Few teams in history would have had to deal with the scrutiny Essendon has this season and the club's former coach Kevin Sheedy admitted this week most teams would have crumbled by now. Instead, the Bombers just keep on winning. They weren't at their best on Saturday, but still had too much class and experience for the combative Giants, recording a sixth straight win to remain well and truly embedded in the top four ahead of next week's showdown with Hawthorn.
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2. Sheedy makes his mark as a Bomber and a Giant
Saturday's encounter marked Sheedy's third and final game coaching against Essendon, who he led to four flags in 27 years. He wasn't able to record a win against his old side, but the Giants lived up to his pre-match promise of being far more competitive than they were against the Sydney Swans last week. He will leave an indelible mark on both clubs and injured key forward Jonathon Patton said on radio GWS wants to give Sheedy a decent send-off. "We all know that it's Sheeds' last year and I think a few of the boys have been saying 'let's do it for Sheeds and send him out on a good note'," he said. "It doesn't have to be a win, we just have to go out there and show a really good effort."
3. Premier League Giants warm up next door
Homebush Bay, the focus of the sporting world during the 2000 Olympic Games, was again a sporting mecca on Saturday, with Manchester United set to play an A-League All Stars game at ANZ Stadium following the GWS match. Sydney Olympic Park has also boasted the State of Origin and British and Irish Lions' deciders in rugby league and union respectively in recent weeks. With the Giants offering free entry to anyone with a ticket to the soccer, there was a good atmosphere at Skoda Stadium and a season-best crowd at the venue of 10,783 as the club continues to gradually build its profile.
4. A performance to keep the critics at bay
Nobody expects GWS to be setting the world on fire with such a young team in just its second year. What fans, critics and pundits alike to expect, however, is effort, something the Giants failed to show apart from the first 10 minutes in last week's 129-point loss to the Swans. But they should be applauded for their performance against Essendon on Saturday. Clearly outmatched in body-size and skill, GWS still kept fighting all day in the type of display that will prevent the type of scorn poured on the AFL's newest team from commentators after the SCG horror show.
5. Milestones keep flowing for a veteran Bomber
Some of the Giants, including Lachie Whitfield and Stephen Coniglio, hadn't been born when Dustin Fletcher began his career in round two, 1993. But the 38-year-old still shows no signs of slowing down, contesting his 11th game of the season on Saturday to take his career tally to 376. That moved him past Craig Bradley and into outright fifth on the all-time list and just two games behind Simon Madden's club record for the Bombers.
James Dampney is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow him on Twitter @AFL_JD
