North Melbourne defender Luke McDonald was spotted mocking rival Conor McKenna – who had a coronavirus scare last month – but covered his face as the Essendon star approached.
The AFL Premiership was in turmoil three weeks ago after McKenna had a positive result for a COVID-19 test. The 24-year-old was quarantined for two weeks and returned at Metricon Stadium on Saturday evening on matchday six.
During a brief fight between Essendon and the kangaroos, McDonald could not resist making fun of McKenna, covering his mouth with his hands, and turning away from the halfback.
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It was by no means convincing, but the bombers secured a 14-point victory over North Melbourne on the Gold Coast.
Both teams did not agree to their kicks during the entire competition, and neither club could consistently score goals from the 1950s.
Regardless, Essendon fans will celebrate after the club clinched their fourth win in five games and moved them up to fourth place on the AFL leaderboard.
Bomber striker David Zaharakis rediscovered his form on the Gold Coast and scored three goals, two defeats, 20 departures and three points. The 30-year-old led his club to 9.13 (67) to 7.11 (53) victory, with teammate Kyle Langford also scoring two goals.
North Melbourne was in the lead after the first quarter, and Essendon started the second period with sequential backlogs, both of which should have been converted. The bombers scored only three goals in their first 14 shots on goal.
At 5.11 on the scoreboard at half-time, the kangaroos were still in competition, despite having difficulty maintaining possession in the second quarter.
The great Adam Cooney told of Western Bulldogs AFL nation: “You will throw yourself out of this if you are not careful.”
In the meantime, North Melbourne only managed three marks from the first 44 during the collision in the 1950s.
Essendon star Dylan Shiel will be excited to hear from the Match Review Officer after meeting Kangaroos youngster Curtis Taylor in third term. The Rising Star candidate retired to the dressing rooms to be rated for the high goal, but returned to the field soon after.
Bomber Andrew McGrath ended the match with 25 exits, while Darcy Parish impressed with 21 exits and seven releases.
Next weekend, Essendon will face the Western Bulldogs at Metricon Stadium on Friday night.
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