Match

Essendon vs Fremantle

Commentary / 21 Mar 2020

Pre Game

00:00
Fremantle's Nat Fyfe won 18 contested possessions per game last season, leading all players in the competition.

Quarter 1

00:00
Q1 is now underway.
00:57
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Devon Smith)
00:58
Devon Smith kicks Essendon's first goal for 2020. Smith kicked just three majors from seven games last season.
02:51
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Kyle Langford)
03:58
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Jacob Townsend)
03:59
The Bombers have scored from each of their three forays inside forward 50. The Dockers are yet to enter their equivalent zone.
07:05
The Bombers are dominating time in possession, 64 percent to 22.
11:44
After Essendon produced the opening three inside 50s of the game, Fremantle has responded with seven of the next ten. However, the Dockers have kicked just the single behind from these entries.
12:23
SCORE BEHIND - Dockers (Adam Cerra)
13:46
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Orazio Fantasia)
15:57
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Jayden Laverde)
17:17
SCORE GOAL - Dockers (Rory Lobb)
17:18
Rory Lobb kicks the 78th major of his 90 game career to open the Fremantle goal scoring for 2020.
20:33
SCORE GOAL - Dockers (Matt Taberner)
22:53
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Rushed)
24:56
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Jacob Townsend)
26:09
The siren has sounded to end Q1.
26:10
The opening term ends with Essendon's Jacob Townsend kicking his second goal in his first quarter with his new club. Townsend played just one game for Richmond in 2019, and did not score.

Quarter 2

00:00
Q2 is now underway.
00:42
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Devon Smith)
01:03
Essendon leads the tackle count 16 to eight, with Dylan Shiel leading all players with a tally of three.
03:00
In the opening three minutes of the second term, Essendon has the far superior disposal efficiency for the quarter, 78 percent to 20.
03:32
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Adam Saad)
05:03
SCORE GOAL - Dockers (Sam Sturt)
05:04
Fremantle debutant Sam Sturt kicks his first goal in AFL football with a set shot from beyond 50 metres.
06:25
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Jake Stringer)
10:20
Fremantle's Sean Darcy and Essendon's Tom Bellchambers have each won 12 hitouts. However, just one of Darcy's has gone to the advantage of a Docker (8.3 percent), compared to five of Bellchambers' to his teams advantage (41.7 percent).
14:50
SCORE BEHIND - Dockers (Matt Taberner)
16:13
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Jake Stringer)
16:47
Dylan Shiels' tally of 14 disposals leads all players on the ground. His disposal efficiency is a perfect 100 percent.
18:09
SCORE BEHIND - Dockers (Travis Colyer)
18:49
The Bombers have won eight of the last ten clearances.
19:35
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Jacob Townsend)
21:59
In 48 AFL games prior to today, Jacob Townsend's career-high for contested marks in a game was two. The Bombers recruit set a personal best by taking three in the opening half today.

Quarter 3

00:00
Q3 is now underway.
00:51
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Jake Stringer)
01:06
From Rounds 15 to 23 last season, Essendon lost the contested possession count by a total of 147, ranked 18th. So far today they have addressed this concern, currently leading this measure 49 to 37.
02:13
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Rushed)
03:50
SCORE BEHIND - Dockers (Matt Taberner)
05:00
No goals for either side after five minutes of second-half play. Michael Walters topped the goal-kicking for Fremantle in 2019 with 40 majors. For the Bombers, Jake Stringer's 33 goals were the most last season.
06:48
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Dylan Shiel)
07:21
SCORE BEHIND - Dockers (Travis Colyer)
08:10
Since quarter-time, the Bombers have laid 20 tackles compared to just eight for the Dockers. This is despite Essendon dominating the time in possession over this period, 53 percent to 36.
12:05
Neither side has recorded an effective kick inside their respective forward 50 so far in the third term.
12:25
SCORE GOAL - Dockers (Travis Colyer)
16:07
Second-year Docker Brett Bewley leads all players with 421 metres gained, well ahead of the next-most, Essendon's Tom Cutler with 295.
16:41
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Will Snelling)
21:00
SCORE BEHIND - Dockers (Rushed)
21:06
The siren has sounded to end Q3.
21:07
Since 2015, Fremantle has scored the fourth-fewest points of any side in the AFL in Round 1 games, averaging 77 points. To even reach this benchmark today, the Dockers will need to score more in the final term than they have in the first three quarters combined.

Quarter 4

00:00
Q4 is now underway.
01:34
Early in the final term, only Essendon's Michael Hurley and Fremantle's Griffin Logue - both defenders - have played 100 percent game time.
05:31
Four of Essendon's eight goals have been the end result of a disposal chain that began with a Fremantle turnover.
08:47
Rory Lobb's tally of four contested marks is the most of any player on the ground, and match the most he has taken in 16 games in a Fremantle guernsey.
08:52
SCORE GOAL - Dockers (Rory Lobb)
12:42
Essendon's Michael Hurley does the little things to help his side. His six one percenters are the most of any player.
12:46
SCORE BEHIND - Dockers (Andrew Brayshaw)
14:00
SCORE BEHIND - Dockers (Cam McCarthy)
15:02
SCORE GOAL - Dockers (Michael Walters)
15:03
In the last ten minutes of play the Dockers have won the time in possession 44 percent to 33, the inside 50s seven to two, and outscored Essendon 2.2 to nil.
17:51
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Jake Stringer)
18:55
SCORE GOAL - Dockers (Sam Sturt)
18:56
Michael Walters has contributed an equal match-high seven score involvements for the Dockers, including three in the final term.
20:55
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Jake Stringer)
23:04
SCORE GOAL - Dockers (Sam Sturt)
24:53
SCORE BEHIND - Dockers (Andrew Brayshaw)
27:48
The siren has sounded to end Q4.
27:49
The Bombers withstand a frenetic Dockers final quarter onslaught to hold on and win by a goal. The star of the day was Essendon's Dylan Shiel, contributing 35 disposals at 77 percent efficiency, 13 contested possessions, five score involvements, and three tackles.