"You bloody beauty" - Fans in awe as star forward fires Essendon to narrow Dreamtime victory over Richmond in milestone game

The Essendon Bombers have defeated the Richmond Tigers in a thrilling round-11 match that was full of highlight moments and surprises. Jake Stringer opened the scoring with an incredible goal just three minutes in.

Richmond’s Kamdyn McIntosh responded quickly with a long-range kick to tie the Bombers at 1.1.

Stringer secured the lead for Essendon once again with a second goal. although the lead didn’t last long as Dustin Martin snagged another for his side, tying things up.

The Bombers were likely not expecting Richmond to bring such a fight to them. The pressure from the Tigers was unreal, but the Bombers were undeterred as Stringer booted his third goal, proving himself to be a real asset to his team.

As with the previous Essendon goals, Richmond would respond in kind, this time through a Shai Bolton set shot goal.

Essendon would go on to take an 11-point lead during the second quarter, with goals from Alwyn Davey, Nick Hind and Jordan Ridley. The Tigers were slow to respond, but Mykelti Lefau reduced Essendon’s lead to six points by the main break.

Jake Stringer opened the third quarter with his fourth goal of the game, once again handing his side a solid lead. This time, Richmond’s Bolton and Martin scored their second and third goals, respectively to cut Essendon’s lead to two points.

Richmond blew their chances in the final term, kicking four behinds early in the quarter. The Bombers, however, remained clinical. Zach Merrett kicked a beautiful goal to open the final quarter for the Bombers, a much-needed goal as they were already 18 minutes into the period.

The game ended with a 86-74 victory for the Bombers and another loss for Richmond. That said, this was a solid performance by the Tigers and there were moments where it looked like they would walk away with the win. Though they remain outside the winning circle, Richmond fans can celebrate the superb performance from their team that harks back to better times.

Jake Stringer was the clear star of the match, scoring four goals to lead his side to a narrow but well-deserved victory. Fans rushed to Twitter to celebrate Stringer’s phenomenal performance.

An excited @breauxtown commented, saying, “Jake Stringer is the fucking man”

@rukiyedx said, “Jake Stringer is on fire in game 200”

In a more analytical tweet, @americansfooty noted, “And Jake Stringer, you most definitely have our attention. What is it with players lifting in milestone games?”

“Jordan Ridley. Jake Stringer. that's it,” said @twothirty7 acknowledging both Stringer and Ridley in his tweet.

Richmond Tigers return to prime form?

AFL Rd 11 - Richmond v Essendon

Despite losing this match, the Richmond Tigers gave what was arguably their best performance of the season against the Bombers, who now seem set for the No 2 spot on the ladder.

Richmond has been at the receiving end of a number of humiliating defeats this season, so naturally fans and analysts were expecting absolute domination from the Bombers. In reality, the Tigers showed us that they’re still a threat and can compete with the top teams in the league.

While the Bombers celebrate Jake Stringer, the Tigers are equally pleased by Dustin Martin completely owning the field. In what is his 298th game, Richmond’s Martin kicked three goals, missing two more attempts in the final term.

Their slowed pace in the fourth quarter was exacerbated by Shai Bolton’s surprise injury after a collision with Mykelti Lefau put him out of the contest. Despite their unexpected bad luck, the Tigers’ pressure was stunning, and if Essendon were a lesser team, they would have certainly folded.

Is it safe to say the Tigers are back? We can’t be certain but if it is indeed the case, then we can expect more amazing performances from them in the near future.