‘That’s a horrible look’: Roos star in hot water for shock act; Bombers slide to 0-3

Essendon have slumped to a 16th consecutive defeat despite finishing hard against North Melbourne, who prevailed by two goals in a spiteful match at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night.

The Dons turned in a much-improved performance but left their run too late against the unimpressive Kangaroos, who took the foot of the pedal in the closing minutes.

“The last few minutes were nerve-racking,” Kangaroos midfielder George Wardlaw said.

A loss next week against the rampant Western Bulldogs will see the Dons equal their worst losing streak of 17, which occurred in 2016 when they were decimated by drugs suspensions.

North’s first win over the Dons in a decade was marred by an ugly incident involving ruckman Tristan Xerri, who faces a serious misconduct charge after appearing to smear blood on the face of Essendon captain Andrew McGrath.

The incident will almost certainly see Xerri referred directly to the tribunal by match review officer Michael Christian on Sunday.

The Bombers’ late run limited the margin to 12 points, but they were down by six goals plus early in the final term.

For the third time in as many games this season, the Dons conceded 100-plus marks – this time 138 against a team that has not finished higher than 16th since 2019.

Another long week beckons at “the Hangar” for coach Brad Scott, who, in his fourth season at the club, desperately needs a win to relieve the pressure that’s building on his post.

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Essendon have slumped to a 16th consecutive defeat despite finishing hard against North Melbourne, who prevailed by two goals in a spiteful match at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night.

The Dons turned in a much-improved performance but left their run too late against the unimpressive Kangaroos, who took the foot of the pedal in the closing minutes.

“The last few minutes were nerve-racking,” Kangaroos midfielder George Wardlaw said.

A loss next week against the rampant Western Bulldogs will see the Dons equal their worst losing streak of 17, which occurred in 2016 when they were decimated by drugs suspensions.

North’s first win over the Dons in a decade was marred by an ugly incident involving ruckman Tristan Xerri, who faces a serious misconduct charge after appearing to smear blood on the face of Essendon captain Andrew McGrath.

The incident will almost certainly see Xerri referred directly to the tribunal by match review officer Michael Christian on Sunday.

The Bombers’ late run limited the margin to 12 points, but they were down by six goals plus early in the final term.

For the third time in as many games this season, the Dons conceded 100-plus marks – this time 138 against a team that has not finished higher than 16th since 2019.

Another long week beckons at “the Hangar” for coach Brad Scott, who, in his fourth season at the club, desperately needs a win to relieve the pressure that’s building on his post.

Yikes, Zach Merrett has barely had a touch all night, but snaps successfully from the pocket to cut the Kangaroos’ lead to two goals with 1:30 mins left. Hang tight.

Sorry for the time delay ... There is enough time for the Bombers to run down this lead, but they are wasting their chances. Jye Caldwell’s shot moment earlier was touched on the line. North don’t quite have the killer mentality to put their stricken opponent away, but I’ll be stunned if the Dons pull this one out of the mire.

But wait:

Apologies to North fans, I seem to have mozzed your team. Jade Gresham’s goal has cut the margin to just 18 points with four minutes left in the game.

Jye Caldwell delivers the first goal of the final term to cut the Kangaroos’ lead to five goals with just over 12 minutes remaining. It’s only the Bombers’ second since half-time. The Kangaroos fell apart late last week against the Eagles. Can they hang on?

Essendon look headed for another tough week as defeat looms against North Melbourne. The Dons are 36 points down at three-quarter time and staring at a 16th consecutive defeat. They have kicked five goals in three quarters, and need at least six to overhaul North.

It’s been a better performance by the Bombers, but they look well short of an opponent that has finished no higher than 16th in the past six seasons. The Bombers have again given up more than 100 marks.

The tally is already at 103, an indication of their poor defensive structures. Luke Parker, Harry Sheezel and Luke Davies-Uniacke have led the way for North while Zane Duursma has booted three goals in one of his best games at the top level.

There’s not much to write home about for the Dons, who do not have a player among the top eight possession-getters.