Young gun Rhyan Mansell’s late miss has come back to haunt Richmond after Essendon went coast-to-coast to beat the Tigers for the first time in nine years snatch victory at the MCG.
Mansell had the chance to kick Richmond ahead by more than a goal or at least ensure they could walk away with a Dreamtime draw at worst.
Instead, he kicked it out on the full and the Bombers – after trailing for the last hour of the match – went on to seal a last-minute win through Sam Durham.
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“I was only thinking about my debut, how I missed that set shot right in the square. I’m glad that went through,” Durham told Channel 7.
Mansell had lined up for goal on a slight but not impossible angle with 2:48 left on the clock.
His kick started right and landed well out of bounds on the full.
“This is just about his biggest moment of his short career… Rhyan Mansell, and the pressure’s got to him! He didn’t score at all,” Luke Darcy said in commentary.
“It was a nervous run-up, wasn’t it, stuttering, stuttering, stuttering,” Jobe Watson added.
Essendon’s match-winning play started with Jordan Ridley at full-back but took a brief intermission when Richmond cleared it out of their defensive 50.
The crucial break deep in the pocket came from Jake Stringer, who appeared to take the unselfish option when he snapped the ball to the top of the goal square.
“Sam Durham hasn’t seen a moment like this in his life,” Darcy said.
The 2022 mid-season draftee kicked truly, a 10.11 (71) to 10.10 (70) victory ending Essendon’s four-game losing streak.
More to come…
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Source: 7News