Essendon have denied North Melbourne nice Ben Cunnington a fairytale farewell from the AFL, with the Bombers surviving one other main scare to hold on by 9 factors.
For the second Saturday in a row at Marvel Stadium, Essendon have been made to work arduous towards a bottom-two facet following final week’s one-point escape over West Coast.
In a decent and tense sport the place neither workforce led by greater than 15 factors, the Bombers prevailed 13.8 (86) to 12.5 (77) to maintain their finals hopes alive forward of the final two rounds of the home-and-away season.
North minimize the result in three factors with three minutes remaining however Archie Perkins calmly slotted the matchwinner from 25 metres out for Essendon with 50 seconds to go.
The Bombers (11-10) might want to defeat GWS (away) and Collingwood (MCG) within the subsequent fortnight to ebook a top-eight place.
Cunnington, a most cancers survivor, was on restricted sport time however supplied an unforgettable second for long-suffering North supporters when he booted the second aim of his 238th and closing AFL match.
The 32-year-old was mobbed by each single one in every of his Kangaroos teammates after slotting the 97th aim of his profession when he gathered and kicked actually from 40m out within the first quarter.
Cunnington (24 possessions, 10 clearances) stepped up once more within the closing quarter, snapping his second aim to cut back Essendon’s result in 9 factors.
Star ahead Nick Larkey (5 objectives), Harry Sheezel and Luke Davies-Uniacke tried to will North over the road for Cunnington, however Essendon had an excessive amount of class with their season at stake.
Hard-running Bomber Nic Martin (three objectives, 32 disposals) was clearly best-on-ground, whereas Kyle Langford continued his career-best season with an essential three-goal efficiency.
The outcome extends North’s shedding streak to 19 – their worst run since 1932 once they didn’t win for 33-straight video games.
North Melbourne defender Ben McKay, who’s poised to affix Essendon as a free agent in the course of the low season, had the most effective video games of his profession underneath the attention of his former Kangaroos coach Brad Scott, who’s now in control of the Bombers.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
