Match

Essendon vs Western Bulldogs

Commentary / 21 Jul 2023

Pre Game

00:00
In his last six matches, Cody Weightman has kicked 17 goals. Only Taylor Walker, who kicked 10 against the Eagles in Round 13 to inflate his tally somewhat, has kicked more goals in the same period of the season (24).

Quarter 1

00:00
Q1 is now underway.
00:18
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Peter Wright)
00:34
A perfect start for the Bombers who score the quickest opening goal of a match in 2023 in 18 seconds. That goal was launched from the first clearance Jake Stringer has recorded in his last four matches.
01:39
SCORE BEHIND - Bulldogs (Rushed)
04:51
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Kyle Langford)
08:19
SCORE BEHIND - Bulldogs (Caleb Poulter)
09:31
Essendon have recorded 21 of the 26 marks taken so far in today's match. The Bombers are the only side in the AFL to average over 100 marks per game in 2023.
16:49
After kicking a goal from each of their first two inside 50 entries, the Bombers have failed to register a score from their last eight inside 50's. Essendon average a goal from just over one in four inside 50 entries in 2023, ranked third in the AFL in this regard.
18:58
SCORE GOAL - Bulldogs (Anthony Scott)
19:30
The Bulldogs get on the board after taking their first two marks inside 50 for the match. The Bulldogs average 11.5 marks inside 50 per game in 2023, ranked 12th in the AFL.
21:17
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Matt Guelfi)
22:20
SCORE BEHIND - Bulldogs (Marcus Bontempelli)
23:42
Essendon have recored 11 of the 15 clearances won in tonight's match so far. The Bombers win an average of 34 clearances per game in 2023, ranked last in the AFL.
24:56
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Peter Wright)
26:34
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Kyle Langford)
28:05
When the Bombers have lead at the first break in 2023, they have gone on to win seven out of nine such matches.

Quarter 2

00:00
Q2 is now underway.
01:14
SCORE GOAL - Bulldogs (Jamarra Ugle-Hagan)
03:40
SCORE GOAL - Bulldogs (Marcus Bontempelli)
04:27
Two forward half intercept possessions launch the first two goals to start the second term for the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs launch a score from 37.5 per cent of their forward half intercepts in 2023, the second-highest conversion rate of any side in this regard.
06:40
SCORE GOAL - Bulldogs (Cody Weightman)
07:31
After kicking just the single goal from 10 inside 50's in the first term, the Bulldogs have kicked three goals from four forward 50 entries to begin the second quarter. The Bulldogs average a goal from 21.3 per cent of their inside 50's in 2023, the fourth-lowest scoring efficiency of any side this year.
11:40
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Rushed)
16:45
SCORE GOAL - Bulldogs (Aaron Naughton)
17:18
Aaron Naughton gets his first goal of the match to continue his streak of at least one goal in every round in 2023. Only Oscar Allen and Charlie Curnow have matched Naughton in this regard this season.
19:31
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Kyle Langford)
20:00
Essendon get their first goal of the term, and their second goal from a defensive half possession chain in tonight's match. The Bombers average 35.5 points per game from their back half in 2023, ranked second only to Collingwood (39 points per game) from this zone.
21:50
SCORE BEHIND - Bulldogs (Tom Liberatore)
23:05
SCORE GOAL - Bulldogs (Rhylee West)
24:28
In the first term, Essendon won the pre-clearance contested possession count 13-7, which aided their dominance in the clearances 11-6. In the second term this has flipped, with the Bulldogs leading the pre-clearance contested ball count 16-4 and the clearances 13-3 for the term.
24:32
SCORE BEHIND - Bulldogs (Aaron Naughton)
27:11
SCORE GOAL - Bulldogs (Jamarra Ugle-Hagan)
27:33
That goal to Jamarra Ugle-Hagan makes it four goals this quarter to the Bulldogs from shots at goal in general play. The Bulldogs have scored 64 goals in 2023 from general play, the third lowest figure of any side from this shot source this year.
29:21
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Zach Merrett)
29:27
Essendon have outgained the Bulldogs by 89 metres when handballing in the first half of tonight's match. The Bombers win this metric by an average of 122 metres per game in 2023, ranked fifth in the AFL.

Quarter 3

00:00
Q3 is now underway.
01:45
Bulldogs Interchange - Adam Treloar off due to the blood rule.
09:38
Essendon have already recorded 104 marks in tonight's match. They are on track to break the season record of 154 which they set against Richmond in Round 10. Richmond own the AFL record with 181 marks against Adelaide in Round 8, 2006.
11:25
After a quiet start to the term, the Bulldogs get the first score of the quarter. Despite Essendon taking more than twice as many marks as the Bulldogs, the Bulldogs lead the mark inside 50 count 7-5.
12:58
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Peter Wright)
13:35
Essendon kick the first goal of the third term, and their 26th of the season from a free kick. This ranks them seventh in the AFL in 2023 for goals from free kicks, whereas the Bulldogs lead the league from this source with 36, but have not scored from either of their two free kicks inside 50 tonight.
17:36
SCORE GOAL - Bulldogs (Marcus Bontempelli)
18:48
Bulldogs Interchange - Adam Treloar off due to an injury.
19:58
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Kyle Langford)
21:39
SCORE GOAL - Bulldogs (Oskar Baker)
23:15
After the Bombers kicked the opening goal of the match from the first centre bounce, the Bulldogs have scored the last two goals from clearances in tonight's match, both from ball-up's. The Bulldogs average a league-best 16 clearances per game from ball-up's in 2023.
24:25
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Nik Cox)
25:22
Nick Hind has replaced Nick Bryan as Essendon's tactical substitute.
26:53
SCORE BEHIND - Bulldogs (Marcus Bontempelli)
27:23
Essendon have taken six intercept marks to one in the third term, but have not launched a single score from any of them.
27:33
Essendon have won the pressure factor battle in all three quarters of tonight's match against one of the premier pressure sides in the competition. In 2023, the Bombers rank last in pressure applied at an average of 174. The AFL average is 181.

Quarter 4

00:00
Q4 is now underway.
01:19
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Matt Guelfi)
02:40
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Peter Wright)
05:02
SCORE GOAL - Bulldogs (Cody Weightman)
07:28
SCORE BEHIND - Bulldogs (Bailey Smith)
08:05
The clearance battle has been fought mainly between Tom Liberatore (12, five from centre bounce) and Darcy Parish (10, four from centre bounce) in tonight's match. No other player on the ground has more than five total clearances.
09:33
Bombers Interchange - Jordan Ridley and is possibly out for the game.
12:03
Bailey Williams has replaced Oskar Baker as the Bulldogs tactical substitute.
12:38
SCORE GOAL - Bulldogs (Jamarra Ugle-Hagan)
12:53
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan kicks his third goal from his first leading mark of the night on his fifth inside 50 target. Since Round 12, no player has been targeted more inside 50 than Ugle-Hagan (60 total targets).
15:55
SCORE BEHIND - Bulldogs (Jamarra Ugle-Hagan)
17:21
Jackson Macrae just recorded his 20th disposal of the match, making this the 68th game in succession where he has recorded this figure. This equals the longest ever streak of this kind, which Josh Kennedy recorded between 2014-2017. Macrae's streak stretches back to the first round of the 2020 Finals series.
19:03
SCORE BEHIND - Bulldogs (Rushed)
19:53
Essendon have struggled to make inroads in the final term, largely because they've been second to the ball. The Bulldogs lead the contested possession count 30-20 in the final term, due mostly to their 19-12 groundball-get count lead.
20:22
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Jake Stringer)
21:46
SCORE GOAL - Bulldogs (Adam Treloar)
22:03
Adam Treloar takes the lead out to a game-high 33 points, and it looks like it might be the Bulldogs ninth win in 10 starts against Essendon since Luke Beveridge joined as coach in 2015.
23:53
SCORE BEHIND - Bulldogs (Rushed)
26:48
SCORE GOAL - Bulldogs (Cody Weightman)
29:03
The Bulldogs have outscored the Bombers 5.3 (33) to 1.3 (9) from clearances in tonight's match. They currently lead the clearance count 48-26, which would be the third-highest margin in this metric in any match this season and their season best in this regard.
30:41
SCORE BEHIND - Bulldogs (Jamarra Ugle-Hagan)
31:24
Eight goals to one from general play for the Bulldogs nullified the Bombers aerial prowess in defence. The Bulldogs were also more efficient in attack, scoring 41 more points from a dead even 49-49 inside 50 count.