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Essendon were leading West Coast in the second quarter of their AFL preseason clash in Perth when play was put on hold for 20 minutes due to lightning.
Tim Kelly's debut for West Coast and a six-goal haul from Josh Kennedy were overshadowed by a rare lightning break as a depleted Essendon posted an eight-point pre-season win in Perth.
The Bombers were leading by 13 points when play was stopped five minutes into the second term because of an electrical storm.
Flashes of lightning had crept closer and closer to Mineral Resources Park, and the decision was made to temporarily halt play for player safety.
Both teams made their way into the change rooms during the pause, with play resuming 20 minutes later.
Essendon went on to win the match 14.11 (95) to 13.9 (87) despite Kennedy's heroics.
Kennedy marked strongly and kicked truly in the wet and windy conditions in front of 4302 fans, showcasing he is far from a spent force.
Kelly, in his first game for the Eagles since his high-profile switch from Geelong, tallied 27 disposals, six clearances, and a goal.
The 25-year-old's disposals were wayward at times due to the tough conditions, but he fought back well from a quiet first half.
"When you start at a new club it's going to take a little bit of time to adapt," Eagles coach Adam Simpson said of Kelly's performance.
"I think he got better as the game wore on. He had a couple of fumbles like everyone else."
West Coast defender Will Schofield faces a nervous wait to see if he is punished for his heavy bump that flattened Dylan Shiel.
And Essendon's Devon Smith might also be under scrutiny for his high hit on Jackson Nelson off the ball.
Eagles big man Nic Naitanui, playing his first pre-season game in four years, dominated the ruck contest, finishing with 28 hit outs, 11 possessions, and three clearances before being put on ice.
Darcy Parish tallied 29 disposals for the Bombers, while Dylan Shield and Kyle Langford were also prominent.
Both sides entered the match missing a host of stars.
West Coast were without Jeremy McGovern, Jack Darling, Andrew Gaff, Brad Sheppard, and Oscar Allen.
Essendon were minus Joe Daniher, Dyson Heppell, Cale Hooker, Tom Bellchambers, Conor McKenna, Patrick Ambrose, Adam Saad, and Jake Stringer.
The much-hyped Naitanui-Kelly combination bore a slice of fruit early in the match.
Naitanui's perfectly-weighted tap was snapped up by Kelly, who broke free of the pack to give West Coast a clean clearance.
The lightning break in the second quarter added intrigue to the match, with neither side able to break away after play resumed.
Kelly had just eight disposals to his name by half-time, but exploded in the third quarter with 13 possessions.
Essendon led by 25 points at the final change, and only just survived a Kennedy-inspired West Coast fightback in the last quarter.
"The disruption was unplanned, but I thought our boys responded well and got on with the job," Essendon forwards coach Dan Jordan said.
