Clarke kicks three in Dreamtime debut as Bombers too strong for Tigers

We’ll wrap things up there.

It’s been a mix of the traditional and cultural at the MCG, the excitement of a new name making his mark, and concerns over a litany of injury issues.

No doubt we’ll hear more tomorrow but for now that will do us.

We’ll be back on the blog for a big Saturday of footy, starting with Carlton vs GWS at 12:35 AEST.

See you then – in the meantime thanks for joining us!

Richmond coach Adem Yze has told the media his team had shown some things in the first half, but acknowledged the second half slump, including clearances numbers he called “diabolical”.

Yze called out the Essendon players who performed well in difficult conditions.

He pointed to the lack of experience in Richmond’s front six.

“Our front end was Lalor, Faull, Sims, Trainor who have played 10 games of footy each. So I joked about it earlier in the week that our forward line [was] feeling like a creche, but that is going to happen at times and we will go through this throughout the year, where young players will also be out there playing together.

“They just need time together. So real positives in the first half, but the second half wasn’t good. We will look at and review it.”

We have no confirmation of the extent of his injury, but Sam Lalor came straight off after feeling something in his hamstring in the second half.

The Tigers have form in playing it safe with their big group of first-year players. Josh Smillie has been kept in cotton wool for a while after picking up an early injury this season.

Depending how serious the hamstring is, the number one draft pick (who kicked two important goals tonight) may well be in for a similar stretch of time on the sidelines.

No guesses as to who the hot interview is in the rooms afterwards.

Angus Clarke and his dad Stuart have spoken to Fox Footy – and it looks like neither of their feet have touched the ground yet.

The 18-year-old said he was “very, VERY happy” after his three goal performance. And he acknowledged “Bloody oath I was nervous (before the game)!”

Jonathan Brown’s family knows Angus’ dad from farming, and got Stuart to tell a story about having to put half a dozen calves in the back of a Barina car to take them home after buying them.

Dad said he was like “a cat on a hot tin roof” before the game, and that he simply told his son “just get a kick!”. Fair to say Angus did a little more than that.

The young player comes from Tantanoola in South Australia, population about 500. Angus told the interviewers he was happy he hadn’t changed since coming to the club.

“I’ve brought those country values to the club, I wasn’t going to change,” he said. Twelve members of his family were in the stands, plus a fair number of Angus’ friends.

“[I brought] half of Tantanoola!” he said.

To which his dad replied: “We brought half of Mt Gambier [pop 28,000]!”

Just a great footy story.

Bombers coach Brad Scott is talking to Fox Footy in the rooms, and he has a big smile after the debut of Angus Clarke.

“He’s just such a likeable guy!” Scott said of the 18-year-old who kicked three on debut and looked perfectly at ease on the MCG.

“It’s people like that that make footy so great. He’s done it the hard way.

“We want him to stay there (after getting his spot) – and a performance like that won’t do his chances any harm!”.

“He’s still a team player. He had some more chances (to kick more) but he was inselfish and tried to (find teammates).”

Scott said the decision to take Zach Reid off was a precautionary one.

The key defender has had a horror run with hamstrings, and Scott said that as soon as Reid felt something, they immediately “took it out of his hands”.

Kyle Langford on the other hand, looks like a genuine quad injury, which will mean more weeks out for the Bombers swingman.

They gave it a good go for three quarters, but they ran right out of legs and ideas in the final term.

It’s a tough season for the Tigers – and they’re next few matches are against GWS, Sydney, the Bulldogs and Adelaide.

Disposals: Essendon 442-341

Inside 50s: Essendon 54-48

Hit outs: Essendon 56-30

Clearances: Essendon 45-23

Centre Clearances: 8-6

Contested Possessions: Essendon 141-121

Uncontested Possessions: Essendon 283-212

Marks inside 50: Essendon 8-6

Tackles: Essendon 71-54

There will be relief and happiness for Essendon after that win – it’s a solid bounce-back from a horrendous result against the Bulldogs last week.

However they won’t be celebrating for long. Those injuries to Zach Reid and Kyle Langford and concerns over Sam Durham will take some of the edge off the win.

Next up for the Bombers? A trip to Brisbane to face a Lions side with a point to prove.

The award for best on ground is the Yiooken award.

It is presented by Aunty Pam Pedersen, the daugher of Sir Doug Nicholls. The voting panel includes Eddie Betts, Chair (Fox Footy), Chad Wingard (Channel 7), Chris Johnson (NIRS) and Sarah Black (AFL Media).

There is no big surprise here – the award goes to Nic Martin, and rightly so. What a performance.

The siren sounds at the MCG with a goal on the siren for Hugo Ralphsmith – the Richmond portion of the stands has emptied a fair bit already, but the Bombers fans will be happy for the win.

Essendon will be in the eight tonight, although they probably won’t stay there.

But they at least bounced back from last week, and they discovered a fair debutant in Angus Clarke.

For Richmond it was a difficult night – they ran out of legs and nearly out of players.

The injury list next week will make rough reading.

The Bombers speedster has been brilliant tonight – he has 32 disposals, 11 contested. He has five clearances, eight inside 50s, two goals and 10 score involvements. Bravo.

This was coming – the Tigers have been running out of puff this quarter, and the Bombers are still going.

They are finding holes everywhere. That time they went to the hotspot, it bounced around, was funnelled forward and fell to Peter Wright, who snapped an easy goal to convert Essendon’s 11th of the night.

The lead is out to 28 points with seven minutes left, but this contest is going one way.

The Tigers are still trying, that time a series of good kicks with Steely Green to Rhyan Mansell to Kane McAuliffe.

He marks but misses the kick.

Meanwhile Nick Vlaustuin is off getting his ankle assessed.

This is shaping more like an episode of ER than a night at the footy!

Every time Angus Clarke gets the ball there is a buzz around the MCG – part of that may well be groans from any fans wearing yellow and black.

The Bombers just went forward again and fed it out to Clarke in the right forward pocket.

He drills the ball from near 50, and it looks like it’s going through … but then hits the post!

Everyone deflates.

Still, it’s some debut from the teenager.

The injury list after this game is going to be shocking.

Now Sam Lalor has come off and headed down to the rooms, and it looks like he was clutching the back of his hamstring.

Good grief.

If this keeps going both sides could end up with no one on the bench.

The Bombers seem to have more energy at the start of the final term. They are sweeping forward again, and the ball keeps going and ends up with Archie Perkins, who kicks on an angle and drills it home from 25.

The lead is out to 19 points, and it looks like one-way traffic right now. Can the Tigers answer?

The first minute of play sees the Bombers go forward – after a few switches from side to side, the ball is chipped to Angus Clarke just outside 50.

The commentators are screaming for him to go for it, but the debutant pulls his kick to go for the hotspot. It comes to Xavier Duursma, but his kick goes into the stratosphere and it drifts wide for a point.

The siren sounds, and the Bombers have the break going into the last term.

The inside 50s are virtually level pegging, the clearances are SO far in favour of the Bombers it’s not funny – but this game is not over.

Two goals the difference and 30 minutes of football remain.

Who can come home the stronger and get the points?

Angus Clarke is officially on the wing for Essendon, but he is popping up everywhere.

The two-kilometre time trial speciallist can run a bit as well, and he got the ball off half-back, before being awarded a 50 for failure to stand.

Clarke then put the jets on, running to 60 before kicking long.

The umpires found a free to Matt Guelfi, and he kicked the goal.

Essendon leads by 11 in the shadows of three quarter-time!