By Connor Burns
Coburg came into the last game of their season eager to secure their sixth win this year. Against a stacked Bombers side with plenty of AFL talent, the Lions found the going tough in the first quarter, struggling to gain any territory and momentum. Essendon had 18 inside 50’s to Coburg’s six in the opening term, leading to a 25-point quarter time deficit.
To start the second quarter the ‘Burgers’ found their mojo with Mitch Podhajski giving them the perfect start by slotting a goal inside the first five minutes of the quarter. Essendon responded with a goal to Peter Wright, before Coburg then produced some of their best footy for the match.
Captain Jesse Corigliano, Podhajski and Braedyn Gillard all kicked goals to finish the quarter, with Coburg finishing the term having kicked 4.2 to the Dons 1.5. The goal from Gillard on the stroke of half-time brought the margin back to just 10 points.
The Bombers needed a response after the break, and they got one from their star-studded midfield. Former top ten pick Elijah Tsatas started the quarter with a major, before highly rated draft prospect Jobe Shanahan kicked his third of the day to steady his side.
Coburg’s Max Thompson cut the margin to under 20 points with a left-foot snap after taking a mark deep inside 50. Jared Eckersley dobbed one before the talented Shanahan kicked his fourth. The Bombers began to flex their muscles while winning centre clearances which helped them take a 28-point lead into half-time.
Coach Jamie Cassidy-McNamara implored his troupes to take the game on and risk losing by a big margin in their last quarter of footy for 2024. The ball pinged from end to end as Coburg kicked four goals, while Essendon kicked five in the last quarter.
Coburg defender Ryan Sturgess was swung forward as he had done successfully against Port Melbourne earlier in the season. He provided a bit of a spark, taking a big hanger and kicking two late goals to add a bit of respectability to the scoreboard. The sting went out of the game at stages in the last quarter as Essendon cruised to a 38-point win against a brave Coburg side.
For the Bombers, youngster Jobe Shanahan starred with five goals while Elijah Tsatas (41 disposals) and Nick Hind (32 disposals) proved very hard to stop. For the Burgers it was Joel Trudgeon (31 disposals), Donovan Toohey and Josh D’Intinosante (26 disposals each) who finished off their fantastic seasons in style.
Kyle Weightman, Max Thompson, and Mitch Podhajski looked dangerous throughout the game, each kicking two goals. Coburg round out their season having made significant improvements compared to last year. They will look to keep their core group, while adding more talent to again surge up the ladder in season 2025.
