Essendon vs Collingwood – AFL Anzac Day LIVE: All the latest updates with just one point

Nik Cox has been ordered off the field with the Essendon support staff looking confused. Someone didn’t have their paperwork in order.

It was going to take something pretty special to beat Bobby Hill’s Messi-like kick to set up a goal – and Jamie Elliott went way beyond pretty special with his towering grab over Ben McKay.

Just over a minute left in the third and the Bombers set up well, only for it to be rushed through for a behind.

Jamie Elliott tries to take another screamer and gets up gingerly after crashing back to the turf.

The Bombers are topping the possession count by 50 but you wouldn’t think that from how even this quarter has been.

Harrison Jones marks in the forward pocket just before the siren sounds. He’s on a shocking angle… and kicks accordingly. One point in it.

A quick-fire exchange of possessions involving Maynard and De Goey saw Beau McCreery streak out of the centre square in the clear and find Lachie Schulz, who just squeezed his set shot through.

Patrick Lipinski replies after taking a simple mark off the back of a free kick when Cox was held back in the ruck.

Bobby Hill comes within inches of an Eddie Betts-like major as he dribbles the ball from about as hard an angle as you can get, only for it to just miss. That would have set the crowd alight.

Jamie Elliott looked like he had a jet pack strapped to him here…

Kyle Langford replies for the Dons after some smart lead-up work made his kick all but a foregone conclusion. Goldstein to Gresham connection broke the Pies defence down.

Jamie Elliott has just climbed right up McKay’s 200cm frame to take an absolute speccie. You’ll be seeing that grab once or twice more this year – it was special. He looked about 12 feet tall when he plucked the ball out of the air. That is leading the mark of the year contenders by the length of the Flemington straight.

No mistake with the kick, either.

Harrison Jones misses to the right after getting a set shot courtesy of a free he was given for being interfered with in a marking contest.

The Bombers work it out of the centre square again but they’re repelled by the Pies.

A much more even contest in this period after the huge momentum swings of quarters one and two.

Brad Scott’s adjustments at halftime appear to be paying off as the Dons have more options when they come under pressure.

Now Isaac Quaynor gives away a stupid, stupid free for a push in the back and Merrett lines up from a challenging spot about 45 out – and misses by a fraction.

Half the crowd thought so as he was collected high by Merrett – but the ump thought he was falling into that one. Some good pressure by the Dons for a change and Stringer makes a smart decision to feed his teammate instead of taking a shot himself. Alwyn Davey Jr whacks it through the sticks after running onto a handpass in the goal square.

The Pies draw first blood with the centre clearance but a Heppell mark snuffs out their progress.

Peter Wright takes a simple mark after the Dons work it inside their 50 with ease, just like they did in the first quarter. But his kick wafts just to the right…

Seven’s commentary team are confident the answer is yes – and the below pic shows they could well be right. The G is as full as a fat bloke’s sock and last year’s record of 95,179 could be bettered when the official number is announced later today.

Disposals: 177-162 Bombers

Free kicks: 13-12 Bombers

Merrett tops the possession count of all players on the field at the main break, with the Bombers just shading the Pies for disposals and kicks.

Frampton takes a strong grab over Stringer and gets marched up the ground courtesy of two 50s. The ump was telling Jake Kelly to get out of it but the Dons star claims he never heard him.

Essendon finally slowed things down a bit there and got a clean break from the non-stop pressure the Pies have been applying all quarter. Stringer’s snap was a difficult chance that went wide to the right for a behind.

But he makes up for that with great body position earning him a mark against Billy Frampton. Then he goes wide right again with a very disappointing set shot.

Brilliant unsighted, over-the-head handball from Ben Hobbs on the wing started that movement off as the Dons finally found their way past Collingwood’s iron curtain in their forward half. Mason Redman marked well and got it into the goal square before Draper snapped truly.

There’s Nick Daicos! The young superstar smashes it through from about 45 out, right in front, after the Bombers turned it over under intense pressure once again.

The Pies are killing them with turnovers and intercepts in their forward half.

Mihocek won the turnover at the 50m line, offloaded to Josh Daicos, who found Lachie Schulz right near the boundary line. No shame in missing that one.

Then, just seconds later, Mihocek slams his third major home after a nice grab from Maynard, who kicked it into the goal square for his teammate to pluck it out of the air off a deflection to leave himself with an easy snap for a major.

Will Hoskin-Elliott slots it home from about 10 metres, right in front, and the Pies are storming back. Pressure as the Dons tried to work it into the centre square kicked that one off, with Josh Daicos providing Hoskin-Elliott with a great kick that he marked easily.

Jade Gresham snaps but his aim is off under a fair amount of pressure.

The game has shifted markedly. Brad Scott will not be happy with his team’s lack of killer instinct. Gone are the big Dons marks that punctuated the first quarter and Collingwood are starting to suffocate them when they try to work the ball downfield.

Bobby Hill can’t convert from a difficult angle. That would’ve made it four of the last six goals to the Pies.

Mihocek goes up for a speccie but Ben McKay gives away the free as he slams into him. The Pies half-forward makes no mistake this time and the Magpies are working their way back into this slowly but surely.

Sidebottom is pinged, giving Langford a decent shot on goal – but he bends it left, which is becoming a bit of a theme with shots on goal at that end of the ground.

Can’t recall hearing his name called today – which is stunning for a bloke who usually turns up deluxe in big games like this.

Mihocek takes a strong mark and Laverde gives his arm a tug, resulting in a 50 that takes the Pies star right to the 50m line – but he kicks his third behind of the day.

It didn’t look like Alwyn Davey Jr was trying to hustle that through for a behind – seemed like more of a fumble as he turned his eyes upfield looking to clear the Sherrin.

Another clearance for the Dons through Jake Stringer… and De Goey is caught with the ball, then gives away a 50 when he tugs on Stringer’s foot in frustration.

That gives the Bomber a nice shot at goal – which he misses! James Brayshaw is not happy with the position of the man on the mark there and blames Stringer’s mistake on it.

This pinpoint pass off the outside of his right boot has to be seen to be believed. Dons are well on top but this is the play of the match so far.

Brody Mihocek will be kicking himself for that miss. He had a golden chance to really give Brad Scott and his charges something to think about in the huddle during the first break.

The game is really opening up now; both sides have just moved the ball about three-quarters of the length of the field in rapid succession.

The Dons get a behind through Harrison Jones but the Pies strike back through Jamie Elliott, but that goal belonged to Bobby Hill, who set him up with an incredible kick from right out on the boundary on the 50-metre line.

Mitchell, to Crisp, to Noble, then a great lead and mark from Bobby Hill. That’s more like it – swift, decisive and clinical work out of the centre there. But for all that it’s only worth a behind as Hill swings it too far left on what should have been a makeable attempt.

The Bombers tall stuck his knee into his opposite during a ball-up but Collingwood get nothing from the free kick.

De Goey drives the ball close to goal but it’s tapped through for a behind.

There’s a huge gulf between the teams in almost every key stat now.

That was the Pies great’s 10,000th disposal.

An incredible feat – then Stringer almost steals the limelight by coming within a whisker of taking an absolute screamer.

They’re currently 6-1 in the Dons’ favour… and Maynard was just caught with the ball, to add to the Pies’ woes. Wright gets up for another grab in the pocket but can’t make it stick.

Peter Wright takes full advantage of a free for holding right on the 50-metre line and that never looked like missing.

Strong marking has been one of the keys to the Dons’ early supremacy, and Peter Wright just took a nice grab about 20 out before kicking true on an easy angle.

Jamie Elliott and Mihocek can’t convert but this is far better from Collingwood as they mount sustained pressure in the Dons’ forward line.

Draper takes a strong mark but can’t find his man, then the teams trade intercept marks with Darcy Moore stifling an attacking raid in the forward pocket.

A behind to McCreery – then he comes within inches of adding a major to that just seconds later, but he fumbles under huge pressure from the Bombers right in the goal square. Essendon clear it out with a long kick that’s marked strongly by Peter Wright.

A turnover in the forward pocket sees Brady Mihocek snap true from about 10 metres out after some quick handballs put him in great position.

And Seven’s announcers claim last year’s crowd record of 95,179 is likely to be broken today.

Essendon fans could not have asked for a better start. Their team are shifting the ball with ease, constantly getting more numbers around the contest than the Pies, and this time it’s Darcy Parish with the sausage roll.

Another quick drive into the goal square reaps rewards for the Bombers as Harrison Jones scoops up the loose ball and slots home from another acute angle.

They just worked the ball from deep in their own half to Jake Stringer in the forward pocket with three precise kicks. He nails a long shot from a very difficult angle. To say he’s happy with that would be an understatement.

The Pies boss is known for wearing his heart on his sleeve and he did just that moments before play got underway.

The Bombers win the first bounce through Sam Draper, who gets both hands on the ball but can’t make good use of it and there’s a quick ball-up before Essendon quickly work it forward and Kyle Langford kicks true. First blood to Brad Scott’s men.

The crowd has observed the traditional period of silence, the Last Post and national anthems of New Zealand and Australia have been played, complete with a flyover during Advance Australia Fair, and we’re all set for the blockbuster.

We’re about 10 minutes from kickoff and veterans have waved to the crowd as they complete a circuit of footy’s most famous ground.

Some of them will be old enough to remember Anzac Day in 1959, which fell on a Saturday – back when all VFL games were played on that afternoon of the week.

Instead of playing the round, all matches were postponed for a week due to restrictions in place at the time. They were lifted in 1960, when the first VFL clashes were played on one of the most sacred of days on the Australian calendar.

Radio host Greg Martin has called for the highly controversial change which, if made reality, would almost certainly make fans beyond furious.

Here’s why he wants the tradition axed…

The Essendon boss said today is a ‘day of reflection’ for him and his family.

‘Dad was quite a few tours through Vietnam as a helicopter pilot in the army and he came back from Vietnam and ultimately passed away at 41 from injuries sustained,’ he said before the match.

The Anzac matches always draw a huge turnout – and this year is no different, as you can see from the pic below.

It wasn’t taken this afternoon, however – amazingly, the photographer captured the image at about nine o’clock this morning.

Talk about wanting to make sure you don’t miss out…

Thanks for joining us for our coverage of today’s highly anticipated Bombers vs Magpies Anzac Day clash from the MCG.

Stay with us for all the latest updates, scores and drama from one of the premier days on the AFL calendar.