Bombers Round 21 review: 'Easily the best win of the season'

The Bombers had not beaten the Bulldogs for seven years since the corresponding fixture in 2014.

On Sunday afternoon that streak ended in a match that was strangely similar to the same fixture 21 years ago when the Bulldogs gave the Bombers their only loss for the season in 2000.

The Bombers built this win off of centre clearance domination, and the individual brilliance of Peter Wright. This season has been one of excellent growth for the Bombers, and it is perhaps the bargain-basement Bombers that have shone brightest of all.

Peter Wright’s magnificent seven
Peter Wright has become the first Bomber since Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti in 2019 to score seven goals in an individual match. What’s more, he has become the first key forward to do so since Jake Carlisle (ironically also against the Bulldogs) more than seven years ago when he scored eight goals.

Wright has shown signs of his immense potential since coming to the Bombers, but Sunday afternoon was the most effective exemplification of his immense talent that made him worthy of a top-ten pick in 2014.

Kicking seven goals among his ten disposals, Wright was a proverbial dead eye, nailing set shots from all around the forward 50 including some from outside the 50, showing his expert control of the footy.

(Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Wright’s accuracy was but a component of the Bombers’ comparative domination they had with their set-shot goal kicking. The Bombers kicked 15 goals, seven behinds to 12 goals, 12 behinds in a display they had absolutely no right to win.

The Bulldogs dominated the territory battle with 21 more inside 50s and 50 more disposals. The Bulldogs suffocated the Bombers, but their back line grimly defended for a majority of the day and the Bulldogs were left impotent in their inability to halt the Bombers’ surge.

Bombers have a diamond in Draper
Sam Draper is fast becoming one of the best ruckmen around the league. He has gone from too tall to be a football goalkeeper to the first ruckman of the Essendon line-up and a major-league cult figure. He combines the lumbering tactical un-coordination of Shane Mumford with the raw athleticism of Nic Naitanui.

Sunday afternoon was the clearest distillation of why both the Bombers and the Saints so highly valued the magnificent mulleted maestro. What stuck out to me the most was his ability to tap the ball out of the midfield into the path of his midfielders and give the Bombers a comparative domination in the ruck.

With 39 hitouts, 11 disposals and a goal, Draper has been able to show his wares effectively for the Bombers. While he clearly still has somethings that he can work on (notably his atrocious ball drop), his enthusiasm is infectious, and he makes the Bombers an exponentially better side.

Bargain-basement Bombers getting big for their britches
The Bombers lost four of their best 22 players last year and with that their prospects for this season were left completely shot. Yet with Nick Hind off the half back flank and Peter Wright out of the forward line, the Bombers are showing their blue-collar bona fides.

(Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Ben Rutten would be immensely proud of the fact that his Bombers have shown their ability to get the job done in the most difficult of circumstances. I have already mentioned the performance of Peter Wright, but I also want to mention Nick Hind, who has been immense for the Bombers with 23 possessions along with four intercepts.

The back line of Essendon is exemplary of the coaching philosophy of Ben Rutten. Jayden Laverde and James Stewart have been massive for the Bombers while Mason Redman is back to his combative best. The Bombers have shown enough this year to prove that their contingent will challenge in future.

Selection headaches for the Bombers
Andrew McGrath, Jye Caldwell, Kyle Langford and Harry Jones are all due to come back over the next two to three weeks. It is creating a selection headache for the Bombers compounded by the solid performances of Tom Cutler (22 disposals) and Dylan Clarke (17 disposals).

I cannot predict who the Bombers are going to rotate out for the incoming players, but the Bombers have several cavalry-style players incoming to shore up the Bombers’ season, and much vaunted highly valued players to come in.

It is a question of balance and not bringing in too many undercooked players particularly when the Bombers need to win out the games effectively while trimming the fat off the list to make sure the Bombers can have a prolonged push at the top of the ladder.

Finally, Sunday was an extremely solid showcase to entice Josh Dunkley out of the Bulldogs and into the loving embrace of the Essendon footy club.

With three kicks and 16 handballs it was an inauspicious game, however his clearance ability makes him an incredible player for the Bombers particularly as Dylan Shiel, Darcy Parish, Zach Merrett and Jye Caldwell are all similar sizes and play similar styles.

(Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Finally, I want to shout out Josh Bruce
The news coming out of the Dogs is not good. Josh Bruce has apparently torn his anterior cruciate ligament. I just want to shout out Bruce, who has been great for the Bulldogs this year, and on a down day for the Dogs he had a pretty good game. I was also proud of my Bombers for getting around Bruce and making sure he was okay. It was a good example of proper sportsmanship from Essendon, and I hope Bruce is okay.

Final thoughts
Even if the Bombers fail to make the finals, this season is very much a pass for the Bombers. It is a solid seven out of ten, but I am working hard to keep my expectations in check as the Bombers need a lot to go right before they can even make the eight let alone challenge the upper echelons.

This is easily the best win of the Bombers’ season, and I hope that the Bombers can make finals, but my expectations are realistic.

Best six
6. Jordan Ridley (17 votes)
5. Aaron Francis (six votes)
4. Zach Merrett (65 votes)
3. Darcy Parish (60 votes)
2. Sam Draper (12 votes)
1. Peter Wright (20 votes)

Leaderboard
Zach Merrett (65 votes)
Darcy Parish (60 votes)
Jake Stringer (41 votes)