
00:47
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Sam Reid)
02:39
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Tom McCartin)
05:07
Sydney have been chopping off every Essendon chain of possession by winning the ball at ground level, recording three forward half groundball-gets to none, leading to an inside 50 count of 5-0 to the Swans.
05:58
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Orazio Fantasia)
06:38
Mason Redman has helped the Bombers repel the Swans repeated forward entries in the early part of this term, as he is the only player on the ground with multiple Intercept Possessions in the early part of this term, including winning a free kick which launched Essendon's first goal of the term through Orazio Fantasia.
08:02
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Tom Papley)
11:50
Sydney's dominance around centre clearances in this term (4-0), has allowed them to be more aggressive with their ball movement in the third quarter, as they have played on from 44 per cent of marks taken in this term, compared to just 25 per cent play-on rate for Essendon.
12:22
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Rushed)
14:34
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (David Zaharakis)
16:35
SCORE GOAL - Swans (James Rose)
19:16
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Sam Reid)
19:22
Sydney lead the marks count 23-10 midway through the third term, including four marks to one inside 50, an area where they have recently been among the more dominant teams in the competition. Since Round 10, Sydney rank second in the AFL averaging 24 more marks per game than their opposition.
22:42
Essendon have recorded the highest pressure factor for a single quarter of either side in this quarter at 1.89, with Sydney just behind them in this term at 1.82, with the AFL average at 1.81.
27:14
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Shaun McKernan)
28:03
Despite losing the inside 50 count 7-15 for the third term, Essendon have been far more efficient with their entries, scoring three goals to Sydney's four for the quarter, largely due to an 18 per cent differential in forward half kicking efficiency for the term (79 per cent to 61 per cent).
30:28
After not scoring a goal from a stoppage clearance in the first half, Sydney turned their third term dominance in this area (15-4 clearances, including 6-2 at centre bounces) to scoreboard dominance, scoring 3.1.19 from this source to 0.0.0 for Essendon.

Quarter 4

00:00
Q4 is now underway.
00:59
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Tom McCartin)
01:21
Just like that the Swans score their third goal from a centre bounce clearance in today's match off the opening bounce of the final term, and their eighth goal from a mark, twice as many as Essendon have scored from this shot source.
04:44
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Shaun McKernan)
06:47
Essendon's kicking efficiency has risen sharply in the final term, as they are going at 90 per cent by foot, and gaining 243 metres from their 10 kicks.
07:04
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Kyle Langford)
09:17
Swans Interchange - Jordan Dawson off due to an injury.
10:28
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Tom Papley)
11:09
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti)
12:06
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Darcy Parish)
13:16
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Jayden Laverde)
14:01
After that goal to Darcy Parish, the Bombers have doubled the Swans goal tally from Intercept Possessions, kicking eight goals from this source, including 6.2.38 from forward half Intercepts. Since Round 10, Essendon average 29 points per game from this source, ranked fourth in the AFL in that time.
16:36
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Jake Stringer)
17:49
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Dylan Shiel)
19:21
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Will Hayward)
21:19
Luke Parker gets a goal back for the Swans after the Bombers kicked four straight, the first goal scoring chain longer than two in a row the entire match. Sydney are tackling at just 43 per cent efficiency this term after tackling at 71 per cent efficiency in the first three quarters.
22:30
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Nick Blakey)
26:59
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Shaun McKernan)
28:00
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Isaac Heeney)
28:23
Zac Clarke's effort in this final term has been key to the Bombers seizing the lead. He has won seven hitouts, three to-advantage, taken a contested mark and won a clearance, and winning two free kicks against Aliir Aliir.
29:53
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Jayden Laverde)
30:32
Sydney won the inside 50 count by four over the course of the match, however failed to capitalise on this dominance as Essendon registered three more shots at goal. Josh Kennedy was massive for the Swans, notching his 125th match with at least 15 contested possessions, the most tallied by any player in VFL/AFL history.