CATS OVERCOME TERRIBLE START AND BOMBERS IN BENDIGO
Ben Jensen 12 March 2017

JLT COMMUNITY SERIES 2017: ESSENDON BOMBERS V GEELONG CATS THE CATS put in a shocker of a first half prompting at least one disgruntled Cat fan to call me early in the second half and 'hundreds' of angry tweets to defeat the Bombers in Bendigo. The Cats trailed by effectively seven goals at half time but wound the Bombers back in with one supergoal and eight 'normal' goals to Essendon's two goals in the third quarter to lead by seven points at the final change. The Cats stretched the margin in the final term to 22 points, a result that very much looked in doubt in the first half but when you consider Essendon fields a side who by and large missed 2016 through the drug-related suspension you'd expect them to fade away.

GEELONG: 0.2.4, 0.5.7, 1.13.10, 1.17.11 (122) DEFEATED
ESSENDON: 0.5.2, 2.9.5, 2.11.6, 2.12.10 (100)

GOALS
GEELONG: Hawkins 4, Menzel 3, Selwood 2, Cockatoo 2, Taylor, Murdoch, Horlin-Smith, Lang, Murdoch, McCarthy Supergoals: Mackie
ESSENDON: McDonald-Tipungwuti 4, McKernan 3 (including one supergoal), Stewart 2, Daniher 2, Langford, Ambrose Supergoals: McKernan, Merrett

BEST
GEELONG: Selwood, Dangerfield, Henderson, Mackie, Cockatoo, Hawkins
ESSENDON: McDonald-Tipungwuti, Watson, Merrett, McKernan, Heppell

INJURIES
GEELONG: Nil reported
ESSENDON: Leuenberger (hamstring), Laverde (ankle)

UMPIRES: Leeroy Fisher, Eleni Glouftsis, Justin 'Messer' Schmitt

CROWD: 8391 at Queen Elizabeth Oval, Bendigo