Source : the age
That’s a goal and it finally belongs to Essendon.
After an earlier miss from his teammate, Nick Cox snapped one to lift his side.
It’s also been a strong opening for Sullivan Robey who has registered the only two stoppage first possessions and clearances this term.
Not the best first quarter for new Essendon coach Dean Solomon with the Bombers scoring 0.1, their behind coming with 30 seconds remaining in the quarter.
It was a handy point however has they were staring down the barrel of being held scoreless in the opening quarter for the first time since they played arch-rivals Carlton on Anzac Day in 1986 (when Kevin Sheedy was coach).
To be fair they were kicking into the breeze and lost key forward Archer May to a dislocated shoulder in the first quarter. The margin of 16 points is not bad given they conceded the first nine inside 50s.
That is probably not the ideal start Dean Solomon would have envisioned for the Bombers.
Essendon have gone goalless during the opening quarter of their clash with West Coast. With 30 seconds left on the clock, it looked the Bombers were going to end up scoreless, but a behind from Archer Day-Wicks finally put them on the scoreboard.
The Eagles currently lead by 16 points.
Meanwhile, Archer May has been ruled out for the remainder of the match with a shoulder injury. The weather is also hurting both teams tonight, with incoming rain on the forecast.
Check out a snapshot of the windy conditions below.
West Coast lead 2.5 (17) to Essendon 0.1 (1).
The Q1 clock is ticking down and so far, we’ve only had one goal and it belongs to West Coast.
The Eagles have dominated so far and are leading the inside 50s and forward half disposals. To be fair to the Bombers, the Eagles do have the breeze advantage so far.
Meanwhile, Archer May has come off the field following a collision during a marking contest. Vision showed the young player clutching his elbow and it looks like his shoulder is dislocated.
You can see the impacts of tonight’s windy conditions over the broadcast. A few players’ kicks are looking slightly wonky and have gone askew.
Harley Reid goes for goal, but only manages a behind, followed by another behind.
The first big move of Solomon’s time is starting key defender Ben McKay forward. Perhaps he’s hoping he can replicate his brother Harry’s Coleman Medal-winning capacity.
That’s the siren. Let’s get started
West Coast open with a behind from Jake Waterman, but moments later there’s a fantastic goal from Milan Murdock.
The Perth crowd roar their approval and Essendon players get involved with a little push-and-shove with Eagles’ star Harley Reid.
Former Essendon captain Jobe Watson said on Channel 7 where he is sitting in special comments that James Hird should be considered for the role if the board determines him as the right fit.
“What are the qualities we don’t have that we need to find and if those are qualities that ‘Hirdy’ has then he should be considered as part of the role,” Watson said.
Watson described interim coach Dean Solomon as “a great connector”.
James Hird was coaching the forwards at Port Melbourne today alongside Brendan McCartney as the Borough kicked the final three goals of the game to win a thriller over the Tassie Devils by four points.
Interim coach Dean Solomon said Essendon players are in “good space” and said the club has come together following Brad Scott’s departure.
He’s mindful of the windy conditions which are currently lashing Optus Stadium in Perth.
“A little bit nervous, driving to work Tuesday morning, I never would have thought I’d be in this position,” he said on Fox Footy.
“It’s all happened really quickly.”
Non-Western Australians may be surprised to see the Eagles playing in black and gold jumpers today, but the home side are wearing their special WA-coloured jersey to celebrate WA Day.
The Dons look like they will be in the club’s change strip as they are wearing red shorts during warmups.
One might ask why they couldn’t schedule wearing this jumper for a match with a team that doesn’t have black in their jumper but tomorrow is WA Day, hence the timing.
Eagles media explained the jumper here:
“The West Coast Eagles will don their black and gold WA Day guernsey against Essendon. The WA Day eve game brings fans together in state pride to celebrate Western Australia, its people, heritage and unique identity,” they said.
On a day of few highlights for Melbourne, this goal stood out:
