Suns vs Bombers Review

Without strategy, execution is aimless.

Without execution, strategy is useless.

-Morris Chang.

While each game contributes, no single match should define Essendon's 2024 season, not even the first 12 games. To me, that's about a third of the journey needed to assess this team's potential.

The true measure comes after 40 games over a season and a half, which will show if this list can consistently execute a game plan capable of leading to success.

It's about sustaining growth for 23 weeks of the season, returning from the off-season with improvements, and proving that this can be maintained over the long term.

Strategy.

The early signs were promising this week in ball-winning capabilities, with effective pressure at the source and success in important groundball contested possessions.

Essendon capitalised on overlap run from handball receives, took advantage of the open corridor, and when handball options weren't available, they found short hit-up targets to build the ball forward. This allowed them to set up a strong defensive structure behind the ball, playing the game on their terms and enabling them to win the ball back when necessary.

Ridley and Redman controlled the air, while Martin and McGrath provided the bounce for overlap. This structure led to Essendon's first three goals, all coming from intercepts.

The half-forwards played a crucial role in transitions, effectively used when opportunities arose, and helped pressure Gold Coast's ball movement, forcing hasty decisions, and assisted their midfield teammates with stoppages between the arcs.

Off rebounds, the choices made going inside 50 were correct, with forwards finding space ahead and teammates selecting the right targets. However, the execution was the issue, which became increasingly apparent as the game progressed.

Tempo.

When Essendon can control the tempo of a game, it sets the baseline for their performance both with and without the ball. This is established through uncontested possessions, leading to uncontested marks, which allow them to move the ball forward at a controlled rate while denying the opposition's speed of possession chains.

Early in the game, Essendon achieved this by taking 27 uncontested marks outside of the forward 50 compared to only 16 by the Suns. This led to a plus differential of 19 uncontested possessions in the first 20 minutes. Unfortunately, they were unable to maintain this control.

The next 20 minutes painted a different picture, as the Bombers were denied any significant influence, managing only 55 uncontested possessions compared to the Suns' 72. They registered just eight uncontested marks in the middle and back thirds, while Gold Coast took 20 in the same period.

In the first quarter, Essendon had 114 possessions, with 79 in the middle of the ground, resulting in 16 inside 50 entries. However, in the second quarter, although they managed 15 inside 50 entries, it was from only 99 possessions, with just 60 in the middle. Suddenly, the control over how the game was played and how Essendon wanted to move the ball forward was lost, significantly impacting the quality of their forward entries.

Execution.

While Essendon was able to find teammates in space after gaining possession via clearance or intercepts in the first quarter, this changed in the second.

The average length of their possession chains dropped from 4.22 possessions in the first quarter to 2.81 in the next.

Although a difference of 1.41 possessions may not sound significant, it can represent an additional 20, 30 or 40 metres of territory closer to the goal.

Consider intercept marks taken by Ridley or Laverde at half-back, often finding only long, contested options down the line ahead.

Uncontested marks, which help move the ball forward, decreased from one every 3.7 possessions to one every 9.6.

Players were no longer working hard enough to find space and become options for their teammates when needed. The kick-mark game, crucial for advancing the ball, was put on hold. Possession chains became much shorter before breaking down, and long kicks for instant gain were all that was being achieved.

This significant turnover affected the quality of entries and, consequently, the possibility of executing plays at a higher rate.

Tempo + execution = turnovers.

Losing control of the game's tempo impacts how effectively and efficiently Essendon could hit meaningful targets, ultimately hindering their ability to avoid turnovers to Gold Coast and mitigate those turnovers' impact on the scoreboard.

Over 45% of the Suns' scores originated in the back half this week, whereas the Bombers had only allowed just over 40% from that starting position over the season. This resulted from not advancing the ball further up the ground with longer and deeper chains, which hurt their execution in finding dangerous or meaningful targets and maintaining the ball in the front half to consistently allow structure behind the ball.

In the previous five games, Essendon had improved in defending opposition scores from intercepts, averaging 35.6 points compared to 58.1 in the first six weeks. However, Gold Coast's 73 points from intercepts were too much to compete with, marking the second-highest the Bombers have conceded this season, with 72 against Port Adelaide and 81 against Sydney, both teams that prevent uncontested marks as a means of territory gain.

Before his injury, Duursma was the constant starting wing, with Heppell, Cox, and Kelly as options on the opposite wing. Since Duursma’s injury, rotations have included Hind, Tsatas, and Menzie. While Heppell and Cox have performed adequately, the past two weeks have been more challenging. The high transition game has prevented the wings from consistently getting back into the defensive zone to assist, leaving key defenders in one-on-one battles and resulting in a race to get numbers to ground level first, another byproduct of not controlling the game's tempo.

Immediate improvement is necessary, as next week's opponent demonstrated last week, posing a challenge in initial territory gain through clearance and making forward ball movement crucial for success.

Efficiency.

After half-time, the game became a contest for control between both teams. At times, Essendon managed to dictate the game on their terms, looking most dangerous and effective when applying pressure, tackling inside 50, and playing in the front half.

However, during the high transition style of the Suns, the Bombers' half-forwards were often caught out of position, allowing Sexton and Flanders to influence uncontested rebounds from the back third, while Andrew and Uwland controlled the air uncontested. Notably, 24 of Sexton’s 28 possessions and 20 of Andrew’s 24 possessions were uncontested. Flanders, Andrew, and Sexton combining for 21 rebounds.

Efficiency certainly favoured Gold Coast this week. Essendon gathered 50 possessions in the front half during the third quarter but only converted them into two goals and five behinds from seven shots at goal from 13 entries. Meanwhile, three of Gold Coast's last four goals came either from a kick-in or directly from the centre bounce.

With injuries depleting the midfield rotation depth, it was disappointing not to see Martin spend more time around the ball alongside Merrett, Caldwell, and Durham.

Notably, 21 of Martin’s 24 disposals came in the first and third quarters, with over 70% occurring in the defensive half, despite him being most dangerous when delivering inside 50 and taking shots at goal, with 25% of his disposals ending in a score. This left Merrett as the primary midfield ball magnet on the outside of contests, serving as a crucial link between clearance and territory forward.

The final siren.

Ultimately poor execution cost winning the game. However I don’t believe this is Essendon’s primary concern or top priority right now. They are not yet at that stage in development; there’s still a long way to go on the journey.

While there is frustration this week and there will be more in the future, focusing on the foundational levels they need to address and achieve is more important in the long term.