Carlton edged Essendon by five points at the MCG on Sunday night, winning 10.12 to 10.7 after Harry McKay slowed the finish and left the Bombers without one last clear attacking chance. The result came in round 13 and turned a game Essendon had controlled for long stretches into another tight loss.
That is why people are looking up Josh Fraser now: this was not just a close scoreline, but a match decided by a late, deliberate piece of game management. McKay, 70 metres from goal with less than two minutes left, took his time before launching a long shot, and Essendon never got the final look it needed.
After the match, Dean Solomon backed the Carlton spearhead’s approach, saying it was smart to milk the clock and that McKay had used the rules well. He added that the Bombers put themselves in a winning position and there was nothing he could do to control it. The one passage that lingered longest was the finish itself: Fox Footy showed a clock freeze from 44 seconds to 24 seconds, but the broadcaster later said no actual time had been lost.
Essendon had been in command earlier, building a 23-point lead in the second term before the game slipped away. Sam Durham was a dominant figure in the first half, only for George Hewett to shut him down in the third term, and Carlton’s pressure from there kept the Bombers from regaining control.
Merrett was still one of Essendon’s best players in defeat, producing 33 disposals, 456 metres gained, seven score involvements and 67 per cent efficiency while operating away from his customary on-ball role. Solomon said the Bombers would continue using him at half-back, stressing the need to generate more drive from there and noting that his left foot gives them a different weapon. The coach said the move had been discussed through the week and felt it finished in a positive space by the end of the game.
The result leaves Essendon with another uncomfortable question beyond the five-point margin: whether this reshaped Merrett role becomes a permanent fixture while the club tries to steady itself for the rest of the season. Solomon’s answer on Sunday was clear enough — the experiment is staying, and Merrett will again be asked to help drive them from deep in defence.
