Essendon!

[bombermick]

Re: Essendon

Great win tonight. Jetta is finally starting to become a player. If only he'd have a bit more confidence and go for goals a bit more. Prismall also has me tearing me hair out.

We're starting to look alright for a finals spot as Sydney and Brisbane are starting to fall away. Another poster compared us to Collingwood, which is apt. We now have a good spread of goal-kickers, with no Hall-like target up forward. Last week we had 14 goalkickers and this week would be about 10.

Jetta and Davey into the team makes all the difference. The pressure they create is enormous. Be interesting to see if Williams can force his way into the side.

 

[Gumblestar]

A very good team.

 

[dave_27]

Re: Essendon

playing their best footy they can in May.

Dogs showed in the last that had they pieced together their best footy for even 3 qtrs and the game would be over.

I still reckon Bombers are suspect under real pressure and they love to run fwd of the footy - they beat us late last year in junk time before finals and later without Riewoldt/Gram and struggling (by 12 pts).....Id like to get them with a fully fit side and with the pressure I know we can apply.

I don't think you realise how out of sorts the side that beat st kilda last year was and how young and inexperienced the side that defeated st kilda this year was.

It will get ugly for st kilda later this year against essendon with the young guys only starting to gel.

 

[davis_756]

Re: Essendon

Beaten Carlton, St Kilda & the Bulldogs... thrashed Hawthorn who have discovered their touch over the last couple of weeks and had a routine win over Richmond...

Lost to Geelong (1st), Collingwood (2nd), Fremantle (3rd), West Coast in Perth and a narrow 3 point loss to Port Adelaide that could of gone either way.

I think we'll continue to surprise a few people this year. Have hardly any injury concerns at the moment, besides Hooker & Melksham, and two good wins over top 4 contenders in the last three weeks will be a good confidence boost.

Beating carlton really proves nothing, essendon have been doing that to us for a while regardless of form.

Syd in Syd is a loss as is the Geel game, Hawks game depends if your playing the flag side or bottom 4 side. Adelaide, Melbourne, North, WC should have you back in positive territory but the last 5 will decide if you make the finals vs Saints/Blues/Pies/Lions/Dogs

 

[rainman06]

Re: Essendon

Beating carlton really proves nothing, essendon have been doing that to us for a while regardless of form.

Syd in Syd is a loss as is the Geel game, Hawks game depends if your playing the flag side or bottom 4 side. Adelaide, Melbourne, North, WC should have you back in positive territory but the last 5 will decide if you make the finals vs Saints/Blues/Pies/Lions/Dogs

The exact same logic as this said we would lose to Carlton, St Kilda and the Bulldogs. Next.

 

[Duskfire]

Yeah its not possible to tip Essendon I don't think, not correctly. They are a young up and coming side, which means highly unpredictable. But some of the teams they have beaten shows that they are definetly on the right track. People can argue all they want, but Melbourne and Essendon are pushing hard and making a go of it.

Look at it like this; if they didnt have a brain fart against Port, Essendon would now have won 5 in a row. As it is, they are now 4/5, which shows to me that they are one of the inform teams of the competition. I think Sydney will beat them, but at the same time, I doubt its an imminient conclusion that alot are making it out to be.

People should really give credit where its due. Melbourne get alot of praise for being where they are, and they deserve it. Why not Essendon as well?

 

[raskolnikov]

Rubbish - the are 3-5 with the Tigers, Dogs, Syd in Syd and Cats. 4 - 8 their season is over.

Oops.

I'm thinking of flying up to Sydney next weekend but every time I've gone interstate to watch the Bombers they've lost. Maybe I should stay at home.

 

[Vtorians]

Yeah its not possible to tip Essendon I don't think, not correctly. They are a young up and coming side, which means highly unpredictable. But some of the teams they have beaten shows that they are definetly on the right track. People can argue all they want, but Melbourne and Essendon are pushing hard and making a go of it.

Look at it like this; if they didnt have a brain fart against Port, Essendon would now have won 5 in a row. As it is, they are now 4/5, which shows to me that they are one of the inform teams of the competition. I think Sydney will beat them, but at the same time, I doubt its an imminient conclusion that alot are making it out to be.

People should really give credit where its due. Melbourne get alot of praise for being where they are, and they deserve it. Why not Essendon as well?

Because when you know your team is good you have clarity of mind (most geelong fans) & are unbiased. But when unsure about where your team sits in the pecking order, & not certain if their getting better or worse, most people feel threatened by improving sides especially the teams who've been hanging around top 4 recently.

 

[stfan]

I am not sure why some consider that Ess losing to Sydney is a given.

The Swans have some major player outs at present and are not in the form they were.

Essendon remind me a lot now of the Saints of 04/05. Magnificent on the attack and can cut teams to ribbons. But still prone to opposition teams squeezing them if they are good enough to put the pressure on. Saints and Dogs both allowed the Dons to cut them open with rebound.

To beat the Don's now you need to be up and about for 4 quarters and to not generate too many costly turnovers.

For Don's fans there is a lot to like about the Dons and their future. More upside than the Blues IMO.

 

[mxett]

I am not sure why some consider that Ess losing to Sydney is a given.

The Swans have some major player outs at present and are not in the form they were.

Essendon remind me a lot now of the Saints of 04/05. Magnificent on the attack and can cut teams to ribbons. But still prone to opposition teams squeezing them if they are good enough to put the pressure on. Saints and Dogs both allowed the Dons to cut them open with rebound.

To beat the Don's now you need to be up and about for 4 quarters and to not generate too many costly turnovers.

For Don's fans there is a lot to like about the Dons and their future. More upside than the Blues IMO.

Cheers mate! That put a smile on my face this wide: especially that last comment!

 

[Trifon Ivanov]

More upside than the Blues IMO.

i think this is very obvious imo.
carlton proved last week how bad they are.
very flukey team and will not play in the 8.

 

[abers47]

Oops.

I'm thinking of flying up to Sydney next weekend but every time I've gone interstate to watch the Bombers they've lost. Maybe I should stay at home.

I agree! LOL!

 

[scomac]

i think this is very obvious imo.
carlton proved last week how bad they are.
very flukey team and will not play in the 8.

Of course you do but you will be wrong you still have to beat geelong, cant you just accept that just like Essendon, Carlton are going places write them off at your peril.

 

[bombermick]

Our forward line has a bit of St. Kilda of last year about it. A lot of the goals are created by tackling pressure and turnovers, rather than-at least on most occasions-our sheer brilliance. Essendon is now the no.1 ranked tackling side in the competition. Even lesser players like Sam Lonergan are crucial to our current success. But as Knights says, at 5-5 we have done nothing this year.

St.Kilda last year were not the most talented side in the competition, but their pressure allowed them to overcome more talented sides. It will be interesting to see if this style of play will continue to work against the top sides, or whether we will get worked out.

 

[Covvy]

You Essendon supporters realise that the Dogs last night thought it was going to be easy. They, and like many other cubs, don't rate you.

Having said that, good game last night. But don't get excited.

 

[PatrickBateman]

Of course you do but you will be wrong you still have to beat geelong, cant you just accept that just like Essendon, Carlton are going places write them off at your peril.

Where did beating Geelong in '08 get Collingwood?? They harped on about it for years, but guess what? It meant nothing. One or two wins during the home and away season against the best side(s) means nothing!!

Carlton beating Geelong and Essendon beating Bulldogs means nothing more than 4 points to the victor. Form changes dramatically from round to round. The best sides win when form is lacking. Both Carlton and Essendon have proven that they are not in that bracket...

 

[Longy413]

Syd in Syd is a loss

I'm not very confident but we've won our last two at the SCG.

Wouldn't be writing it off.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

You Essendon supporters realise that the Dogs last night thought it was going to be easy. They, and like many other cubs, don't rate you.

Having said that, good game last night. But don't get excited.

Should we hand back the four points then?

I think your mob could do with them.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

You Essendon supporters realise that the Dogs last night thought it was going to be easy. They, and like many other cubs, don't rate you.

what a load of tosh. I read numerous statements through the week about the Dogs not taking us lightly. These are professional teams, not just internet opinions

They were as prepared as they would have been for any team, and got beat. Simple

 

[zeeCFC]

The Dons can beat anyone if they come switched on (much the way I feel about my club).
The test for them is to maintain that intensity when they aren't considered the underdogs and being under pressure.

 

[Macca18]

The Dons can beat anyone if they come switched on (much the way I feel about my club).
The test for them is to maintain that intensity when they aren't considered the underdogs and being under pressure.

Nobody rates us which is a good position to be in and we'll still start comfortable underdogs in a majority of our games this year.

We were clear favourites against the Tigers last week, who have been a bit of a bogey team in the last couple of years, and the game was all over in the first 20 minutes.

No matter if Swans beat Hawthorn or not tomorrow and despite their abysmal form of late, they will still start favourites at the SCG next week and they'll be no complaints from me. They were favourites against us last year as well and ended up losing by 36 points. And also in 2007 when we won there.

 

[MARC_]

Oops.

I'm thinking of flying up to Sydney next weekend but every time I've gone interstate to watch the Bombers they've lost. Maybe I should stay at home.

stay home, or I will personally burn your house down.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

The Dons can beat anyone if they come switched on (much the way I feel about my club).
The test for them is to maintain that intensity when they aren't considered the underdogs and being under pressure.

Agree 100%. Last year, for instance, we beat St Kilda, Hawthorn x 2, Collingwood, Carlton x 2 etc. but lost to Richmond, North Melbourne, West Coast, Fremantle etc.

The period from Rd 13 to Rd 19 is a huge test for us. We play Hawthorn, Adelaide (AAMI), Melbourne, West Coast (ES), North Melbourne, St Kilda, Carlton.

Hawthorn, St Kilda and Carlton are teams we always seem to play well against, and the rest are games we really should be winning.

The number of games we win in that period will really show how serious we are. 6 or 7 out of 7 and we're serious about winning a final, 4-5 and we'll be scrapping for a spot in the eight, any less, and it's a waste of our fantastic form at the moment.

 

[zeeCFC]

People rate your side, once again though, like my side are just to filled with hate to admit it. The attacking gameplan is looking dangerous now with a strong defense. We'll smash you guys next time though

 

[davis_756]

Re: Essendon

The exact same logic as this said we would lose to Carlton, St Kilda and the Bulldogs. Next.

You always beat us, I would have tipped you if not for being a carlton supporter.

Saints are weak against a fast free flowing game, we showed that the week before, I think I tipped you here not sure.

Dogs I expected them to win but I have had my doubts on them since about round 3-4, that was a good win by you but you keep dropping games to WC and co who aren't finals contender.

With the bombers your as big of a chance to lose against a Richmond as to beat a Bulldogs, that is your biggest concern. Sydney should be too well disciplined to let your game plan be very effective, Hawks on their day would make you look stagnate but you could win 1 or maybe both of these games and I wouldn't be massively surprised but then I could see you losing to north to stuff up any good work done.