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On the back of a Bomber blitzkrieg in the second quarter, Essendon have eviscerated a lackadaisical West Coast Eagles outfit to the tune of 61-points.
Season 2017 has once again shown that prior form and ladder position are meaningless, as the Bombers backed up their victory against Geelong with another impressive win over a premiership contender.
After their disappointing loss to Hawthorn in Round 5 the Eagles had not put a foot wrong since, winning three in a row – including victories against Port Adelaide and the reigning premiers Western Bulldogs.
Sitting fourth on the ladder, West Coast went into their match against the 4-4 Bombers as favourites. However, as has become their pattern over the past couple of years, the Eagles were thoroughly outplayed away from home.
Starting in the middle of the ground, the Dons outhunted the Eagles from the outset, dominating the contested ball count and the centre clearances.
Coupled with immense forward pressure from speedy small forwards Orazio Fantasia (3 goals) and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti (2 goals) the Bombers denied West Coast the corridor and ensured the ball was trapped inside their forward half.
Receiving plenty of supply from ball magnets Zac Merrett (37 disposals) and Jobe Watson (30 disposals), for the second successive week the Bombers forward line was on fire and all but ensured Essendon had the game won by half-time.
Joe Daniher continued his evolution from promising youngster to a superstar of the competition, kicking another bag of 5 goals, while Cale Hooker thrived up forward with 8 marks and a couple of goals.
Against a Bombers defence led by Michael Hurley (26 disposals, 9 marks) the Eagles forward line proved to be ineffective, despite the tandem of Kennedy and Darling kicking 6 of the Eagles 8 goals.
It is hard to know how much to take from such an emphatic result for either team, but based on the form showcased by the Bombers in the past two weeks, Essendon should be considered as a finals contender. With this victory vaulting them to ninth on the ladder, their clash against Richmond looms as a huge match.
With Port Adelaide having a bye, the Eagles will remain in the top four this round. But with another tough match against the Giants next week, West Coast will need to hope their performance today was an aberration.
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