Bombers end 12-match losing streak as Nate Caddy hospitalised with heart issue
Oliver Caffrey, ed jackson, Nick Smart And Scott Spits
Updated ,first published
Your daily football news package in today’s AFL Briefing:
- The Western Bulldogs piled more pressure on the Gold Coast with a nine-point win.
- Hawthorn dined at low-key Richmond at the MCG on Sunday.
- Carlton forward Harry McKay suffered bone bruising and a small tear to his meniscus against Collingwood.
Don’s joy: Bombers end losing streak
Oliver Caffrey
A happy Dean Solomon described Essendon’s surprising three-point upset of inconsistent GWS as “such a good feeling”.
The Bombers, who had won just one of their previous 30 games, played with a sense of urgency to finally give Solomon his first win in his 10th game as interim coach, including three on the Gold Coast in 2017.
Leading at every break, Essendon twice surrendered their advantage in a frenzied final period but responded with clutch goals from Sullivan Robey and Peter Wright.
With the wildcard position still open, the Giants desperately tried to take back the lead in the final stages, but Essendon held on to claim a famous 10.7 (67) to 8.16 (64) win amid scenes of delirium in front of a small but vocal crowd at Marvel Stadium.
This was Essendon’s first win since beating Melbourne in the Gather Round in Adelaide on 11 April; but they had not won a match in Victoria since May 2025.
The Bombers, who were devastated by Brisbane last Sunday and have lost 12 consecutive games, were given almost no hope of matching the red-hot Giants.
“It’s a great feeling,” Solomon said.
“Our football club has been on its knees for a while and the football world has jumped on it and they enjoy us sitting on the bottom.
“We felt it and we didn’t like it, so to step back a little bit and get a win, even if it’s just a win, I’m really happy for these players.”
The result continues GWS’ surprising trend of struggling against lower-ranked opposition, while also dispatching last year’s grand finalists Brisbane and Geelong and attacking ranking leaders Fremantle in their previous seven games.
As well as the Bombers, GWS also dropped games to St Kilda (twice) and West Coast.
“It was incredibly disappointing,” Giants coach Adam Kingsley said.
“Messages about our consistency and our ability to perform against every team in the competition, not just those above us.”
Another concern for the Giants was that they lost captain Toby Greene in the third quarter to what appeared to be a serious quad injury; This meant he would miss next Saturday’s Sydney derby against the Swans.
Further delighting the home crowd, former Essendon forward Jake Stringer endured a fearsome game in front of goal on a tough night for the Giants, finishing with 0.7.
Essendon’s only concern was young star Nate Caddy, who was taken to hospital with an elevated heart rate.
Caddy, who was recently re-signed until the end of 2031 in a bid to provide a major boost to the Fighting Bombers, did not return to the field after the quarter.
Solomon announced that Caddy was able to leave the hospital but will undergo further tests later in the week.
“While it was sad in a way to do this without him, it was also a pretty superb effort from this group,” Solomon said.
The result could prove costly for GWS, who would have jumped to 10th place and wildcard status had they beaten the Bombers.
This also lifted Essendon to 17th, sending Richmond to the bottom of the table.
AAP
Bulldogs inflict more pain on Suns in nine-point win
Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick believes his side fell short at crucial moments following their nine-point defeat against the Western Bulldogs.
Sunday’s 11.11 (77) to 9.14 (68) defeat at People First Stadium was the Suns’ eighth consecutive defeat and further weakened their hopes of breaking into the top 10.
This victory for the Bulldogs cements them in seventh place and gives them breathing room above the chasing pack in and around the crucial 10th spot on the ladder.
Gold Coast’s loss came despite the Suns having 91 more disposals, nine more clearances and 11 more inside-50s than the visitors.
Hardwick’s admission of a 10-minute period in the third quarter in which the Bulldogs did not score five goals was symptomatic of a wider problem in his team’s inability to capitalize when the game was on the line.
“We got a lot of permits,” Hardwick said. “We slapped them with the contested ball. We slapped them by intervening. We slapped them in the 50s.
“We lost the match.
“At the end of the day, the game looks like a Suns game for 80 percent (but) it’s out of reach for 20 percent.
“Thank goodness for the Bulldogs, they defended pretty well but there were shots we should have scored but we didn’t.
“Our guys are paid to score goals, and unfortunately, if you don’t, that goal will come back to you in a near-miss game.”
The Suns’ lack of cutting edge was summed up by a bad day for Ben King in front of goal; The key forward finished the match with 1.4.
Christian Petracca kicked two goals but was also responsible for a key third-quarter smackdown that allowed Rory Lobb to score during the Bulldogs’ game-winning drive.
On a team that was without Tom Liberatore (sore) and Riley Garcia (hamstring strain) and missing Bailey Dale for the first time since 2020, superstar Marcus Bontempelli did what the Suns couldn’t in crunch time.
The Bulldogs’ captain kicked three goals, including two in the first quarter, while Matthew Kennedy celebrated the birth of his second child with three majors of his own.
Bailey Humphrey was busy making 29 disposals and gaining 765 metres, while Petracca and Leo Lombard kicked two goals each for the Suns, with Touk Miller (39 disposals, five tackles, nine clearances) and Matt Rowell (26 disposals, 11 tackles and eight clearances) in midfield.
“It was impressive for the boys to come in at halftime and settle in and then go through the third quarter like we did,” Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said.
“It probably got a bit shaky towards the end, but we’re really happy with the result… We won a couple of important interstate races and that’s as important as any other.”
Gold Coast travel to face Carlton next week, while the Bulldogs play at home against Richmond.
AAP
Watson and Lewis score as Hawthorn destroy bottom-flight Tigers
Hawthorn returned to third in the AFL standings with a huge percentage boost thanks to a brutal 70-point demolition of lowly Richmond at the MCG.
The Hawks entered the clash in sixth place following other results this weekend, but their score of 18.14 (122) to 6.16 (52) against the Tigers made a significant statement and lifted them back into the top four.
Sunday’s final margin flattered Richmond after scoring a couple of late consolation goals as Hawthorn got comfortable in the final period.
They were ahead by as many as 87 points in the third quarter.
Out-of-contract Hawk Mitch Lewis took the lead in the first half, scoring five goals.
Goalsneak Nick Watson also accompanied him by scoring five goals with his magnificent performance in the first half.
The Hawks’ only injury concern was Jack Ginnivan, who was withdrawn by the club at halftime with “back pain”.
For Richmond, it was a poor way to commemorate triple premiership player Dion Prestia’s 250th cap.
The only positive was that veteran Tom Lynch finally scored his 500th goal late in the final term after being stuck at 499 for a few weeks.
While Tiger Taj Hotton could not finish the game after suffering an ankle injury, youngster Steely Green finished the match under HIA.
Returning after a two-week injury spell, Watson picked up where he left off by scoring the first goal midway through the first term after both teams started on foot.
He managed to score the second goal in the first quarter, but was left behind by the angry state of Lewis, who scored three goals in the first 30 minutes.
Had the siren not been narrowly missed, Lewis would have scored four goals in the quarter.
But Lewis didn’t have to wait long on his way to five majors for his fourth, which came early in the second semester.
The hapless Tigers were held goalless in the first term and what would have been a wonderful Seth Campbell goal late in the term was cruelly denied by an ARC nullification.
Richmond fans had to wait until the ninth minute of the second quarter to cheer on their side’s first major game, courtesy of Patrick Retschko.
The Tigers scored twice in a minute after Mykelti Lefau actually kicked, but all the joy was short-lived as Hawthorn collected the next six.
Hawthorn led by 63 points at half-time, their biggest half-time lead in the last five seasons under coach Sam Mitchell.
The Hawks threatened to extend the margin to over 100 points in the third term before the Tigers made the scoreline more respectable at the final siren.
AAP
McKay could play for Carlton despite injury
Scott Spits, Danny Russell
Carlton forward Harry McKay suffered bone bruising and a small tear to his meniscus after a freak clash against Collingwood at the MCG on Saturday night that commentators described as harmless.
Sunday’s scans confirmed the prediction of McKay, who was forced to leave the field early during the Blues’ 21-point defeat to the Magpies, which knocked Carlton out of the wild card race.
McKay took a knee with teammate Sam Walsh early in the first quarter. Although the impact was benign, McKay was unable to run and lifted himself off the ground.
His absence left the Carlton forward line short of potential.
The Blues said midfielder Adam Cerra, who suffered a hamstring strain and left the game in the second quarter, was not experiencing any strain. Carlton said McKay and Cerra would be tested and both could play against Gold Coast at Marvel Stadium next Saturday.
Carlton’s caretaker coach Josh Fraser would be less than impressed with the severity of McKay’s injury.
“These things can sometimes look worse than they look,” Fraser said after the match. “I don’t know. I haven’t received any further information about it.”
Fox Footy commentator David King was stunned by McKay’s injury. “No one questions whether he was injured or not,” he said.
“We wonder whether this is a painful problem or a structural problem. When you have this much impact on the group, six or seven roles in the team change and they were in the game.”
Collingwood coach Craig McRae admitted McKay’s absence for much of the night helped with the lack of personnel in the Magpies’ backline.
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