Pre Game
00:00
In the past four rounds, the Demons have recorded the third-highest hitout-to-advantage rate of any side. They have generated a score from 15% of their clearance chains – ranked last over this period.
Quarter 1
00:00
Q1 is now underway.
01:30
SCORE
BEHIND - Demons (Rushed)
03:14
SCORE
BEHIND - Demons (Bayley Fritsch)
03:20
Essendon has three missed tackles early on in the match.
06:31
60% of play has been in Melbourne's forward half. It also has the clearance at all three stoppages thus far.
08:18
Jayden Laverde kicks the first goal of the match from a contested mark. This is Laverde's first game since Round 8, he has kicked a goal in every match this season apart from Round 5 against Collingwood when he had two score assists.
09:49
SCORE
GOAL - Demons (Jayden Hunt)
10:04
Jayden Hunt kicks Melbourne's first goal with an assist from Alex Neal-Bullen after breaking a Mason Redman tackle attempt. Essendon has four missed tackles so far.
13:51
Michael Hurley is playing as a forward in this match, in his past 73 matches, he has spent just 1.5% of his time on the ground as a forward. In his last match for Essendon against Geelong in Round 16, he played 56% time as a forward.
14:35
SCORE
BEHIND - Demons (Bayley Fritsch)
17:56
SCORE
BEHIND - Demons (Charlie Spargo)
17:57
Melbourne has scored five times from eight inside 50s. In the past four rounds, Essendon has conceded a score from 53% of its opposition’s inside 50s – ranked 17th in the league. However, for Melbourne, it has been inaccurate with its shots with just one goal.
22:09
SCORE
GOAL - Bombers (Jake Stringer)
22:12
Jake Stringer kicks a late goal for Essendon to take the lead at the end of the quarter. This is just the fourth time Essendon has entered quarter-time leading this season, the second round in a row it has happened. Essendon made its opportunities in the forward 50 count with a kicking efficiency of 50% in this zone compared to Melbourne's 20% in its forward 50.
Quarter 2
00:00
Q2 is now underway.
02:44
Alex Neal-Bullen kicks the first goal of the second term, he had a goal assist in the first quarter. Early in this second term, the Demons lead the post-clearance pressure factor by 22.
04:41
SCORE
GOAL - Demons (Bayley Fritsch)
05:08
Melbourne gets its second goal of the match from a centre bounce clearance. Melbourne has won the clearance at every centre bounce in this match, the latest coming through Clayton Oliver. Oliver has recorded 40 centre clearances this season – ranked equal-fourth in the competition.
06:53
SCORE
BEHIND - Bombers (Jordan Ridley)
07:12
Dylan Shiel and Zach Merrett each have eight disposals at 100% efficiency but have combined for 129 metres gained and just three contested possessions.
10:53
SCORE
GOAL - Demons (Jayden Hunt)
11:23
Jayden Hunt gets his second goal of the match but it was Clayton Oliver in the defensive 50 who kept the ball moving fast by playing on from a mark. Melbourne has played on from a mark 30% of the time in this match.
12:42
SCORE
BEHIND - Demons (Mitch Brown)
14:22
SCORE
GOAL - Demons (Alex Neal-Bullen)
14:48
The Demons have kicked the last four goals of the match. 65% of play in this second term has been in their forward half.
15:47
SCORE
BEHIND - Demons (Bayley Fritsch)
17:24
Melbourne has taken 24 more marks than Essendon in this match. Essendon has shown an inability to create separation from its opponents and bring the ball to the ground as Melbourne leads spoils 16 to three.
18:38
SCORE
BEHIND - Bombers (James Stewart)
19:46
SCORE
GOAL - Demons (Christian Petracca)
19:54
Christian Petracca hits the scoreboard with a goal sourced from a kick-in. Melbourne has scored from just 5% of kick-ins this season, ranked third last in the competition. However, Essendon has conceded an inside 50 from 29% of their opposition’s kick-in chains – the worst percentage of any side.
22:37
From just five disposals and a contetsed knock on, Brayden Ham has produced 187 metres gained which is the second most for Essendon so far. Ham has a disposal efficiency of 100%.
24:11
The Demons were able to score 5.2 in the second term compared to the Bombers' 0.2. The Demons led marks inside 50 eight to two in this term and won three of its five defensive one-on-one contests.
Quarter 3
00:00
Q3 is now underway.
00:03
Joe Daniher was targeted inside 50 four times in the first half, the most of any Essendon player. However, he did not record any possessions, hitouts, spoils, and had just one pressure act.
04:48
SCORE
BEHIND - Bombers (Jake Stringer)
04:54
Essendon leads ball up clearances six to zero but has converted these to just seven points.
08:26
Adam Saad leads all Essendon players in this match with 334 metres gained, four intercept possessions, and has won both of his defensive one-on-one contests.
09:20
SCORE
BEHIND - Demons (Mitch Brown)
10:38
From Melbourne's 23 kicks inside 50, it has scored 4.4 from kicks which originated 70 metres or more from goal, and 0.3 from kicks orirignating less than 70 metres from goal.
11:10
Demons Interchange - Max Gawn off due to the blood rule.
13:57
Demons lead intercept marks eight to three and spoils 25 to 11. They have produced 23 points from turnovers to the Bombers' eight.
16:28
SCORE
GOAL - Demons (Jayden Hunt)
16:49
Jayden Hunt has three goals in this match, he last kicked three goals against Carlton in Round 2 this season.
21:23
SCORE
GOAL - Bombers (James Stewart)
21:30
James Stewart kicks a goal after the siren, Essendon's first since Jake Stringer kicked a goal after the siren in the first quarter. Since the first term Melbourne has scored 39 points to nine, has a post-clearance kick-to-handball ratio outside the forward 50 of 1.74 compared to Essendon's ratio of 0.99, and 60% of play has been in Melbourne's forward half in this time.
Quarter 4
00:00
Q4 is now underway.
01:47
SCORE
GOAL - Bombers (James Stewart)
04:46
Early in this final quarter 67% of play has been in Essendon's forward half, it leads uncontested possessions 11 to two and kicking efficiency 64% to 40% in this time.
06:16
SCORE
BEHIND - Bombers (Tom Cutler)
06:55
SCORE
BEHIND - Bombers (Rushed)
07:12
Jack Viney leads all players with nine pre-clearance contested possessions, the next highest is Dylan Shiel with five.
10:42
Jayden Hunt kicks his fourth goal of the match, a new career-high for him. Seven of the Demons' eight goals have been from 30 metres or more from goal. For the Bombers, three of its four goals have been from less than 30 metres from goal.
12:09
SCORE
GOAL - Bombers (Devon Smith)
15:03
In the last five minutes, Melbourne leads post-clearance pressure factor 179 to 144.
16:10
SCORE
GOAL - Bombers (James Stewart)
16:11
In this final term James Stewart has kicked two goals and taken three contested marks, alongside this he kicked a goal after the siren at the end of the third term.
19:59
SCORE
GOAL - Bombers (Dylan Shiel)
20:28
Essendon has kicked the last three goals of the matches. It has won eight of the last 10 clearances.
22:04
SCORE
GOAL - Demons (Bayley Fritsch)
22:13
Bayley Fritsch kicked 1.3 in the first half and went without a disposal in the third term. He has three disposals in this final term and has kicked his second goal of the match to push the lead back out to 13 points.
23:34
SCORE
BEHIND - Demons (Bayley Fritsch)
24:23
SCORE
GOAL - Demons (Bayley Fritsch)
24:58
Bayley Fritsch kicks his third goal and solidifies the win, in the last five minutes Melbourne leads contested possessions seven to two and 79% of play has been in its forward half.
27:14
SCORE
BEHIND - Bombers (Brandon Zerk-Thatcher)
27:43
The Bombers had a late charge with 28 points in the fourth quarter after scoring 21 points in the first three quarters. The Demons outscored the Bombers by 30 points in the second quarter to establish control in the match. In this time they scored a goal from a centre bounce, kick-in, and three from turnovers. During the second quarter Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca, and Alex Neal-Bullen combined for 17 disposals at 100% efficiency, three goals, four goals assists, and 402 metres gained.