Heppell injury blow as Dons overpower Lions
ESSENDON has overcome the loss of skipper Dyson Heppell to withstand a Lions fightback and claim a 22-point win at the Gabba.
In a scrappy affair in which poor goalkicking was a blight on both sides’ performance, the weight of inside-50 entries for the Bombers led to the 12.12 (84) to 8.14 (62) victory.
Had it not been for a beston-ground performance by Lions defender Harris Andrews, the margin may have been greater.
He gathered 24 possessions and took 12 marks to stake another claim on his first AllAustralian jumper.
Heppell was clearly best on ground at the moment when he was crunched in a brutal front-on collision with Luke Hodge in the second quarter.
At that stage, he had nine disposals and the Bombers led by nine points.
It led to the unusual situation of a Lions player being booed at the Gabba as the Bombers’ faithful appeared to outnumber the Lions in the 20,476 crowd.
It is hard to see what alternative Hodge had and no free kick was paid, but the fact Heppell was concussed and took no further part in the game ensures the incident will be looked at.
The veteran Lion was chasing a loose ball that had bounced between the two players, he laid a finger on the footy but fumbled and cannoned into the oncoming Heppell as he tried to regain possession.
The Bombers captain wore the full brunt of the bump. It appeared Hodge’s shoulder made contact with his head, and he was assisted from the field nursing a bleeding mouth.
The Bombers’ lead stretched to 29 points early in the third quarter, led by a great midfield game from Zach Merrett and continued good form from Jake Stringer, before the Lions started to storm back.
The Lions kicked three straight goals either side of three-quarter time to draw within 14 points. During that time, Devon Smith, Jake Stringer and former Lion Josh Green missed opportunities.
A Dan McStay miss from almost dead in front and only 20m out became the classic 12-point play as the Bombers went coast-to-coast for Mitch Brown to goal and put an end to the streak.
The two sides traded goals in the final quarter but the Bombers never looked seriously challenged from that point.