In the countdown to this Marvel Stadium mis-match, only one result was really expected: a comfortable GWS victory.
And that’s exactly what transpired. The 48-point win wasn’t necessarily a convincing win for the finals-bound Giants, but they did more than enough to secure the four points.
Much of the second, third and final quarters was quintessential junk-time footy, however.
Tom Green of the Giants handballs against Essendon.Credit: Getty Images
The undermanned Essendon outfit was never seriously considered a chance against the talent-laden Giants.
Poor kicking at goal – at one point GWS 8.1 (49) led the Bombers 0.8 (8) – meant any outlandish Bomber hopes of victory were wiped out early.
Considering that, the most disturbing number for the red and black tonight was the final crowd figure – 20,347 fans in the house.
An eye-catching turn-out with a couple of days in the school holiday period to come. Importantly, on the field, the Bombers never dropped their heads.
Not only did they fight out the match they effectively went goal for goal after half-time.
Furthermore, they made sure there wasn’t a repeat of last week against Richmond when the Dons booted only one goal after quarter-time.
Essendon debutant Liam McMahon had his glorious moment(s) in the sun when he booted consecutive goals, either side of half-time.
Even in defeat, there’s always a moment to savour.From a Giants perspective, they were effectively on a hiding to nothing.
The top four aspirants were expected to triumph by more than ten goals. Nothing short of a big win would have met expectations.
Their biggest negative came when ruckman Kieren Briggs laid a heavy tackle on Bomber Sam Durham.
Briggs is bound to come under AFL match review officer scrutiny at a critical stage in the club’s season.
Tom Green and Finn Callaghan were stand-outs for the orange army, picking up 30 and 33 touches respectively.