AFL 2021: Essendon Bombers v Richmond Tigers – round 12 live!
Essendon #Essendon
8.43am EDT 08:43
Summary 
A quite remarkable display from Richmond, who dominated for much of the game but found themselves behind midway through the final quarter before shifting gears and putting Essendon away with dismissive ease. That is now 11 wins in a row for the Tigers over Essendon but more importantly it was a triumph that solidifies their place in the top eight. If Richmond’s bid for three straight premierships and a fourth in five seasons looked shaky a fortnight ago, it now looks again well within their grasp.
Though thoroughly outplayed in the end, Essendon boasted the best player on the ground with Darcy Parish winning the Yiooken medal for his club record-breaking 44-posession game. The Bombers star turned it on, as did Perth footy fans and Optus Stadium.
The Dreamtime clash was by any measure a roaring success, with 55,656 fans filling the stadium – a 2021 record for the ground. The occasion itself was not diminished for again not taking place at the MCG. If anything it was quite the opposite and has given credence to the suggestion this celebration of Indigenous involvement in Australia’s national game should be shopped around the country.
Updated at 8.49am EDT
8.23am EDT 08:23
FT: Richmond 19-9 (123) beat Essendon 12-12 (84)
A brutal flexing of muscles from Richmond, who fell behind midway through the last quarter before booting the last seven goals of the game to blow the Bombers away. That’s now 11 wins in a row for the Tigers over the Bombers. Darcy Parish wins the Yiooken medal for his 44-possession game in a losing cause.
Updated at 8.32am EDT
8.16am EDT 08:16
Q4: 1 min remaining: Essendon 12-12 (84) vs Richmond 19-9 (123) Richmond goal! Icing on the cake and now the cherry on top. And other such cliches. Rioli, the medical sub, pounces on a loose ball right in front of goal before snapping truly. And now, somehow, Richmond are now 39 points in front. What a remarkable show of strength.
Updated at 8.27am EDT
8.13am EDT 08:13
Q4: 1 min remaining: Essendon 12-12 (84) vs Richmond 18-9 (117) Richmond goal! Unmarked Tigers everywhere. McIntosh drifts forward and takes an uncontested mark about 30 metres out before rubbing salt into a now gaping wound for the Bombers. Were they really in front just minutes ago?
8.10am EDT 08:10
Q4: 3 mins remaining: Essendon 12-12 (84) vs Richmond 17-9 (111) Richmond goal! Prestia has been subbed out for the Tigers but that just gives him a good view of this latest goal, an audacious bomb from outside 50 that Balta drills with aplomb. Icing on the cake. Game over. Big response from Richmond.
8.07am EDT 08:07
Q4: 5 mins remaining: Essendon 12-12 (84) vs Richmond 16-9 (105) Richmond goal! And now that’s four straight from the Tigers. Graham is awesome in the contest and Bolton is even more awesome in front of goal, spinning out of trouble and kicking truly to put the game pretty much out of Essendon’s reach.
8.05am EDT 08:05
Q4: 7 mins remaining: Essendon 12-11 (83) vs Richmond 15-9 (99) Richmond goal! Cometh the hour, cometh Dustin Martin. Dusty takes a diving mark on 50 before playing on in traffic to kick a big goal and hammer a dagger into the heart of the Dons.
8.02am EDT 08:02
Q4: 8 mins remaining: Essendon 12-11 (83) vs Richmond 14-9 (93) Richmond goal! Classy stuff from Bolton, who is in the right place at the right time to mop up Riewoldt’s centring kick before snapping a big goal with his right boot.
8.00am EDT 08:00
Q4: 9 mins remaining: Essendon 12-11 (83) vs Richmond 13-9 (87) Richmond goal! The Tigers are back in front as Castagna works into space inside-50 and converts after marking smartly. Another twist and likely there will be more to this tale.
7.57am EDT 07:57
Q4: 11 mins remaining: Essendon 12-11 (83) vs Richmond 12-9 (81) Aarts misses a shot that he might have kicked and then Stringer follows suit at the other end of the ground, missing the lot for no score.
7.55am EDT 07:55
Q4: 12 mins remaining: Essendon 12-11 (83) vs Richmond 12-9 (81) Essendon goal! The Bombers are in front! Up and about, they work the ball forward by sheer force of will and get the ball over the top to Waterman, who crumbs the ball off the pack and dribbles one through for a big, big goal. Humungous turn of events.
7.53am EDT 07:53
Q4: 13 mins remaining: Essendon 11-11 (77) vs Richmond 12-8 (80) Essendon goal! The Dons get three in no time at all as Tippa again makes his presence felt to help set jup Langford, who drills his set shot to make it a three-point ball game. Momentum is with Essendon. And momentum is everything.
7.51am EDT 07:51
Q4: 14 mins remaining: Essendon 10-11 (71) vs Richmond 12-8 (80) Essendon goal! Costly, very costly for Richmond, who give away a free kick well away from the ball and Hooker does the rest, holding his nerve from almost 50 metres out to get the Bombers to within nine points.
7.50am EDT 07:50
Q4: 15 mins remaining: Essendon 9-11 (65) vs Richmond 12-8 (80) Stringer marks deep in attack but instead of having a checkside with his left he palms off to Watermna, who fingertips a mark but misses his set shot.
7.47am EDT 07:47
Q4: 16 mins remaining: Essendon 9-10 (64) vs Richmond 12-8 (80) Essendon goal! Tippa and Parish are instrumental in working away from a stoppage before a chain of passes finds its way to Hooker, who marks in the square and makes no mistake from right in front. Hmmm. Game on.
7.45am EDT 07:45
Q4: 19 mins remaining: Essendon 8-10 (58) vs Richmond 12-8 (80) The Tigers clear the ball with ease from the centre and Riewoldt looks set to put more space on the Bombers but his set shot is tepid. Doesn’t even make the distance.
7.39am EDT 07:39
3QT: Essendon 8-10 (58) vs Richmond 12-8 (80)
The Bombers keep coming but the Tigers keep repelling. That was the story of the third quarter and, frankly, the story of the match. Essendon are not out of it but Richmond don’t look like loosening their grip anytime soon.
7.37am EDT 07:37
Q3: 1 min remaining: Essendon 8-10 (58) vs Richmond 12-8 (80) Richmond goal! Oh dear. Martin unmarked 20 metres out from goal = a goal. The Bombers might have gone into 3QT with some hope. That hope now looks diminished. Telling show of strength and class by the Tigers to close the quarter.
7.33am EDT 07:33
Q3: 1 min remaining: Essendon 8-10 (58) vs Richmond 11-8 (74) Essendon goal! Stringer!!!! The Package delivers, using his speed to get some time and space before snapping delightfully from 45 metres out. They just won’t lie down, the Bombers. Gutsy stuff.
7.31am EDT 07:31
Q3: 2 mins remaining: Essendon 7-9 (54) vs Richmond 11-8 (74) Essendon goal! The Bombers get one back as Cox is shoved square in the back in front of goal before kicking truly to give men in red-and-black belief that maybe, just maybe, hope is not yet lost.
7.28am EDT 07:28
Q3: 3 mins remaining: Essendon 6-9 (45) vs Richmond 11-8 (74) Richmond goal! Cruel for the Bombers as Richmond transition venomously from defence with Graham drilling a nail into the coffin with a confident finish. Starting to get out of hand for the Bombers, who have been brave but are now looking outclassed.
7.26am EDT 07:26
Q3: 5 mins remaining: Essendon 6-8 (44) vs Richmond 10-8 (68) Parish zeroes in on goal and it looks like he can’t miss, but that is precisely what he does: miss. The Bombers need scores of six, not one.
7.24am EDT 07:24
Q3: 6 mins remaining: Essendon 6-7 (43) vs Richmond 10-8 (68) Richmond goal! Grimes gets dispossessed deep in defence – how was that not holding the ball?????? – and Essendon are denied what should be theirs: a shot on goal. The ball slings to the other end and Castagna, somehow afforded time and space close to goal, finishes off in a cruel blow to the Bombers. Twelve-point play. Don’t want to bash the umps, but that was awful umpiring.
7.19am EDT 07:19
Q3: 9 mins remaining: Essendon 6-6 (42) vs Richmond 9-8 (62) Richmond goal! The Bombers aren’t clean out of defence and they turn the ball over just where they don’t want to: in the path of Bolton, who reads the ball off the pack and splits the big sticks from close range. That stings for Essendon.
7.15am EDT 07:15
Q3: 11 mins remaining: Essendon 6-5 (41) vs Richmond 8-8 (56) Cotchin coughs up possession with a poor kick inside before Zaharakis takes over and sets up Phillips but he squanders his chance to get the Bombers within two kicks of the Tigers, missing to the left what he really should have kicked.
7.11am EDT 07:11
Q3: 14 mins remaining: Essendon 6-4 (40) vs Richmond 8-8 (56) Essendon goal! Lightning fast work from Mc-T in the middle of the ground opens up Richmond’s zone and Zaharakis is involved to set up Ham, who drills his shot on the run to put Essendon right in this contest.
7.09am EDT 07:09
Q3: 16 mins remaining: Essendon 5-4 (34) vs Richmond 8-8 (56) Dusty almost pouches an extremely tough half-chance deep in attack but the ball spills free and Essendon collect the crumbs to work their way out of danger.
7.06am EDT 07:06
Q3: 19 mins remaining: Essendon 5-4 (34) vs Richmond 8-8 (56) And we are back. Richmond clear away from the centre and Laverde, under heavy pressure from Martin, punches the ball through for a rushed behind.
6.49am EDT 06:49
HT: Essendon 5-4 (34) vs Richmond 8-7 (55)
Richmond maintain their ascendancy but Essendon’s commitment was better in that second term. Though the Tigers extended their 19-point quarter-time lead to 21 at the main break, the Bombers look to be more in the contest than they were in the opening stanza. They started getting their hands on it in the middle of the park and were far more direct in their forward advances. It’s still Richmond’s to lose but Essendon are not out of this by any stretch.
6.43am EDT 06:43
Q2: 1 min remaining: Essendon 5-4 (34) vs Richmond 8-7 (55) Essendon goal! The Bombers pressure Richmond into a turnover and Ham makes another good fist of it, getting on the end of a handpass receive and kicking truly on the run. They won’t go away, the Dons.