Essendon has upset the apple cart with a dramatic win over Sydney at the MCG. The Bombers recovered from a slow start to earn a win that has massive top eight implications.
Sydney's position inside the top eight is now as vulnerable as ever, with Collingwood and Richmond still to play and possibly go ahead of the Swans.
Just six weeks removed from the last meeting between the pair, in a contest marked by Luke Parker's well-documented taunt of Bombers midfielder Dylan Shiel, there was no sign that Essendon was out to target the Sydney co-captain at any stage over the course of the afternoon.
Andrew McGrath said pre-game that the Bombers were well across what had happened in Round 9 and that there was no love lost between the two sides.
"We are definitely aware of it, we knew what went on and all the players are aware of went on with Luke and Dylan, and by no means is it our pure focus, but there is a bit of heat in this one," McGrath told 3AW.
In Parker's 250th, the Swans wasted no time in getting control of the game and establishing forward-half dominance. It even took up until Parker's tenth disposal for the fans to voice their displeasure with the milestone man.
Essendon's defensive struggles were on show again, as the Swans continuously moved the ball up the ground with no pressure.
The Bombers found some dominance in the second quarter as they piled on five straight goals to take the lead after trailing by 26 points. The Swans couldn't get their hands on the ball as Essendon piled on the pressure before a Sam Reid goal put the Swans in front going into halftime.
The trend of red and black momentum continued as the second half got underway, with Jake Kelly's second ever AFL goal and first as a Bomber bringing many at the MCG to their feet. Sydney managed to get the game back on their terms, but eight behinds in the third quarter kept the Bombers in the contest.
The visitors forced their hosts into 11 forward-half turnovers in the third quarter but Essendon's defence held on bravely until the final seconds when Will Hayward snapped a major off the back of a Lance Franklin tackle to extend the lead going into the last break.
Zach Merrett's third left foot snap goal of the game gave the Bombers the kick start they needed in the last after he originally put a set-shot out on the full. Sydney however, rose to the challenge with immediacy.
Just when the game was in Sydney's keeping Jake Stringer took it upon himself to put the Bombers firmly back in the game. Back-to-back majors from Stringer saw the MCG rocking with just over 10 minutes to go.
A Mason Redman long bomb saw the Bombers take the lead back for the red and black before a Nick Hind sealer put the icing on the cake.
Essendon now moves to 4-11 while the Swans could finish the round as low as eight, with only percentage holding their place in the eight.
