Blog log from R2 of 2025: Essendon vs Adelaide

Merrett streams through a sunny centre square and bombs long to Draper one out with Keane, the latter holds to give away a free at the hotspot, first goal Essendon. (Q1 1:59)
Rankine snaps wide left from 35m in the corridor after receiving from Dawson after the next bounce. (Q1 3:36)
Sholl feeds Keays for a running snap from the HFF after Essendon can’t rebound past outer wing, that one goes narrow left. (Q1 4:26)
Tsatas is worried off a ground ball on the HFF by Peatling and fumbles it away, Milera roves and bombs a goal from 50m on a slight angle. (Q1 7:44)
Crows all over them in attack, another forced turnover set sup Walker to feed Keays who misses another mid-range snap. (Q1 9:01)
Adelaide getting bulk repeat inside 50s, from the latest Keays hoofs through a set shot from 45m in the corridor. (Q1 9:56)
Walker and Thilthorpe take link marks on a rebound around outer wing, Keays beats McGrath on a hook lead to mark 20m out for another one. (Q1 13:45)
More repeat inside 50s for the Crows, Cumming receives from Crouch and passes to a short lead by Fogarty to 40m on the flank, who kicks straight as usual. (Q1 18:04)
Shiel’s kick clanger under no pressure causes another repeat inside 50, he fumbles it but Rachele soccers wide from the pocket. (Q1 20:31)
Essendon gets a rebound all the way inside forward 50 for a change, Edwards marks over the back 20m out and wobbles through his first senior goal with his first kick. (Q1 20:55)
O’Brien arrives late to a ball up deep in defence and gets pinged as he wasn’t nominated, Draper accepts the charity goal albeit he has to snap across the body from point blank! (Q1 24:42)
Rankine gathers a kick to his bootlaces on centre wing, fends off Hobbs and hits up the lead of Walker 40m out on the flank, the set shot hooks left across the face. (Q1 28:19)
Yet more repeat inside 50s for the Crows, Walker stands up in a tackle to rove Fogarty’s contest and give to Peatling who sets up Neal-Bullen for a red time special. (Q1 30:36)
That goal makes the scoreboard look more reflective of Adelaide’s territorial dominance. (Q1 31:11)
Fogarty leads towards the boundary for a mark 35m out, not much Reid could do there. Fog threads the needle with another quality set shot. (Q2 3:09)
Crouch’s desperate lunge puts Martin off a snap from near the hotspot. (Q2 3:45)
Prior intercepts on outer wing and kicks backwards, Essendon turns it over in midfield playing slow, Keays is over the back of Reid in the pocket for the goal from 25m. (Q2 5:03)
Rankine jets out the front of the next bounce, reaches CHF and decides on a short pass to Thilthorpe at the hotspot for another one. (Q2 6:19)
Milera shoots wide right off a step from 45m on a slight angle. (Q2 10:56)
Gresham catches a spinning Soligo HTB in the centre, runs forward to receive but bounces a snap wide from 55m. (Q2 13:02)
Keane plays on from the kick in but slips and is dispossessed by Edwards, Merrett accepts the gift goal from the top of the square. (Q2 13:39)
Essendon gets its turn for a few repeat inside 50s through pressure on the ballcarrier, Martin bounces down the flank ahead of Sholl and checksides the goal from 20m. (Q2 15:55)
Rachele tries a volley from a ball up 25m out on a slight angle but it flies wide right. (Q2 17:50)
Roberts is outnumbered at defensive hotspot, Hinge comes back with the flight to mark a Keays kick over he and Rankine for another one for Adelaide. (Q2 19:31)
Crouch with the next centre clearance, Rankine marks on the chest in front of McGrath and converts. (Q2 20:35)
Fogarty marks on the HFF, plays on and has a ping but tugs it near side left. (Q2 23:15)
Terrible disposal in the centre by Redman, Dawson mops up and feeds Peatling who has Rachele on his own 20m out for another one for the rampaging Crom. (Q2 26:25)
Caldwell marks 45m out on the flank and sails through the first goal of Q3 with a booming set shot. (Q3 2:01)
Bryan snaffles a bouncing inside 50 by Duursma near the hotspot, spins and snaps… bounces the right (wrong) side of the right post. (Q3 3:32)
Repeat inside 50 from the kick in, Kako provides the contest, Worrell roves but his panicked handball bounces over the back for Gresham to shark and goal. (Q3 4:22)
Thilthorpe gathers a ground ball on the HFF in front of McKay and turns for an inside pass to Keays who marks in front of Prior 45m out, plays on and shanks… a goal! (Q3 6:01)
Caddy roves his own contest and snaps over the shoulder from 20m on a slight angle but it rams into the near left post. (Q3 8:36)
Keays sharks a Draper hit out in the pocket and runs into the open goal well ahead of the hapless Prior. (Q3 12:42)
Walker marks on the lead 40m out on the flank and clunks the set shot. (Q3 14:07)
Crows tall forwards are showing their opponents little respect, Walker dominates Redman to mark on outer wing and pass to Curtin 40m out on the flank for another one. (Q3 16:17)
Edwards catches Murray HTB in the pocket 20m out but misses off the left across the body. (Q3 18:26)
Crouch gives to Rachele in the pocket who checksides his third goal, and loves it too. (Q3 20:34)
Rankine performs an ever better trick from the same pocket, the Crows fans are loving this! (Q3 22:12)
Durham lays a crunching tackle on Soligo in the centre to force a turnover, Tsatas pokes a pass to Kako who breaks two tackles for a team-lifting goal from the hotspot! (Q3 24:58)
Rankine takes a link mark at half forward after the next bounce and passes to Fogarty on the boundary 35m out, who delivers a rare shank OOTF. (Q3 26:03)
Merrett screws in a quality snap under pressure from 25m in the pocket. (Q3 29:03)
Thilthorpe marks a Neal-Bullen pass 30m out in the corridor but nicks the inside of the right post. (Q3 31:42)
Another mark inside 50 for Thilthorpe, this one 30m out on the flank from an O’Brien poke pass. 3QT siren goes, kick is true. (Q3 34:38)
Merrett sails through the first goal of Q4 junk time from half forward, to muted reaction. (Q4 0:21)
Thilthorpe sends Soligo off into the open goal. (Q4 1:46)
Sid Draper gets smashed twice in the centre but gets his inside 50 kick off to Neal-Bullen who converts from 45m. (Q4 3:41)
Gresham snaps high and wide from the pocket. (Q4 5:06)
Edwards gets nudged from behind by Keane to earn a free in a marking contest 35m out on the flank, he converts. (Q4 5:53)
Durham roves at half forward and feeds Edwards to bounce through goal number three from 35m. (Q4 9:34)
Sid Draper does a one-two with Neal-Bullen but misses from 30m on the flank. (Q4 11:21)
Menzie receives from Hobbs but misses from 40m on a slight angle. (Q4 12:43)
Sholl joins the party with a running snap off the left from the hotspot. (Q4 13:56)
Fogarty marks a Walker long kick over the hapless McKay 25m out in the pocket and kicks his third goal. (Q4 17:34)
Merrett gets a HTB free on Sid Draper after the next bounce and passes to Sam Draper 40m out on a slight angle, crowd hoots as he lines up crooked but he snaps it in. (Q4 19:21)
Perkins passes to Kako 45m out on a slight angle who has been starved of opportunity but clunks that bit of garbage. (Q4 23:06)
Thilthorpe has had silver service today, he marks a Sholl pass from outer wing leading to 45m on a slight angle, his set shot is a boomer for another one. (Q4 26:37)
Tsatas has space and time at CHB but turns it over by foot, Crows surge to feed Soligo for some more junk from the hotspot. (Q4 31:37)
Gresham feeds Merrett for his fourth goal from the hotspot with a minute or so left. (Q4 33:01)
Rachele gets a junk time special from 20m after Roberts gets a hospital ball from McGrath that was called not 15, rightly so. (Q4 35:07)