The Essendon Bombers have won a fast-paced, engaging game of footy, were both teams impressed in every aspect except their goalkicking.
Essendon found themselves down 20 points at the final break, but ran over the top of the Crows in the final quarter to come away with a two-goal win.
Final score
Essendon Bombers 14.15 (99)
Adelaide Crows 12.15 (87)
Round 1 continues on Friday night as the Essendon Bombers host the Adelaide Crows at Etihad Stadium. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting from 7:50pm AEDT.
There’s a bit of a new look to both of these sides coming into tonight’s match. Essendon are debuting all three of their high-profile offseason acquisitions.
Devon Smith has been named to start in the midfield, expect him to have a big impact there. Meanwhile Jake Stringer and Adam Saad are named on the half-forward and half-back flanks respectively.
Despite the addition of Stringer, Essendon still seem to be intending to play Cale Hooker forward, and with Joe Daniher and James Stewart also name in the team, their forward line will be a very tall one.
Adelaide have been whacked with the injury stick a bit during the pre-season and their side is a bit understrength coming into this match.
Taylor Walker, Tom T Lynch and Brad Crouch are all big outs, and of course Jake Lever and Charlie Cameron have left the club over the offseason.
As a result they find themselves playing five new players – Bryce Gibbs and Darcy Fogarty will be the headline acts, but Sam Gibson, Tom Doedee and Lachlan Murphy are all getting a run too.
Prediction
Coming off a grand final appearance Adelaide look like the stronger team on paper but when you consider the injuries they’re dealing with, it becomes a much harder contest to judge.
Travelling interstate also often proves to be more of a challenge in Round 1 than it does in other weeks of the year.
That said, I’ll still tip the Crows, simply because neither side makes me feel particularly confident. It could go in just about any direction you can imagine.
Adelaide Crows by 10 points.
Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting from 7:50pm AEDT.
Bangkokpussey
Roar Rookie
An even game in the first half with Essendon pulling away in the last quarter. Essendon's gamble on adding a foreign legion seems to indicate it will pay off.
Sammy
Guest
I watched the full game on replay and yep the crows dies in the last and they had to carry greenwood and a couple of others who were underdone, hampton was injured and the 3 debutants all tired. But in a game as close as that, thete were a number of key calls both to essendon and against the crows that cost them goals at both ends and there is the game regardless of the tackle count or the lack of fitness and injury
User
Roar Rookie
Sammy Adelaide should learn to tackle, what was the tackle count for Adelaide in the last quarter? ZERO If you can't lay a tackle and are beaten in contested possies you can't claim conspiracy.
TomC
Roar Guru
Fantastic game. Clearly Essendon are playing with a lot of confidence to come back the way they did.
Don Freo
Guest
I didn't bet. The best value any punter can get.
Don Freo
Guest
That's because the scores got closer. That's one of the real giveaways.
Don Freo
Guest
You have turbulent emotions. Everything upsets you.
Sammy
Guest
You obviously did not watch the game then. I am amazed the 3 umps were not in the celebration huddle in the essendon rooms afterwards
Sammy
Guest
Ok mattician..when the umps pull that garbage against your team you better be real quiet then
Adrian
Guest
If you always do what you’ve always done,you will always get what you’ve always got.
User
Roar Rookie
That was gold James, never thought henre lecount would appear in the dons rooms, who's next yannick Noah or guy forgeit
JamesH
Roar Guru
I love how much trouble BT is having wrapping his head around the concept of Essendon’s esports team.
User
Roar Rookie
I would've thought essendon losing such a important player and a rotation would've evened that out
Matto
Guest
Says the one with the obvious blinkers on. Was a couple of ess players that were brilliant in the last qtr. Adl mids just accumulate possesions, what they do with it is very boring.
User
Roar Rookie
Whining has been the adl supporters way for six mths so I shouldn't expect any difference now the seasons started ;)
Joel Erickson
Roar Guru
Fair enough Macca. I guess in that Sloane situation the umpire noticed the very obvious act of him dragging the footy back in when he had a chance to just punch it away, and penalised him for it. But if we knew exactly what umpires were thinking, footy would become boring.
Sammy
Guest
Take a hike and take the blikers off
Macca
Guest
My point is the guy being tackled does knock it out, he is then held without the ball, invariably by someone laying on his back while the tackler holds the ball because the tackler dragged it back in
Joel Erickson
Roar Guru
That last quarter was the extra month of fitness training that Essendon had over the offseason. Adelaide looked underdone.
User
Roar Rookie
Great win by essendon considering merret was out of the game early