Why Bombers’ loss to Swans is snapshot of all their woes

Brad Scott did not have to look far on Friday night for the side he wants Essendon to be.

The jury is still out if Sydney are truly back despite all but securing the minor premiership, but the Swans are everything the Bombers are not: clean, efficient and up for the fight when the going gets tough.

Attended by a surprisingly low crowd of 33,830, many of whom were gone well before the final siren, this match encapsulated why the Bombers will go a 20th consecutive season without winning a final.

Scott does not want to compare this year to last, but the common thread is they have faded alarmingly; 12 months ago by losing seven of their last 10, this time eight of their past 11.

In the half they had total control of, they won by just seven points. In the half they lost control, they were outscored by nearly eight goals. When both sides were under pressure, the Swans were the team that “put the overalls on”, as their coach John Longmire said.

Last week, the Dons lost through their wastefulness in front of goal. This time, they could not get in front of goal enough.

Dominant for contested possessions (+18) and owning field territory in the first half, the Bombers generated the sort of numbers that Hawthorn great Dermott Brereton, commentating on SEN, said should have had them on track for a 12-goal victory. But from 37 entries inside 50 to half-time, they mustered a meagre 4.5 (29).

This was due in part to system and personnel, though Scott was careful not to be overly critical of his forward line when they were receiving shoddy service – an issue that has plagued the side for years.

For a ruck, Sam Draper makes a serviceable forward, but he cannot be their primary target. Peter Wright should be that player, but has lost his way and his spot in the side.

Kyle Langford, one of the most improved players of the past two years, has the smarts to find space but not the teammates with the skill or composure to find him.

Nate Caddy, in his debut year, is still another two to three preseasons away from building the body to complement his considerable potential.

Jake Stringer and Jade Gresham are paid to take half chances but both missed their moments, combining for one goal three. Perhaps, that’s a touch harsh. It’s difficult being a Bombers forward when you find space only for your midfielders to kick the ball over your head to a contest.

“It’s a bit of polish, a bit of system, bit of class, that is the difference between us and the best,” Scott said.

When the inevitable charge from the Swans came, the Bombers folded. From 20 inside-50s in the third term, the Swans piled on six goals, double what the Dons could manage from the same number in the first quarter, and another six goals from 10 entries in the last.

This was due in part to the elite kicking of the likes of Nick Blakey, Errol Gulden and co but also the Bombers’ inability to step up to the moment.

Jayden Laverde, a player in his 10th season, should have taken a relieving grab in defence but his dropped chest mark created the spillage which resulted in the second of three rapid-fire Swans goals.

Contrast that to the Swans, who, when challenged early, made the Bombers fight and scrap for everything.

A passage of play in the first quarter summed up the gulf between the two teams. The Dons had smothered the Swans, keeping the ball in their forward 50 for some four or five minutes, but could not score. There was hardly a clean Swans possession.

It took a desperate tackle from a first-season Swan, Caiden Cleary, to win a relieving free kick. A few possessions later, Braeden Campbell curled a set shot from the boundary line on his non-preferred right boot to narrow the margin to just a goal when they should have been much further behind.

Longmire said his team’s willingness to “get into the grind” in an ugly first half pleased him more than the clean play they showed after half-time.

“I’ve been so pleased with how we’ve gone about it, just putting the overalls on, getting to work,” Longmire said.

“You’re not going to be playing at your best all the time. You’ve got to find a way.”

Two years into Scott’s reign, the Bombers still have not found theirs.

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