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Essendon Bombers vs Fremantle Dockers highlights: AFL live scores, blog

27th August, 2017
First Bounce: 1:10pm (AEST)
Venue: Etihad Stadium, Melbourne
TV: Live on Fox Footy
Betting: Essendon $1.11, Fremantle $6.70

Essendon:
B: D.Myers, M.Hartley, M.Baguley
HB: A.McGrath, P.Ambrose, C.McKenna
C: J.Kelly, D.Parish, B.Goddard
HF: Z.Merrett, C.Hooker, M.Gleeson
F: J.Begley, J.Daniher, J.Stewart
FOL: T.Bellchambers, D.Zaharakis, D.Heppell
I/C: J.Watson, T.Colyer, J.Laverde, A.McDonald-Tipungwuti
EMG: H.Hocking, S.McKernan, K.Langford

Fremantle:
B: E.Hughes, J.Hamling, L.Ryan
HB: L.Weller, M.Johnson, D.Tucker
C: H.Crozier, N.Fyfe, B.Hill
HF: B.Cox, M.Taberner, L.Neale
F: H.Ballantyne, S.Kersten, H.Bennell
FOL: J.Griffin, S.Hill, D.Mundy
I/C: N.Suban, T.Sheridan, C.Sutcliffe, S.Collins
EMG: D.Pearce, G.Logue, J.Deluca
Jobe Watson is back to being just a football player for the first time in years. (Photo: Greg Ford)
Editor
27th August, 2017
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8941 Reads

Match result:

Essendon have completed their transformation from 2016 wooden-spooners to AFL finalists after seeing off Fremantle by 15 points at Etihad Stadium.

» Click here to read the full match report

Final score
Essendon Bombers 16.11.107
Fremantle Dockers 14.8.92

Match preview:

The Essendon Bombers are looking to wrap up a fairytale finals berth in the last round of the season coming up against the Fremantle Dockers fresh off consecutive century defeats. Catch all the live scores, highlights and action on The Roar from 1:10pm (AEST).

The Bombers are hanging in the balance right now with just three games remaining of the final round in the regular season.

Sitting in eighth on the ladder with 11 wins and ten losses, Essendon are just ahead on percentage over West Coast and St Kilda in a down-to-the-wire three-way dance for the last finals spots.

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The Bombers are one of the form sides of the competition at the moment and have charged up the ladder heading into September with five wins and just two losses from their last seven games.

They’re on the cusp of a turning their wooden spoon from last year into a finals berth, the club’s first since 2014.

On the other side of the coin is Fremantle, who are coming off back-to-back 104-point losses.

Incredible.

The Dockers have lost five of their last six, including the two aforementioned demolition jobs over the past two weeks.

They were losing 84 points to nine at halftime against the Swans in Round 21 and life didn’t get any better for them last week, as Richmond kicked 25 goals against the hapless Dockers to leave Freo with the worst percentage in the league.

Sitting on the fringes of the top eight throughout the middle of the season with an even win-loss record, the Dockers are now hanging down in 14th.

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If you thought their defensive efforts have been poor the last few weeks, they also have the worst attack in the league, averaging just 72 points per game in 2017, less than any other side in the AFL.

Essendon, on the other hand, are sitting fourth highest in terms of points scored per game with 96, so this one could get ugly for the Dockers.

Despite all this, the Dockers can lean on historical form to get them through, having won their last four games against the Bombers.

Team News
The Bombers will welcome back retiring club veteran Jobe Watson after skipping out on the trip to the Gold Coast last week.

Travis Colyer is the only other inclusion for Essendon with the 26-year-old coming back into the side after being dropped.

Josh Green has been ruled out with a foot injury, joining a dropped Craig Bird as the two omissions for the Bombers.

On the other side of the coin, Freo coach Ross Lyon has made five changes after their back to back mammoth defeats.

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Chief among these changes is Lachie Neale who comes back into the side from a groin and knee injury having missed just the one game.

He joins Shane Kersten who is also back into the side after groin issues, as well as Jon Griffin, Sam Collins and Tom Sheridan.

In the firing line and missing out this week is a suspended Sean Darcy, Cam McCarthy, Griffin Logue, Josh Deluca and Ryan Nyhuis who have all been axed.

Prediction
The Dockers might be looking at another ugly scoreline to end a disappointing season coming up against a fired up Bombers side who need a win to make the finals.

Essendon to win by 60.

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