1. Are the Bombers more worthy finalists?
It's a question you wouldn't have pondered a month ago, with Collingwood set in the top eight and pushing for a top-four berth. Fast-forward to Sunday night and it's a completely different landscape, with the Magpies facing a battle just to play finals after four losses in five games. The Bombers drew level on nine wins with the Pies, overtook them on percentage, and right now they appear much more capable of having an impact in September. Mark Thompson's men play just one team in the top eight in their last six games (the Sydney Swans), while Collingwood faces two (Port Adelaide and Hawthorn). The round 18 clash against Adelaide at the MCG will go a long way to deciding the Magpies' fate.
2. Carlisle controls the air
After starting the game opposed to Nick Maxwell, Jake Carlisle roamed with authority to finish with 19 marks – the most by an Essendon player in history. The key tall, who has been used at both ends of the ground this season, took eight contested mark and seven inside 50, also kicking a career-high four goals in his best game as a forward. The record for marks in a match is held by Brian Lake and Greg Parke (24), but Carlisle's performance surpassed the best efforts from champion forwards Nick Riewoldt (18 marks), Matthew Pavlich (18) and Jonathan Brown (17). Backing up from an impressive performance in defence in round 16 against Port Adelaide, he has been given freedom to float where he is needed, Thompson said.
3. Bombers fill leadership void
Captain Jobe Watson joked pre-game that Brent Stanton would do well to avoid suspension while leading the Bombers on Sunday, referencing Brendon Goddard's one-match ban while he was stand-in skipper last week. Not only did Stanton stay out of trouble, he led the team superbly with 32 possessions and 14 marks. Support came from recruit Paul Chapman, who reprised his brilliant early-season form to kick three goals, including two superb efforts across his body in the pocket. The Bombers had leaders all over the ground and remained composed while their opponents unravelled.
4. Sub-standard
Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley made a surprise move midway through the third quarter when he pulled Clinton Young from the match and handed him the red vest. It was unexpected because defender Nick Maxwell was under an injury cloud at the time, having earlier hobbled from the ground and seeking treatment for a left ankle injury. The Magpies were under siege at the time, having conceded eight unanswered goals, and Buckley would have injected Ben Kennedy into the match early in hope of a spark. Young, who finished with eight possessions and a goal, didn't hide his disappointment.
5. Pies' forward woes
It wasn't the case that Collingwood didn't get the ball in its attacking zone enough - it fell just two inside 50s short of Essendon (49-51). It was the quality of those entries and the forward's inability to take marks that ultimately cost Buckley's men. The Magpies took just five marks inside 50 (compared to the Bombers' 17), with spearhead Travis Cloke held to zero and Jesse White just one. With Cale Hooker blanketing Cloke, the Pies' forward line lost all sense of structure and the team was eventually held to its lowest score against Essendon since 1927.
