AFL live updates: Melbourne vs Essendon, North Melbourne vs West Coast, Port Adelaide vs Sydney

Well, that wraps things up for game one of three of Saturday footy.

Next up we head west to Perth Stadium, with North Melbourne taking on West Coast in a “home” game.

The Kangaroos will be desperate to bounce back after last week’s shellacking from Fremantle in Bunbury.

And the Eagles would love another win to move a little bit closer to an unlikely spot in the wild card spots.

Even with the game well decided late in the fourth quarter, Dees defender Jake Lever was not giving a thing away, providing a great smother to stifle an Essendon attack.

And he didn’t mind a few high fives afterwards.

• Rd 15: vs Crows (Adelaide Oval)

• Rd 17: vs Hawthorn (Launceston)

• Centre clearances: 13-8 Melb

• Contested possessions: 141-108 Melb

• Uncontested possessions: 260-239 Melb

• Marks inside 50: 12-8 Ess

The siren sounds, the game is over and the Demons run out comfortable winners at the MCG.

A three-goal to none final term extends the margin to 45 points, and Melbourne seals a ninth win of the season.

That puts the Demons in the top four – for now at least – and Steven King’s men will be happy enough with the performance today after being challenged in the second half.

It’s a disappointing day for the Bombers after a solid effort. The biggest disappointment is the shoulder injury to Archie Roberts.

He will be a big absence for Essendon going forward – you suspect he will be out for a while.

Well done to the 41,438 fans at the MCG for giving the late Neale Daniher a minute’s applause in the sixth minute of play to match his number six guernsey in the tribute game between his two sides.

The Bombers are fading a little, it seems, after making such a concerted effort to get back in the game.

The gaps are opening up, and Jake Melksham takes another mark in forward 50 and kicks the Dees’ 13th of the day.

Kade Chandler has benefited from a somewhat soft free kick, but he’s taken advantage and kicked one from the pocket.

The lead is 40 points, and that should be enough, surely, for the Demons.

The error count is mounting as the rain falls.

Essendon intercepted a poor kick inside forward 50, but the kick couldn’t find a man.

The Demons broke forward, and eventually it ended with Jake Melksham kicking a vital goal for Melbourne.

The lead is back out to 34 points, and although there is still 13 minutes on the clock, that would have to be close to a winning margin.

That was nearly a payback for Essendon’s misses.

Sam Durham got caught holding the ball after pulling it in on the ground.

They went long to a contest, the ball came out to Bayley Fritsch, who scooped it up in the wet but his kick on the run hit the post.

Essendon is trying to bridge the gap here, but they have had a couple of early misses.

Archer Day-Wicks missed a kick for a point, and then the Bombers took advantage of a Demons error, kicking long to Zach Reid in space who took the mark.

His kick, however, showed why he is normally down back.

Another rushed behind followed, and the lead is back to 28 points early in the final term.

From earlier, Melbourne debutant Lukas Cooke has been ruled out of the game after a head clash with an Essendon player in a contest.

Cooke, who was taken in the mid-season draft, has a cheekbone injury and will not return.

• Centre clearances: 11-6 Melb 

• Contested possessions: 111-79 Melb

• Uncontested possessions: 208-186 Melb

After kicking three goals to one in that term, it looks an even better effort from the Bombers as Melbourne extended their advantage in inside 50s and clearances, and blew open the contested ball stats, plus took the lead in uncontested possessions as well.

You’d think if these stay the same in the last term that lead on the scoreboard will grow, but who knows?

After all that work, a late goal from Harrison Petty delivers a bit of a dagger to the Bombers.

The siren sounds and Melbourne leads by 30 points, and the pressure is off.

That was a very good quarter from Essendon, but they couldn’t hang on for 58 seconds more to keep the Demons scoreless for the term.

Can they raise another effort in the last? Possibly, but it looks like a bit of a tough ask from here.

The Bombers have definitely evened things out here, and they are right in this, but they haven’t been able to kick on after those early goals.

We’re in time on here in the third term, and Essendon will need a couple more goals before three quarter time.

As things stand they trail by four goals.

That was nearly another one!

The Demons are not looking as dominant, and the pressure is really coming from Essendon as they get a bit of belief.

Nate Caddy had a set shot there, but his kick from 50 drifts wide to the left.

The margin is back to 22, with more than a quarter and a half to go. This is good play from Essendon!

Over to you, Demons.

Where is this coming from?

The Bombers are in again – they feed it inside 50, there is a scramble, the ball is handballed out from El Achkar, and then fed to Sullivan Robey, and he kicks the goal as he is being tackled.

He thumps the ground in celebration, and Essendon has three goals on the spin.

The lead is back to 23.

Essendon has got more energy here, and they are being rewarded. A kick forward brings a mark to Ben McKay, and the big man whirls and kicks a low, quick kick to hit Hussien El Achkar in the pocket.

El Achkar kicks the goal! The Bombers fans are excited, their team has two in a row.

The Bombers are finding more ways forward here, and they force some pressure in a contest with Mason Redman spoiling a defensive mark, the left side of 50.

The ball spills to Nik Cox, who kicks one from 45m out.

That’s a team-lifter!

The Bombers have come out hard in the third quarter, winning an early centre clearance and putting Melbourne under pressure.

But the Demons defence has stood up, and Essendon has not managed the quick goal to start the half.

At the other end, the Demons forced a rushed behind.