Essendon forward Peter Wright kicked six goals, but ruckman Sam Draper suffered a suspected season-ending achilles injury as the Bombers came from 29 points down to post a thrilling two-point win over West Coast at Optus Stadium on Good Friday.
The Bombers trailed 37-8 early in the second quarter and still trailed by 25 points midway through the third term.
Reuben Ginbey of the Eagles is tackled during the 2025 AFL Round 06 match between the West Coast Eagles and the Essendon Bombers at Optus Stadium.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
Two goals in the space of a minute from Archie Perkins and Wright’s ongoing dominance gave Essendon a 12-point buffer late in the match.
In a thrilling finish, Eagles forward Jack Williams kicked a goal to reduce the margin to two points with 28 seconds remaining.
Essendon kicked the ball out wide from the next centre bounce to chew up vital seconds, with an ensuing intercept mark sealing the 11.11 (77) to 11.9 (75) win in front of 46,080 fans.
West Coast tallied an AFL record-low 77 contested possessions against Carlton last week, but they produced 35 alone in the opening quarter against Essendon.
Key forward Jake Waterman kicked four goals – all in the first quarter – while Jeremy McGovern (23 disposals) was a rock in defence.
Tim Kelly collected 22 disposals and three clearances in his first match back from being dropped to the WAFL, and Elijah Hewett (22 disposals, five clearances, two goals) played his best match of the season.
Harley Reid was restricted to 17 disposals and three clearances, and his heavy first-quarter bump on Archie Roberts could come under scrutiny.
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