Match

Essendon vs Sydney Swans

Commentary / 28 Jul 2023

Pre Game

00:00
Six of the last seven games between these teams have been decided by ten or fewer points - with the Bombers winning three of these games.

Quarter 1

00:00
Q1 is now underway.
00:24
Darcy Parish gets the opening centre bounce clearance of the game, leading directly to a Kyle Langford goal after just 24 seconds. Parish averages 3.8 centre bounce clearances a game in 2023, ranked first in the league.
00:31
Bombers Interchange - Alwyn Davey Jnr off due to an injury.
03:45
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Sam Wicks)
04:21
Sydney gets their first goal of the game, from a defensive-50 intercept chain. The Swans score on average 53.1 points per game from intercept chains, ranked fifth in the league.
06:11
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Rushed)
07:15
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Nick Hind)
08:01
After losing the clearance count by 21 last round - their worst differential of the year - the Bombers have started positively from clearances, leading the clearance count four to one so far tonight.
09:24
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Kyle Langford)
09:51
Kyle Langford kicks his second goal of the match. Langford averages 1.9 goals per game this year, ranked only behind Peter Wright for the Bombers in 2023.
11:11
After 12 minutes, the Swans are still yet to lay a tackle. Sydney averages 65.1 tackles per game this season, ranked second in the league.
12:19
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Sam Wicks)
12:31
Sam Wicks joins Kyle Langford as a multiple-goal scorer this match, with his second of the night. It is just the third time since 2021 that Wicks has kicked multiple goals in a game.
15:13
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Joel Amartey)
18:56
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Nick Bryan)
19:00
Sydney are yet to register a meaningful ball-movement chain originating from their attacking midfield; Essendon, however, have generated six, entering forward 50 five times and converting one into a goal.
21:03
Isaac Heeney converts the Swans' first intercept possession in their attacking midfield into a goal. The Swans average 31.9 points per game from forward-half intercept possession chains, ranked fourth in the league.
22:53
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Joel Amartey)
25:45
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Peter Wright)
25:55
The Swans have amassed 58 uncontested possessions so far - 20 more than the Bombers. The Bombers averaged 235.6 uncontested possessions per game in 2023, ranked third overall.
28:01
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Jye Caldwell)
28:22
After amassing a game-high 11 tackles last round, Jye Caldwell leads all players on the group for contested possessions (with five), clearances (with three) and tackles (with two).
30:46
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Peter Wright)
33:38
The Swans' match so far has been defined by their ball movement from their defensive-50. Essendon's high inside-50 count has led to the Swans rebounding the ball 14 times, converting four of those into inside 50s, and scoring 3.0 (18) from those four entries.

Quarter 2

00:00
Q2 is now underway.
00:44
Jye Caldwell's 13 first-quarter disposals are the most disposals he has collected in a quarter in his career. His previous high was 11, amassed against North Melbourne in Round 12 this year.
03:46
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Joel Amartey)
04:04
Essendon has the ascendancy in the ruck battle so far, with Andrew Phillips leading the way with hitouts (11) and hitouts-to-advantage (three). Phillips also leads the way in stoppage first possessions, with four to his name.
05:56
Swans Interchange - Lance Franklin off due to an injury.
06:24
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Joel Amartey)
07:38
The Bombers kick their first goal of the game from an unbroken kick-in chain, as Kyle Langford kicks his third of the match. Essendon averages 4.8 points per game from kick-in scoring chains - ranked second in the league.
10:47
Zach Merrett leads all players on the ground for inside-50s, with six to his name so far. No other player on the ground has more than three inside-50s so far tonight.
11:55
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Archie Perkins)
13:43
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Chad Warner)
15:01
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Ben Hobbs)
15:35
The Bombers have amassed 21 more contested possessions than the Swans so far this match. Essendon averages 4.3 fewer contested possessions than their opponents in 2023, ranked 15th overall.
17:04
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Nick Bryan)
19:05
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Logan McDonald)
22:03
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Callum Mills)
22:16
The Swans have amassed 12 intercept marks so far this match - seven more than the Bombers. Eight of these have come in Sydney's defensive-50.
23:19
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Justin McInerney)
23:50
Of the Swans' eight goals, five have been from set shots inside-50. Joel Amartey leads all players for marks inside-50, with five so far.
26:05
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Joel Amartey)
27:20
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Will Hayward)
27:31
In the last ten minutes, the Bombers have only managed to take two uncontested marks. Essendon averages 93.1 uncontested marks per game in 2023, ranked first overall.
28:31
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Sam Wicks)
31:57
In the last 15 minutes of the second quarter, the Bombers were unable to get any meaningful control of the ball. registering only six kicks in their forward half (with five of them ineffective), and just one kick in their forward 50. In the same period, the Swans kicked 3.3 (21).

Quarter 3

00:00
Q3 is now underway.
00:40
Tom McCartin and Brandon Zerk-Thatcher have both amassed eight spoils for their respective teams this match - the equal-highest on the ground. No other player has more than three spoils.
01:22
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Errol Gulden)
03:04
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Isaac Heeney)
03:13
The Swans have continued what they started in the second quarter, kicking the first two goals of the second half. The Swans now have scored two more goals than the Bombers from stoppage chains so far this match.
05:25
In the first six minutes of the third quarter, the Swans have amassed 22 uncontested possessions - while the Bombers have only managed one single uncontesdted possession.
06:09
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Hayden McLean)
06:52
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Jye Caldwell)
07:46
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Tom Papley)
08:03
The Swans have now outscored the Bombers in scores from intercept possessions by 31 points so far. Sydney averages a differential of 8.2 points more than the opposition from intercept possessions - ranked fifth in the league.
09:47
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Nic Martin)
12:14
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Kyle Langford)
14:07
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Archie Perkins)
15:32
In the last five minutes, the Bombers have been effective through the corridor, registering five contested possessions to the Swans' zero, and kicking two goals from this zone.
16:38
Jye Caldwell currently has amassed ten contested possessions (four more than his previous career-best) and has also amassed 16 contested possessions - two more than his previous career-best.
18:43
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Logan McDonald)
21:52
As the game has worn on, both teams' ball movement has not been as effective as it was in the first quarter. Despite there being five goals scored from defensive-50 chains, none have been scored since the seven-minute mark of the second quarter.
22:36
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Braeden Campbell)
24:07
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Peter Wright)
24:24
Peter Wright kicks his second goal of the match. In the two wins he has played in this year, he has kicked eight goals; however, in the four defeats he has played this season, he has only kicked four goals.
29:30
Despite kicking three of the last four goals, the Bombers still fell further behind the Swans in the third. Essendon managed 14 more contested possessions than the Swans in their forward half in the third quarter, but couldn't capitalise, with an inside-50 retention rate of only 50%.

Quarter 4

00:00
Q4 is now underway.
00:50
Essendon ruckman Nick Bryan leads all players on the ground with 21 hitous (the second-highest total of his career) and seven hitouts-to-advantage (the equal-highest total of his career). Essendon leads both counts; 40-15 and 12-3 respectively.
03:07
Swans Interchange - Dane Rampe off due to an injury.
03:21
Errol Gulden is continuing his breakout season, leading all players on the ground with 25 uncontested possessions - the equal-highest count of his career, and the fourth time he has passed 20 this season.
03:41
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Callum Mills)
05:07
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Rushed)
05:58
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Tom Papley)
06:14
Neither team has managed to have any meaningful ball movement in their forward-50 this quarter, with neither team registering an effective kick in their forward-50 for the term so far.
07:01
Swans Interchange - Errol Gulden off due to an injury.
07:31
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Kyle Langford)
07:39
Kyle Langford has equalled his career-best goal count, with five for the match so far. Langford has also registered nine possessions and six effective disposals in the forward 50 - more than any other player on the ground.
11:06
The Swans' game-high lead of 37 points has now been cut to 14, as Peter Wright kicks his third goal. Both of Essendon's goals this quarter have come from intercept possessions in the midfield.
14:31
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Sam Wicks)
15:45
Peter Wright kicks his fourth goal, to cut the lead to nine points. It's Essendon's second goal of the match from a kick-in chain, and the first goal for either team from a defensive-50 ball movement chain since the seven-minute mark of the second quarter.
18:54
Essendon veteran Dyson Heppel has collected 22 disposals - it is the 11th game in a row that Heppel has collected more than 20 disposals.
19:12
Swans Interchange - Isaac Heeney off due to an injury.
20:00
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Sam Durham)
20:54
The Bombers have managed 12 intercept possessions in the midfield this quarter - five more than the Swans. They have turned these into seven inside-50s and two goals for the term.
21:18
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Rushed)
22:34
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Tom Papley)
24:09
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Rushed)
27:13
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Rushed)
27:20
In the last five minutes, the Swans have regained control of the ball in their defensive half, registering eight contested possessions in the zone - six more than the Bombers.
28:28
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Jye Menzie)
29:00
Jye Menzie puts the Bombers within two points, with just six seconds remaining on the clock. From only eight kicks in their forward-50 this quarter, the Bombers have scored 5.3 (33).
29:40
A scintillating final quarter from the Bombers saw them outscore the Swans in both intercept possession goals and stoppage goals for the quarter. Ultimately, Essendon fell two points short; they will rue their second quarter, where they gave up five goals to the Swans from turnovers and scored from only 22% of their inside-50s.