Essendon utility Nik Cox will make his long-awaited return to AFL level on Saturday afternoon, after being named in the senior side for the first time since Round 22, 2024 since dealing with concussion issues.
His Bombers (1-6, 72.9%) are major underdogs for the clash at Marvel Stadium, which will see them take on former ruck Sam Draper for the first time at his new club Brisbane (4-3, 118.8%).
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Cox is one of four inclusions for the hosts, while 37-year-old Lions veteran Dayne Zorko will return from a calf injury alongside first-year debutant Cody Curtin.
Match details: Essendon vs Brisbane Lions from 12:35pm AEST at Marvel Stadium
Watch it live: On Fox Footy (Channel 504), and streaming on Kayo, from 12pm AEDT
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‘WORLD RECORD WATCH’: PREMIERS’ DAMNING STATISTICAL ANNIHILATION OF DONS
The scoreboard at quarter time told fans and viewers alike that Brisbane led Essendon by 29 points at the first break — a large margin, but not totally irrecoverable.
That being said, if you looked at the team-versus-team stat sheet without access to the final scorecard, you wouldn’t be able to see a world where the Bombers could come out on top.
Chris Fagan’s side registered an eye-watering 49 uncontested marks before quarter time; 37 more than the Dons tallied in the same stanza.
“It might be record watch (for uncontested marks), because it’s 49-12 at the moment. Part of it was by design from Essendon, they put an extra behind the play,” West Coast premiership coach Adam Simpson told Fox Footy at quarter time.
“As soon as you do that against Brisbane, they’ll just go into their control mode and beat you by a thousand cuts … they’re really good at it, they’ve done it for a long period of time.”
Unsurprisingly, Brisbane’s total control over the match’s tempo with so many marks meant that the hosts’ defence was inevitably going to be peppered from the get-go.
“They’ve just found this fourth gear, I suppose you’d call it. It’s not turbo, it’s not slow. It’s just: ‘We’ll find holes in this defence’,” Simpson said during the opening term.
“It’s a common conversation with team defence. How do you cover off 18 players? Is it one-on-one? Do you protect space?
“It’s hard to be too critical of defenders when it’s coming (inside 50) like that.”
Incredibly, despite having 50 more disposals in the first quarter, the Lions also still managed to double Essendon’s tackle count 20 to 10.
Cameron Rayner and Zac Bailey led the charge inside forward 50 with their pressure; all while the star duo still managed to hit the scoreboard three times between them early.
“Essendon are under siege every time it’s a live ball in their (defensive) 50 … It’s difficult for any team in the competition to handle this sort of forward pressure, let alone this young Essendon side today,” St Kilda great Leigh Montagna said during the first term.
Small forward great Eddie Betts added at quarter time: “They’re the best team in the competition for that reason,” small forward legend Eddie Betts told Fox Footy at quarter time.
“Their pressure rating in the forward half was 204, they beat them in tackles, they have more inside forward 50 tackles. They’re all over the ground, wherever the ball goes, there’s a Brisbane Lions player in their face forcing that mistake for the Bombers.”