Match

Essendon vs Adelaide Crows

Commentary / 10 Jul 2021

Pre Game

00:00
Essendon has won its past three encounters with Adelaide back to 2018 by an average of just 12 points. Zach Merrett polled three Brownlow Votes in the first two of these, before being injured early in last year's match.

Quarter 1

00:00
Q1 is now underway.
00:20
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Rushed)
02:54
SCORE BEHIND - Crows (Billy Frampton)
04:45
Adelaide looks to have attempted a change of style to start tonight's match, opting for a slow style with kick and mark ball control. The Crows have already taken 17 marks, with 14 inside their defensive half. Essendon has taken just five marks to date.
05:47
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Mason Redman)
08:43
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Tom Cutler)
09:37
Adelaide has recorded 35 kicks and only 4 handballs to date, for a kick-handball ratio of 8.8. This is an extreme measure, well and truly above the Crows season kick-handball ratio of 1.4, just the 12th highest in the league.
10:43
SCORE BEHIND - Crows (Lachlan Murphy)
16:23
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Cale Hooker)
17:48
Almost a stalemate to start this match as both teams are controlling a lot of possession but not finding many looks at goal. After 18 minutes there have only been 11 forward 50 entries between the sides in total. In 2021, matches average a combined 26 inside 50s per match in the first quarter.
20:54
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Peter Wright)
23:54
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Cale Hooker)
24:11
In the past ten minutes, Essendon has enjoyed 81 per cent time in forward half and an additional 24 per cent time game time in possession than Adelaide. On their fourth consecutive forward 50 entry, the Bombers have finally broken the goal drought.
25:55
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Jake Stringer)
26:11
Jake Stringer makes it two goals in two minutes for the Bombers as they start to find some reward for their dominance in the second half of the term. Stringer is averaging 2.4 goals per game against bottom-ten teams this season.
27:11
Crows Interchange - Tom Doedee off due to an injury.
30:18
Adelaide played keepings-off in the first ten minutes, taking 18 more uncontested marks than Essendon. From that point the Crows were unable to maintain possession, averaging just 4.9 disposals per turnover, far less efficient than the Bombers' 15.3 disposals per turnover.

Quarter 2

00:00
Q2 is now underway.
04:34
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Cale Hooker)
09:18
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Peter Wright)
09:51
Essendon has continued this quarter the way it finished off the previous, with 69 per cent time in forward half and 34 per cent additional time in possession than Adelaide. The Bombers have kicked 1.1 (7) while the Crows are yet to register a disposal inside forward 50.
11:02
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Alec Waterman)
11:10
Bombers Interchange - Kyle Langford off due to an injury.
13:53
Indicating the struggles Adelaide has had transitioning possession into an offensive position, 81 per cent of the Crows' disposals have been inside their defensive half (109 of 135 total).
14:16
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Will Snelling)
15:39
SCORE BEHIND - Crows (Paul Seedsman)
17:46
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Archie Perkins)
18:10
That's Essendon's first goal kicked from a mark, with four total marks inside 50. Adelaide is clearly missing its season-leading contested mark in Taylor Walker, as approaching half time it has taken just one mark inside 50 for the match.
18:17
Crows Interchange - Jordon Butts off due to an injury.
21:03
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Archie Perkins)
21:38
With two strong marks inside 50 capped off from two successful shots, in five minutes Archie Perkins has doubled his career goal tally from two to four. Coming into this match, the 14th-gamer had previously kicked two goals from 11 shots.
22:38
SCORE GOAL - Crows (Harry Schoenberg)
22:43
Harry Schoenberg has finally put one through for the Crows with a fine snap on the run, with only their fifth kick inside 50 for the half. The fewest number of kicks Adelaide has had inside 50 in the first half this season was nine against Port Adelaide in Round 8.
24:38
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Alec Waterman)
31:20
To half time, Adelaide has been restricted to just 12 forward 50 entries (the lowest by any team in a first half this season) and only nine disposals inside forward 50 (equal-lowest).
31:25
The game has been far more one-sided in play than on the scoreboard, with 35 points not reflecting the Bombers' dominance. Essendon has been clearly the better ball mover, averaging 186 metres gained per turnover, almost double the ratio of Adelaide (89 metres gained per turnover).

Quarter 3

00:00
Q3 is now underway.
02:24
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Harrison Jones)
03:10
Harrison Jones has taken Essendon's seventh mark inside 50. Adelaide has taken just one.
04:24
SCORE BEHIND - Crows (Riley Thilthorpe)
04:59
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Archie Perkins)
05:58
SCORE BEHIND - Crows (Lachlan Murphy)
11:45
SCORE GOAL - Crows (Lachlan Murphy)
12:00
After being starved for opportunities with just four disposals in the first half, Lachlan Murphy has already exceed those figures with two groundball gets, six disposals and 1.1 (7) in the third quarter. The Crows have already recorded six inside 50s this term after only 12 total in the first half.
13:25
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Archie Perkins)
14:21
Archie Perkins now has a career-high three goals after a classy finish from the outside of the boot. Coming into this match, Perkins only had kicked two goals but was ranked sixth at Essendon for inside 50s and fourth for marks taken on the lead.
16:12
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Archie Perkins)
17:08
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti)
18:44
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Rushed)
21:07
Essendon's intercept marking has been a thorn in Adelaide's side. The Bombers have taken 14 intercept marks (nine more than the Crows) led by Ridley, Redman and Laverde with three apiece.
22:57
SCORE BEHIND - Crows (Billy Frampton)
24:29
Bombers Interchange - Kyle Langford off due to an injury.
25:22
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Devon Smith)
26:30
SCORE BEHIND - Crows (Rushed)
28:45
Adelaide was more competitive in the third quarter but still fell two goals further behind. The Crows managed as many forward 50 entries in the third term as the entire first half (12), but with only one additional entry the Bombers still managed 14 more forward 50 disposals.

Quarter 4

00:00
Q4 is now underway.
02:46
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Will Snelling)
03:49
Essendon's defensive structure has been far superior, winning 26 midfield intercepts compared to Adelaide's 13. The Bombers have launched 6.0 (36) from possession chains launched in the attacking midfield zone, compared to 0.2 (2) by the Crows.
05:13
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Peter Wright)
06:35
Not only have the Bombers (41) had nearly double the kicks inside 50 of the Crows (21), they have also been far more efficient with them. Essendon has retained 71 per cent of its kicks inside 50, far superior to Adelaide's retention rate of 38 per cent.
06:40
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Jake Stringer)
08:54
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Rushed)
10:04
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Archie Perkins)
10:16
Archie Perkins is only conversion away from kicking a bag, now with 3.3 (21) after winning a free kick for an effective tackle inside 50. The Bombers have applied 19 tackles inside 50 compared to just two laid by the Crows.
11:56
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Cale Hooker)
12:18
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Brayden Ham)
13:28
SCORE BEHIND - Crows (Riley Thilthorpe)
16:19
Crows Interchange - Paul Seedsman and is possibly out for the game.
17:46
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Peter Wright)
19:35
Following his three-vote matches against Adelaide in 2018 and 2019, Zach Merrett will once again be in consideration for Brownlow votes tonight. The midfielder has recorded 33 disposals (game-high), six groundball gets, five clearances, five inside 50s and eight score involvements.
26:02
SCORE BEHIND - Crows (James Rowe)
26:08
Essendon has restricted Adelaide to its lowest-ever final score. The Bombers dominated the Crows in all facets, recording six more clearances, 50 additional disposals, 12 extra tackles, 12 fewer intercepts and 30 more forward 50 entries on their way to a 63-point victory.