ESSENDON has come from the clouds to pull off a dramatic one-point comeback win over Fremantle and keep their flickering finals hopes alive.
With their season on the line, the Bombers trailed by 25 points early in the fourth quarter at the MCG on Sunday afternoon before they pulled off a blistering run of five unanswered goals to take the lead.
BOMBERS v DOCKERS Full match coverage and stats
Jye Amiss drew the Dockers level from a free kick and superb goal with 36 seconds to play, but Zach Merrett burst forward from the subsequent centre clearance and handballed to Sam Durham, who kicked a point to deliver a 13.12 (90) to 14.5 (89) win.
Brad Scott's Bombers (ninth, 11-8-1) now sit two points outside the top eight with games against Gold Coast (Marvel Stadium), Sydney (Marvel Stadium) and Brisbane (the Gabba) to come.
The loss was particularly costly for Justin Longmuir's Dockers, who blew their chance to consolidate a top-four spot ahead of a brutal run home against fellow top-four contenders Geelong (Optus Stadium), GWS (Engie Stadium) and Port Adelaide (Optus Stadium).
It was the first time Fremantle (sixth, 12-1-7) had played Essendon at the MCG since 1999, with 34,381 fans on hand.
Dockers spearhead Josh Treacy went down holding his right knee after an aerial collision with Ben McKay in the fourth quarter, but he returned to play.
Essendon midfielder Jye Caldwell (32 disposals) continued his red-hot form, with help from Nic Martin (25 touches, two goals), Darcy Parish (34 disposals), Mason Redman (27 touches) and skipper Merrett.
Essendon dynamo Jake Stringer kicked four goals, with Jade Gresham adding three.
Fremantle midfielder Hayden Young booted two goals and racked up 28 disposals, alongside Andrew Brayshaw (33 disposals) and 100-gamer Caleb Serong (32 disposals).
Treacy (three goals), Jye Amiss (four), Luke Jackson (two) and Sam Sturt (two) all hit the scoreboard.
The Bombers started strongly and took a nine-point lead into the first break.
But in the second quarter, they failed to take their chances and Fremantle punished them to snatch a 13-point lead at half-time.
Stringer sparked Essendon with an overhead snap then a strong contested mark and goal midway through the third term.
The Dockers quickly responded to restore a 19-point lead at three-quarter time, but the Bombers found new life midway through the final term.
Martin kicked two goals either side of Nate Caddy's first major for the day before Gresham steered them in front.
Kyle Langford extended the lead before Amiss's late goal made for a thrilling finish.
Durham kicked his point on the run to nudge the Bombers back in front before Sam Draper took a huge contested mark to seal victory.
Zach's moment of merit
Zach Merrett had just two clearances for the day, but his centre bounce win in the dying seconds could well have been the most important of his career. With scores level and 36 seconds remaining, Merrett sprinted away from Hayden Young from the back of the centre circle, timing his run perfectly as Sam Draper's excellent tap fell in his lap. The Bombers skipper burst away and handballed to Sam Durham, who only had to hit the scoreboard to give the home side the lead back. He did so and the Bombers' season is still alive, thanks to their inspirational skipper.
Serong's record is so right
There were better Fremantle players on the day than Caleb Serong, but the Dockers star nonetheless picked up a small bit of history. With another 32 disposals, Serong has now had 20 or more disposals in 71 consecutive games, taking the AFL record off Western Bulldogs ball magnet Jack Macrae. Having been All-Australian last year, it would be a shock if Serong does not pick up another blazer at the end of the month.
Freo forward's nervous wait
Fremantle's Tom Emmett could come under scrutiny from the Match Review Officer for a tackle on Essendon's Jake Leverde late in the second term. Emmett caught the Bombers defender cold on Essendon's defensive 50 and while one umpire awarded holding ball in Fremantle's favour, the other umpire saw that Laverde's head had hit the turf in Emmett's tackle and awarded a free kick to the Bombers. Emmett is hardly the biggest name at the Dockers, but he's the kind of under-the-radar player who has played a role this season so Fremantle will have their fingers crossed he escapes a ban when the MRO's report lands on Monday.
ESSENDON 5.4 6.6 8.9 13.12 (90)
FREMANTLE 4.1 9.1 12.4 14.5 (89)
GOALS
Essendon: Stringer 4, Gresham 3, Martin 2, Langford 2, Draper, Caddy
Fremantle: Amiss 4, Treacy 3, Young 2, Sturt 2, Jackson 2, Frederick
BEST
Essendon: Merrett, Caldwell, Stringer, Parish, Redman, Shiel, Martin
Fremantle: Young, Amiss, Brayshaw, Ryan, Serong, Clark
INJURIES
Essendon: Nil
Fremantle: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
Essendon: Alwyn Davey jnr (replaced Nick Bryan in the fourth quarter)
Fremantle: James Aish (replaced Neil Erasmus in the third quarter)
Crowd: 34,381 at the MCG
