The SUNS started strongly and had a gritty battle throughout the match, but were unable to withstand Essendon’s late surge which saw the Bombers running out 11.25 (91) to 11.13 (79) winners.
Inaccuracy plagued Essendon throughout the match, with the home side kicking 13 behinds to just four goals in the first half alone.
The SUNS set the early pace, winning the first quarter by 16 points before Essendon responded to cut the margin to just eight points at half-time.
Brayden Fiorini’s efforts were vital to the team, with the midfielder accumulating 30 disposals and five tackles for the match.
Fiorini could have had an even greater impact on the contest but will rue some missed opportunities in front of goal, registering three behinds on the day.
Rory Atkins played a brilliant game, leading the field with 42 disposals at the end and displaying poise with ball in hand.
Will Rowlands, Darcy Macpherson, Joel Jeffrey, and Lachlan Gulbin each contributed one goal, while Malcolm Rosas Jnr, Jack Mahony, and SamDay all contributed two goals to the team.
With 12 contested possessions, 22 hit-outs, 18 disposals, nine clearances, and a goal, Ned Moyle made a significant contribution in the ruck also.
Oskar Faulkhead's defensive efforts helped the SUNS display their resiliency, despite Finlay Gray's absence for a head assessment (and did not return).
Faulkhead recorded 20 disposals, five tackles, and seven marks to demonstrate his defensive skill.
Gray was ruled out with a concussion shortly after a knock in the first quarter, but was back on the bench later and in good spirits after the game.
VFL Head Coach Tate Kaelser said the coaching group had put an emphasis on the balance outside the contest during the half-time address.
“We thought we were doing some things really well in terms of our contest and our ball movement,” Kaesler said.
“We thought we were doing that pretty well, but probably the area that we thought we could get a bit better at was our layer two, which was our outside balance.
“We thought that they were getting us on the outside a little bit… and they started to be a bit more aggressive with their corridor ball movement.”
Essendon capitalized on their midfield capability taking the lead in the third term.
In the final quarter, Zak Evans displayed true courage in a scrimmage for the ball to help push Essendon into their half. But it wasn’t enough with the SUNS going down 91-79 to finish the game.
Looking ahead, the focus for the SUNS is to build on the positives from this match, address areas for improvement, and finish the season strongly. The team aims to refine their performance and peak as they approach the final round of the season ahead of the inaugural wildcard Finals round.
“I think the important part is that we take out the positives from the game, keep working on the areas that we can keep growing,” Kaesler said.
“We want to make sure that we finish this year off really solidly and leading into, the wildcard (round) and finals. We want to make sure that that's when we're playing our best footy.
“(We need to) iron out a few of those things and keep bringing what we're good at.”
The SUNS host the Casey Demons in the final round of the VFL home and away season on Saturday morning at People First Stadium.
