Opinion
After a disappointing start to a season that started with such high expectations, there is nothing Essendon would more love to do than to draw a line in the sand and revive their season when they clash with Hawthorn in what promises to be a spiteful clash.
In previous years a clash between the Bombers and Hawks would have blockbuster status written all over it, but while the men in brown and gold have shown promise under Sam Mitchell, their black-and-red counterparts have shown nothing to suggest they’ll improve from last year’s eighth-place finish.
After seven rounds Ben Rutten’s side sit in third-last place on the ladder with only one win from their first seven matches. Excluding 2016 when the club was paralysed by doping suspensions to half of its best side, it is their worst start to a season since 2006.
The club has rightfully copped it from all corners of the media ever since their 11-goal loss to a Geelong Cats side supposedly on the decline in the opening round, but it hasn’t been all that bad.
(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
In Round 3 the Bombers briefly took the lead in the third quarter against reigning premiers Melbourne on a Friday night at the MCG, while the following week, with Blake Caracella filling in for Rutten, they held off the Adelaide Crows for their only win of the season so far.
The club has been at the centre of harsh criticism from AFL experts in recent weeks, in particular over defeats at the hands of Fremantle and the Western Bulldogs, on either side of an 11-point loss to Collingwood on Anzac Day.
Despite posting some impressive numbers in the showpiece match, Dylan Shiel was dropped from the side prior to the match against the Bulldogs, only to be named as the medical sub at the 11th hour and then activated after Nik Cox was subbed out at half-time due to injury.
Former St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt (whose 200th AFL game was ruined by the Bombers back in 2011) was critical of the Bombers’ performance last Sunday, labelling them “selfish” and “stat-happy”.
Their recruitment of star players such as ex-Giants Devon Smith and Dylan Shiel, as well as premiership Dog Jake Stringer, has also come under fire, with Craig Hutchison saying on Channel Nine’s Footy Classified that the trades “haven’t worked”.
Stringer is set to miss up to a month after suffering a hamstring injury in the loss to his former club.
Meanwhile, Hawthorn are doing better than what many expected after seven rounds, winning three of seven matches, including upsetting rivals the Geelong Cats on Easter Monday.
(Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
They’ve lost their past two since, throwing away an early 32-point lead to lose to the Sydney Swans in Launceston, while last Saturday night they pushed Melbourne hard before going down by ten points at the MCG in what was James Sicily’s 100th AFL game and first as captain.
The jury is still out on how the club is faring under coach Sam Mitchell, who filled the shoes of the legendary Alastair Clarkson at the end of last season when the coaching succession plan was brought forward by 12 months.
While the Hawks will have every reason to be confident that they can square their season ledger against the Bombers, they surely won’t be taking their lowly-ranked opponents very lightly.
The Bombers will want to draw a line in the sand at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night, as the Hawks did when they attempted to rough up their more experienced opponents during a brutal clash at the MCG in 2004.
Back then, it was alleged that Hawthorn club legend Dermott Brereton gave his side a rev-up at half-time after being unhappy with the way his side was being dominated, and what followed were some pretty violent scenes that were later condemned by the media.
Two pieces of commentary from Channel Ten commentator Anthony Hudson summed it up best – “this is the 1980s revisited” and “I’m not sure if this is the Olympic spirit”.
The Olympic flame had entered the MCG, which was the centrepiece stadium for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, prior to the match, as part of the Australian leg of the torch relay in the lead-up to the Athens Olympics.
The previous night, the flame returned to Stadium Australia (now Accor Stadium) for the first time since the 2000 Sydney Olympics, prior to the NRL match between the Canterbury Bulldogs and Sydney Roosters.
Essendon proved dominant that day, winning by 74 points as they marched towards a seventh consecutive finals series, while the Hawks finished the season second-last on the ladder with only four wins, avoiding the wooden spoon to Richmond on percentage.
It continued the Bombers’ domination of the Hawks that had dated back to the 1980s, but the tide later turned in the latter club’s favour as they would enjoy their period of dominance, winning four flags, while the Bombers remain without a finals win since September 2004.
Another spiteful clash came in the final round of the 2009 season, when Essendon captain Matthew Lloyd knocked out Brad Sewell in a hip-and-shoulder, which proved telling as the Bombers turned a 22-point half-time deficit into a 17-point victory.
It earned his club the final place in the eight that was up for grabs, while it also put an end to the Hawks’ failed premiership defence. Lloyd, for his part, copped a four-game ban from the AFL judiciary for his bump on Sewell, but only served one match before retiring.
While there have not been any spiteful clashes between the Bombers and Hawks since, there have been some notable moments.
Firstly, who could forget Lance Franklin’s goal of the year when he outran Cale Hooker down the northern wing at the MCG?
In 2014, Hawthorn overturned a nine-point deficit with three minutes to go to steal a classic at Marvel.
Twelve months later, the Bombers got them back thanks to Hooker at the death.
Round 1, 2017 saw the Bombers kick off their comeback story, welcoming back half of their best side from season-long doping suspensions with a 25-point victory at the MCG.
In 2020, the two teams met at the unusual venue of the Adelaide Oval, where the Bombers overturned a six-goal half-time deficit to win by 16 points.
When the teams met in Round 1 last year, the Bombers led by as many as 40 points, only for the Hawks to conjure a miraculous comeback to win by a single point at Marvel Stadium.
Then the Bombers got them back with a 13-point win in Launceston, in what was their first premiership match in the state of Tasmania.
So, what will the next chapter of the Essendon versus Hawthorn rivalry throw up?
Can the Bombers put behind several weeks of criticism and register their second win of the season, or will the Hawks heap more misery on the Bombers and make it four wins from eight?
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.
Andrew McGrath continuing his fine form!
To segway to talks about out-of-contract Bombers forward Jake Stringer, Fox Footy's Ben Dixon savaged Richmond great Jack Riewoldt.
For the last few weeks, there has been a rumbling in the air around Victoria. Everyone has sensed it, but most have been able…
You can't have it all, Bombers fans! Marvel Stadium was rocking in a thrilling top-eight clash with Essendon taking an eight-point lead into the…
What are you doing, Jack Buckley!
Gold Coast defender Wil Powell has been banned for five matches after using a homophobic slur during the Suns' loss to Brisbane. Powell was…
