Match

Essendon vs Port Adelaide

Commentary / 03 Aug 2019

Pre Game

00:00
The Bombers have won five matches by 10 or fewer points this season, the most of any side.

Quarter 1

00:00
Q1 is now underway.
01:00
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Jake Stringer)
03:35
Essendon has opened the game with the first four clearances.
07:06
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Sam Gray)
08:43
SCORE GOAL - Power (Robbie Gray)
08:44
Opening goal score Robbie Gray with his 18th major of 2019 in his 16th game of the season.
10:55
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Andrew McGrath)
12:29
Across the past month, the Bombers have won the tackle count by 16 per game, the best in the AFL. They have continued this focus on pressure early today, currently leading the tackle count eight to two.
12:51
SCORE GOAL - Power (Todd Marshall)
14:31
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Orazio Fantasia)
16:32
SCORE GOAL - Power (Cam Sutcliffe)
16:33
Two of the Power's three goals have been sourced from a boundary throw-in.
20:23
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Zach Merrett)
22:43
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Dylan Shiel)
24:06
SCORE GOAL - Power (Robbie Gray)
24:07
Robbie Gray has now kicked multiple goals for the sixth time in 16 games this season.
26:35
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Cam Sutcliffe)
28:21
SCORE GOAL - Power (Zak Butters)
28:43
Bombers Interchange - Aaron Francis off due to an injury.
29:22
Essendon's Cale Hooker has been targeted an equal game-high three times inside forward 50, yet has been unable to take a mark in this zone.
29:58
Power Interchange - Zak Butters off due to an injury.
32:25
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Rushed)
32:41
The siren has sounded to end Q1.
32:42
Port Adelaide's superior kicking efficiency inside the forward 50 zone, 60 percent to 27, sees the Power take a 16 point lead into quarter time.

Quarter 2

00:00
Q2 is now underway.
00:20
This is the fourth game in a row that the Bombers have trailed at the first break.
00:33
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Mitch Brown)
03:30
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti)
04:54
Power Interchange - Tom Rockliff off due to an injury.
05:00
After five minutes of the play in the second quarter, the Bombers are controlling the time in possession for the term, 59 percent to 30.
05:47
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Connor Rozee)
07:03
Power Interchange - Zak Butters off due to an injury.
09:03
Averaging 20.8 disposals per game in his third AFL season, Port Adelaide's Dan Houston has already recorded 14 disposals today, at 79 percent efficiency.
10:14
SCORE GOAL - Power (Robbie Gray)
11:59
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Karl Amon)
12:19
Bombers Interchange - Adam Saad off due to an injury.
12:50
After not playing last week, Port Adelaide's Charlie Dixon is struggling to have an impact in his return. His teammates have been looking for him (four inside 50 targets), but he is the only man on the ground yet to record a disposal.
14:20
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Dylan Shiel)
16:41
Essendon is leading the second quarter clearance count eight to one, including three to Zach Merrett.
18:23
SCORE GOAL - Power (Dan Houston)
22:53
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Matt Guelfi)
23:04
Port Adelaide's kicking efficiency for the game is far superior to that of the Bombers, 75 percent to 61.
23:34
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Will Snelling)
25:29
Bombers Interchange - Orazio Fantasia off due to an injury.
25:45
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Connor Rozee)
26:50
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Will Snelling)
30:17
SCORE GOAL - Power (Travis Boak)
31:12
The siren has sounded to end Q2.
31:13
The 16 point quarter time lead for Port Adelaide is the same at the main break. Leading the way for the Power has been Robbie Gray with 12 disposals at 83 percent efficiency, six score involvements, four marks, and kicking three goals.

Quarter 3

00:00
Q3 is now underway.
00:39
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Rushed)
01:26
Dating back to the middle of the second term, Port Adelaide has recorded ten of the last eleven clearances.
02:17
SCORE GOAL - Power (Xavier Duursma)
04:53
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Aaron Francis)
06:50
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Connor Rozee)
06:51
Coming into today's game, Port Adelaide had scored from 19 percent of its inside 50 entries across the season, ranked last in the AFL. With 16 scores from 32 entries today, the Power are scoring at a much healthier rate of 50 percent.
07:57
SCORE GOAL - Power (Connor Rozee)
09:13
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Orazio Fantasia)
10:54
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti)
12:47
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Connor Rozee)
13:02
Of the eleven free kicks that Essendon has conceded, the most common indiscretion has been for a push in the back on five occasions.
13:30
Power Interchange - Peter Ladhams off due to an injury.
15:03
SCORE GOAL - Power (Sam Gray)
15:04
All three third quarter Port Adelaide goals have been the end result of a disposal chain that began with an Essendon turnover.
15:13
Bombers Interchange - Aaron Francis off due to an injury.
17:08
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Jake Stringer)
18:49
SCORE GOAL - Power (Connor Rozee)
20:22
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Matt Guelfi)
21:45
Zach Merrett has generated a match-high 504 metres gained for Essendon. Next most on the ground is the Power's Darcy Byrne-Jones with 449 metres gained.
24:32
Bombers Interchange - Aaron Francis off due to an injury.
24:33
SCORE GOAL - Power (Todd Marshall)
26:03
SCORE GOAL - Power (Karl Amon)
26:59
The Power have dominated the centre bounce clearances for the third term, nine to one.
30:55
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Robbie Gray)
31:59
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Zac Clarke)
32:02
The siren has sounded to end Q3.
32:03
A dominant third quarter from Port Adelaide sees the Power enter the last break with a 35 point lead. For the third term alone, Port Adelaide's Connor Rozee contributed ten disposals at 60 percent efficiency, three marks, five score involvements, three inside 50s, and kicked 2.2.

Quarter 4

00:00
Q4 is now underway.
01:07
Essendon defender Michael Hartley is the only man on the ground to have played 100 percent game time.
02:43
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Mitch Brown)
03:21
SCORE GOAL - Power (Robbie Gray)
05:36
SCORE GOAL - Power (Paddy Ryder)
06:47
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Connor Rozee)
07:12
The Power currently lead the inside 50 count 51 to 42. This is consistent with their season so far where they have won the inside 50s by nine per game, best in the AFL.
09:11
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Sam Powell-Pepper)
12:50
SCORE GOAL - Power (Sam Powell-Pepper)
13:08
The Port Adelaide tandem of Peter Ladhams and Paddy Ryder has won the ruck battle. Ladhams has won 57 percent of his 37 ruck contests, and Ryder 59 percent of 29. These numbers compare favourably to Essendon's Zac Clarke winning just 23 percent of his 56 ruck contests, in a near lone hand for the Bombers.
15:16
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Jake Stringer)
15:17
Jake Stringer's second goal of the day for Essendon is the first major kicked from beyond 50 metres from goal for either side.
17:07
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Rushed)
18:21
SCORE GOAL - Power (Todd Marshall)
20:51
The count of marks inside forward 50 heavily favours the Power, 14 to six. This includes a tally 10 to three in the second half.
21:46
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Jake Stringer)
23:44
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Mitch Brown)
23:57
Robbie Gray and Connor Rozee have both contributed a match-high ten score involvements for Port Adelaide.
25:45
SCORE GOAL - Power (Dan Houston)
28:36
The siren has sounded to end Q4.
28:37
A dominant display from Port Adelaide sees the Power run out 59 point winners. The keys to victory included winning the clearances, 40 to 33, the inside 50s, 58 to 52, a superior kicking efficiency, 76 percent to 62, and kicking a very accurate 14.2 from set shots.