ESSENDON has moved back inside the top eight with a one-point win over the Sydney Swans after Adam Goodes missed a shot at goal after the siren at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night.
The Swans had most of the play in the thrilling final term, but spurned the opportunity to secure the points with an inaccurate 2.9 for the quarter that allowed the Bombers to hang on for the 15.10 (100) to 14.15 (99) win.
The Swans led by 12 points 20 minutes into the last quarter, but goals to Alwyn Davey and David Hille then a rushed behind and a point to Dyson Heppell set up the thrilling final minute that ended with Goodes marking the ball just inside the 50m arc.
However, the co-captain could not cap an excellent individual performance with the game-winning goal - dragging his kick to the left of the goal post.
It was a stunning end to an entertaining contest.
The Swans' intent to exert maximum pressure on the opposition was evident from the outset with their superior work rate seeing them to an 18-point lead before Kyle Reimers booted his team's only goal of the term.
The Bombers worked into the contest in the second quarter and hit the lead for the first time at the 14-minute mark, as the Swans' intensity waned, but Goodes sparked a late rally that saw his team take a five-point lead into the main break.
The third term was an excellent example of the evenness of the teams with neither able to snatch a decisive break.
Essendon held a seven-point advantage going into the last quarter, but the Swans soon got their noses back in front despite Ryan O'Keefe's goal being sandwiched between six behinds.
Lewis Jetta appeared to have put the Swans back on track for a win with his long-range goal, but it would prove to be the set up for the stunning finale.
Influential players
Adam Goodes doesn't deserve to remember this match as the one he lost off his own boot with the last kick of the game. The skipper shouldered a heavy load with the late withdrawal of co-captain Jarrad McVeigh for family reasons, but he rose to the occasion in style. He finished with 28 possessions, seven clearances and three goals in what was agonisingly close to a game-winning effort.
What it means
The Swans have no reason to panic, but with five losses in seven games there is cause for concern. They now sit in seventh position, ahead of Essendon by percentage only, with tough games against St Kilda and Geelong in their last month of footy.
Dream Team highlight
Sydney Swans: With 29 disposals, six marks, five tackles and three goals, Adam Goodes recorded a huge 139 points, despite his miss after the siren. No other Swan cracked the ton, although the courageous Dan Hannebery (99) went close.
Betting
Bookmakers had their hands full trying to stay on top of one of the more competitive, see-sawing contests in recent memory. The Swans had been favourites throughout the week, but by the time the game began Essendon had shortened to $1.94 fancies, with the Swans at $2.04. Following the Swans' strong opening quarter, the betting had swung in their favour, $1.44 to $2.50. At half-time the Swans were still slightly favoured in the odds, before Essendon's seven-point lead at the final change had them in front $1.57 to $2.50. The teams then couldn’t be split the rest of the way.
QUARTER BY QUARTER SUMMARY
First Quarter
Jarrad McVeigh didn't make the trip to Melbourne due to a family issue, giving emergency Trent Dennis-Lane just his third game of an injury-plagued season. He started on the bench, with Sam Reid kicking the opening goal of the game for the Swans. In keeping with the high stakes, defensive intensity was the story of a fiercely contested first term. Both sides missed goal opportunities late in the quarter, with the Swans getting their noses in front, kicking three goals to one to lead by 13 points at the first break.
Sydney Swans by 13 points
Second Quarter
The Bombers enjoyed more of the football early in the second quarter, keeping the ball pinned inside their forward 50m for long periods and kicking three of the first four goals to level the scores. But when Essendon seemed to have taken control, the Swans fought back with four straight goals, with Reid prominent. In a superb contest, the Bombers kicked the final two goals of the half to reduce the deficit to five points at the main break.
Sydney Swans by five points
Third Quarter
The scintillating clash showed no signs of slowing down in the second half. Still neither side could take control, with each taking it in turns to hold sway. Dan Hannebery seemed to be in major trouble when he was crunched by Michael Hurley going back with the flight of the ball midway through the term, but he was able to shake it off and come back on. Adam Goodes then had a moment of madness, punching through a ball-up in the goalsquare, leading to a Leroy Jetta goal. Essendon had all the running late in the quarter as the Swans tired, with the home side taking a late 13-point lead before a Goodes goal in the final minute set up a thrilling finale.
Essendon by seven points
Fourth Quarter
Fittingly for such an epic encounter, the final term was a nail-biter. Both sides had shots on goal in the opening minutes, but weren't able to convert, before the Swans got their noses in front by a point courtesy of a Ryan O'Keefe goal. It seemed the Swans would hold on when they took a two-goal lead with less than five minutes left, before Alwyn Davey and David Hille answered to again lock up the scores. A rushed behind and a Michael Hurley point gave Essendon a two-point lead. Then, to cap a dramatic game of football, Goodes marked and had a shot after the siren that just missed, giving the Bombers a one-point win in an outstanding contest.
Essendon by one point
The next four
Sydney Swans: Richmond (MCG), St Kilda (ANZ), Geelong (Skilled Stadium), Brisbane Lions (SCG)
MATCH DETAILS
Essendon 1.2 8.5 13.7 15.10 (100)
Sydney Swans 3.3 9.4 12.6 14.15 (99)
GOALS
Essendon: Reimers 4, Hille 3, Zaharakis 2, Jetta 2, Melksham, Hurley, Stanton, Davey
Sydney Swans: Reid 3, Goodes 3, Jetta 2, Bird, Kennedy, Dennis-Lane, Mumford, McGlynn, O'Keefe
BEST
Sydney Swans: Goodes, Kennedy, Hannebery, Mumford, Reid, O'Keefe
Essendon: Watson, Fletcher, Ryder, Heppell, Reimers, Hille, Hocking
INJURIES
Sydney Swans: McVeigh (personal reasons) replaced in selected side by Dennis-Lane
Essendon: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
Sydney Swans: Trent Dennis-Lane replaced by Nick Malceski in the third quarter
Essendon: Jake Melksham replaced by Michael Ross in the fourth quarter
Reports: Nil
Umpires: McBurney, Margetts, Wenn
Crowd: 38,722
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club
