Zebras fall short in season finale against Essendon
18/08/2025
Zebs go down in a tough fight against Essendon on Saturday afternoon in our last game of the season, Pat's Match.
Photography by Ollie Tory
What started as a sunny Saturday afternoon at Wilson Storage Trevor Barker Beach Oval marked our final game of the season and our annual Pat’s Match supporting the Pat Cronin Foundation.
It was Ethan Williams who set the tone early, starting strong with an intercept mark and sending us inside 50. James Barrat then stood tall in defence with some strong marking before a free kick inside 50 saw Billy Richardson nail our first goal of the afternoon.
Essendon looked to play at a fast tempo, forcing us to slow the pace and absorb pressure, but Angus Hastie showed his composure late in the term with some critical spoils and clearances to keep us in the contest.
The second quarter began with Billy Johnson steady in our back half, hitting key targets to help us transition through to the midfield. Liam Henry provided the spark, collecting a sharp crumb inside 50 and snapping truly for our second goal. We kept pushing with repeat inside 50s and Henry struck again — this time finishing off a classy handball chain with a bit of magic from the pocket.
The hard work continued as we surged through the middle, and fittingly it was Hastie who finished with a superb goal on the run to give us momentum heading into the main break.
Half Time Score: Sandringham: 4.4 (28) | Essendon: 9.5 (59)
HT Stat Leaders: Kye Fincher: 16 disposals, Liam O’Connell: 16 disposals, 3 tackles, Liam Henry: 2 goals
We came out strong after the break, applying pressure to keep Essendon on their toes. Arie Schoenmaker pushed high up the field to give us drive going forward, and while the quarter was a tight, back-and-forth battle, we refused to give in.
Eamonn Armstrong lifted in the final term with relentless forward pressure and clean disposal of the ball, while Richardson continued to stand tall in defence with some strong spoils. Charlie Orchard and Jez Rigoni linked up to provide some dangerous forward 50 entries, before Orchard finished off some good teamwork with a composed snap goal. Jack Carroll was clean with the footy all day, and Bailey McKenzie earned himself a major with a clever left-foot snap.
To cap off the season, it was Hastie again who provided, finishing with a long-range goal on the run.
In the end, Essendon proved too strong.
Sandringham Zebras: 1.3 4.4 4.8 7.12 (54)
Essendon VFL: 6.3 9.5 14.7 17.13 (115)
Pat Cronin Medal Winner: Kye Fincher
Goals: Liam Henry 2, Angus Hastie 2, Billy Richardson, Charlie Orchard, Bailey McKenzie
Disposals: Jack Carroll 29, Kye Fincher 26, Ethan Williams 25, Blake Watson 22, Liam O'Connell 22
Written by Liam Brauer - Sandringham FC Media