Think of it as a tale of two coaches. On exposed form, it was a wonder that Essendon's Mark Thompson – the temp, the locum, in semi-retirement – did not walk into the post-match briefing at the MCG on Sunday night clicking his fingers and smoking a cigar.

It was that easy for the Bombers.

By the historical record, it was as much a wonder that Carlton's Mick Malthouse – the big name, on the big money – was not detained in a backroom meeting of faceless men, who also might have been chewing on cigars. They don't take kindly to humiliation at Carlton, especially at Essendon's hands. They don't take kindly to losing streaks. They won't feel entirely comfortable about playing Melbourne next week.

It is that hard for the Blues at the moment.

The most ominous aspect for the Blues was that it was not hard to see this coming. The Bombers were on a roll, the Blues thoroughly rocked. The ins and outs just about neutralised one another: ruckmen Matthew Kreuzer and Patrick Ryder out, onballers Andrew Carrazzo and Jason Winderlich back. So did the tags. Carrazzo contained Jobe Watson, Heath Hocking kept vigil on Marc Murphy.

So they played this match on their summary merits, more or less. Essendon's was to get and keep hold of the ball. By the end, the Bombers had had it in their hands 130 times more than Carlton and, not surprisingly, in their forward-50 twice as often.

This is how it has been all this short season so far; the Bombers are the competition's best ball-winners. There is no magic to it; the Bombers work up, down and sideways together, so that the ball carrier always has options, long and short, ahead and square.

Conversely, Carlton is the most ball-shy. As if that is not bad enough, at least a dozen times this night, the Blues donated the ball back to the Bombers. Elsetimes, while trying to keep it out of Essendon's clutches, they ran out of room – on the MCG! That is like running out of sand in the Sahara.

Essendon used its welter of football smartly. Last week, in failing narrowly against Hawthorn, the Bombers had gone too tall on the forward line. "It never works," said Thompson afterwards, by way of self-reproval.

This week, with Jake Carlisle conscripted into the ruck, and Joe Daniher on and off the bench, the Bombers were medium-sized, mobile and ever menacing.

Brendon Goddard sucked Andrejs Everitt, his tagger, back to the goal square and pretty much directed the game from there. Good as Goddard was at St Kilda, he has risen to a new plane with the Bombers.

If a criticism can be made of the Bombers, it was that at length, they became too cute, and at further length, it backfired.

The Blues have their pride, and by lifting their endeavour managed to stall Essendon for half an hour and set the contest to neutral. That is, momentarily they were not a rabble. It didn't last.

The Bombers returned to their well-drilled ways. The Blues soon were again a rabble. Paul Chapman kicked a couple of his pirouette goals, but everything else was the sort of ruthless, relentless style of football that will have every other team looking over their shoulders, and some hearing footsteps.

As for the Blues, their fiercest contest was between Robert Warnock and David Ellard, remonstrating about blame while the Bombers were kicking another goal.

Luckily for Carlton, this was Sunday night, and kiddies were in bed, or should have been sent there. Luckily for Essendon, this is school holidays!