Essendon storm home from 25 points down for first win of the season
Essendon finally have a win in 2026. The Bombers came from 25 points down to beat Greater Western Sydney by eight points at Henson Park on October 3, 6.7 (43) to 5.5 (35).
In footy scoring, that reads as six goals and seven behinds for a total of 43 points. The margin was eight points. It was a Round 8 away win for Essendon, according to the AFL match listing AFL.
GWS owned the start. The Giants kicked five of the first six goals and still led by a game-high 25 points at the start of the third quarter ABC News. Then they stopped. GWS managed only one point for the entire second half.
Madison Prespakis dragged Essendon back into it. She finished with 35 disposals — kicks and handballs combined — and five clearances, which are clean wins of the ball from a stoppage.
Her third quarter was huge. Thirteen disposals, six contested possessions, three clearances and a goal. Contested possession means winning the ball under direct pressure. She found space where there was none.
Essendon hit the front through Daria Bannister. Her long-range goal capped an end-to-end play and gave the Bombers the lead. Emily Gough kicked two goals, including a checkside from a forward-50 stoppage to seal it. A checkside is a kick across the body that bends sideways. A stoppage is the restart after a tackle or ball-up.
Both teams are now 1-7. GWS sit 15th. Essendon sit 16th. The result leaves St Kilda as the only winless team in the competition.
For fans, this means relief in red and black. Coach Natalie Wood's side had started 0-7 after a final-quarter fightback against West Coast fell short the week before.
The Saints had a brutal afternoon elsewhere on October 3. The Western Bulldogs beat St Kilda by 30 points at Mars Stadium in Ballarat Western Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs kicked 3.13 (31) to 0.1 (1). Rylie Wilcox, Sarah Hartwig and Cleo Buttifant kicked the Bulldogs' three goals. St Kilda's only score was a behind — worth one point for a miss — by Ashleigh Richards in the final 90 seconds.
That single point is St Kilda's lowest ever score in an AFLW match. Isabelle Pritchard led the Bulldogs with 35 disposals and six clearances.
