Essendon coach Ben Rutten’s concedes his side’s lack of “even contribution” was their ultimate downfall against West Coast on Friday night.
The Eagles snapped a nine-game losing streak, making an inaccurate Bombers pay to record a 10-point win in front of over 40,000 fans at Optus Stadium.
Essendon dominated the early stages, but as the game wore on West Coast – who welcomed back Liam Ryan and Tim Kelly – grew into the contest and made the most of their opportunities despite losing the inside 50 count (42 to 58).
Rutten said despite his side’s recent improvement, their lack of consistency during games was a part of their game they needed to fix.
“At half time we spoke about what was working for us,” he said post-match.
“But we didn’t have the ability to stick at it. We did not have as even a contribution across the board as we need.
“We have had, in the last two weeks, six pretty strong quarters of footy.
“We’re playing more the way we want to, getting our share of footy around the contest in those six quarters.
“The last couple of weeks there is improvement; we are seeing that. Second half we dropped off and the game doesn’t let you get away with that.”
The Bombers are currently languishing in 16th spot on the ladder, with a clash against Sydney at the MCG next up for Rutten’s side in Round 16.