James Hird's Essendon is under pressure. Picture: Wayne Ludbey
IT was the perfect storm for Essendon.
It came three-fold in the first quarter at the MCG and the consequences could affect the remainder of its season.
Foremost it was Collingwood and a relentless first 30 minutes that yielded 5.3 to 0.2 in pouring rain.
The Pies won the disposal count 121-73, contested ball 47-29, tackles 22-14 and inside-50s 19-11.
It was Collingwood of yesteryear, or at least at its absolute best: Oppressive with pressure, workrate, numbers at the contest and wonderful spread.
Secondly, Essendon's attitude was shot.
Players were either second to the ball or pushed off the ball. They coughed it up, fumbled, their workrate was poor, and soon enough the Bombers' coaching staff had so many spotfires it would've looked like an inferno.
Then the Dons lost half-back flanker Courtenay Dempsey, who was gone with a hamstring injury.
Hindsight is easy, but the game was over by the quarter-time siren.
Thirdly, moments before the game, the Dons confirmed they had the ASADA report from the AFL.
That had no bearing on the effort. You have to ask, however, what bearing it had in the build up.
Coach James Hird has been savaged for several weeks, culminating with former high-performance manager Dean Robinson unloading in a paid interview on Wednesday night.
The players threw their support behind the coach, but on Friday night the same players would have been anxious about what was in the ASADA report, which was in the hands of the AFL.
After seven months, their anxiety choked them as much as the Magpies.
Clearly, the Bombers were shellshocked.
Maybe it was mental exhaustion that led to physical exhaustion. Certainly, it was a ferocious Collingwood.
Arguably, it was both.
Essendon's season is on the cliff edge.
They will play finals but don't appear capable of being a threat to anyone.
They have been munched in the dry and in the wet by Hawthorn and the Magpies in consecutive weeks.
While Richmond, Fremantle, Collingwood and Port Adelaide approach September with confidence, the Bombers are laboring.
Pick just about any Essendon player and there's a query about an aspect of their game. For example, Jake Carlisle (in the air), David Myers (efficiency), Jake Melksham (consistency), Brent Stanton (clearances), Travis Colyer (impact), Nick Kommer (impact) and even Dustin Fletcher (body on body).
In 2012 they gave up the ghost at Round 15. This year it appears it was Round 18.
Of course, yesterday wasn't about cry me a river for the losers. The Magpies were magnificent.
In the conditions, they had numbers at the contest, had numbers free at the back to rebound, were first to the ball, and tackled as if the mantra was lay three tackles or be dropped.
Fourteen players laid three or more tackles, led by Heath Shaw and Jarryd Blair with eight each.
They had winners everywhere and a winning attitude everywhere.
At the back, Steele Sidebottom continues to be a masterful tactical move, and he and Heath Shaw, Marley Williams and Ben Sinclair gave the Magpies rebound and attack.
Harry O'Brien as a defensive wingman left Brendon Goddard waving his arms more than usual, Swan and Pendlebury had 30 and 26 respectively, Ball and Blair were torpedos with their intensity, Beams just glides on his way to collecting 25-plus possessions and ruckman Brodie Grundy is beyond his years.
The rest of them all played their role: Maxwell, Keeffe and Brown at the back, Dwyer down the wing, Cloke kicked five, Reid three and Jamie Elliott three, and Quinten Lynch was back to early-season form.
It was a complete performance. The issue is making yesterday's effort the norm. It's Sydney this week, and they don't have mental demons knocking on their door.
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