A STANDARD TO BE HELD TO

If the AFL world as a whole took anything out of Friday night’s match between the Bombers and the Bulldogs, it may just be some understanding about why every Essendon supporter they know is so frustrated all the time.

How the hell is there only seven days between an insipid 69pt drubbing by Port Adelaide and a potent 29pt victory over the Bombers’ perennial punisher, the Western Bulldogs?

This football club simply makes no sense. The past few rounds have been evidence of that point.

How does a team go from fronting up and working tirelessly to get a hard-fought win against the Saints, follow it up with a pathetic display of everything wrong with the club against the Power, and then have the nerve to come back out a solitary week later with arguably the best win the club has had in almost a whole year?

These bastards are toying with the faithful in a manner that could be described as confusing at best … and almost cruel at worst. It’s this Jekyll and Hyde style of play which has Dons fans ready to nuke their memberships one week and waving their scarves the next. The difference between the club’s best and worst is stark at times, leaving fans to wonder …

What is the standard for a Bombers’ performance?

Last week against Port Adelaide, Dons fans were rightfully calling for wholesale changes both in personnel and culture. But after Friday’s performance against the Western Bulldogs, fans have seen what is possible with this side – one that was near identical to the team who’d played a week prior. Despite whatever the club was trying to sell in the pre-season, fans can now fairly demand more from this Essendon side.

Sam Durham has impressed across the first five rounds but found another gear against the Dogs.

But backing up well from a poor performance is one thing – doing it consistently is another. Despite whether it can be sustained or not, I feel a standard has now been set. One the club should, and will no doubt be held to - and why shouldn’t they be? Despite the pain of the Port Adelaide thrashing last week, the media’s well-founded massacring of the list and the general negative messaging from the club itself, there is something in this Dons outfit to be optimistic about.

There is, dare I say it … potential. And it was on display at Marvel Stadium on Friday night.

The Bombers played with a fierce, surge-like intensity for near the entire match. Tough at the contest, thoughtful in possession (mostly), strong in their leads and pack-hunting across the field in a way that all fans crave. The Power taught the Dons a lesson during Gather Round, one which the club appears to have learnt from.

And some players in particular.

Jye Caldwell has carefully been putting together a tidy patch of footy, and his game against Tom Liberatore feels like the best of the lot. 23 disposals, four tackles, a goal and 392m gained. He’s no doubt making it hard for the coaching panel to leave him out when it comes to work at the coal face.

Harrison Jones’ kit reflected a player who absolutely worked his guts out - it was filthy. 13 disposals, six marks, three tackles and two goals. He just felt like he was all over the joint. A great result for a guy who, up until the Saints game a few weeks back, was seen by most as a failed project.

Kyle Langford is simply being Kyle Langford, a quality player now just expected to perform with excellence. Matthew Lloyd said it best when speaking about the Bombers’ star on 3AW. ‘(Langford) just gets more important every time we see him.’

Ain’t that the truth.

For the first time in a long while, the club is starting to amass a group of players other teams’ fans would love to have, small though it may be just now. It’s hard to imagine that at the top of most of those lists, wouldn’t be a guy called Kyle.

Xavier Duursma has fit in with ease into this Bombers’ outfit.

Ben McKay is proving to be a reliable and selfless player. A guy who seems exclusively team oriented. Blue collar. Strong in the contest. Pretty much what fans were hoping he’d be. Xavier Duursma was already looking like a handy pick up, with good work across the start of the season. But with an improved focus on attack, his two goals over the weekend have really added a new weapon to the club’s scoring arsenal. (You can’t imagine how hard I worked to avoid saying ‘added a new string to his bow’.)

And then there’s Sam Durham …

21 touches, three tackles, a cheeky goal and most importantly, an absolute shutdown of the league’s best, Marcus Bontempelli. Most fans would have lost more than a few hours of sleep over the week thinking about what kind of damage Bont and Libba were going to do to the Dons mids. But all nightmares turned to sweet dreams, mostly due to the relentless efforts of Durham. If he was once considered a useful addition to the team - he’s now officially graduated to essential!

Not many hit a contest like Duz.

This victory has only been made more satisfying due to the history between the two sides, a significantly lopsided one in recent times. For only the second time since 2015, the Bombers beat the Bulldogs, but not just beat them - hurt them - and at times, whooped ‘em!

But let’s take a breather because no one is getting ahead of themselves. This team is just as likely to celebrate this resounding rebound from a horrific Gather Round, only to fly west to play Adelaide and get smashed yet again! I’m relieved that the Crows nabbed their first win against the Filth, but fingers crossed lightning doesn’t strike twice.

That’d be pure Essington.

There is indeed potential in this side - but zero faith. That comes with consistency, and without it the fan base will continue to be rightfully suspicious. But there is something there, it’s now just a matter of figuring out how to get this out of the players week-in-week-out. Less 2022 and more … umm when was the last time the club was a force to be reckoned with … early 2000’s? Dear lord.

Essendon have now shown what they can do, and it won’t be forgotten by anyone in the footy world, especially those of the red and black.

The Dons are 3-2.

The Crows await in Adelaide.

The standard has been set.

And the pressure is on.