Review Round 8, 2026 - Essendon vs. Brisbane Lions

[Section 5]

I love the fact everyone is trying to come after us.... suspend our players, write your little women's day stories, question the culture

The trilogy movie is going to have an even better ending come the end of September

Don't forget the injury fairy

 

[M Malice]

It is telling that IIRC all of the negative commentary on Brontegate has been from people who didn't play footy at the highest level eg. Cal Twomey, Sarah Jones, Caroline Wilson, Jay Clark, Tony Jones, Damian Barrett.

Can not recall a past player being too critical, a couple may have mentioned the whiteboard should not have been viewable to the public at all.

 

[Maboo]

It is telling that IIRC all of the negative commentary on Brontegate has been from people who didn't play footy at the highest level eg. Cal Twomey, Sarah Jones, Caroline Wilson, Jay Clark, Tony Jones, Damian Barrett.

Can not recall a past player being too critical, a couple may have mentioned the whiteboard should not have been viewable to the public at all.

Kane Cornes made this exact point this morning.

 

[The Zork]

Cal Twomey is a dweeb.
Jay Clark is underperforming in his role.

All looking for that chink in the armour.

 

[Paul Mac]

Gary Lyon just said on AFL 360 NOT EVEN A STORY. In fact his actual words he said was THE WORDS BRISBANE HAD ON THE WHITE BOARD WERE VERY KIND.

 

[luthor]

Gary Lyon just said on AFL 360 NOT EVEN A STORY. In fact his actual words he said was THE WORDS BRISBANE HAD ON THE WHITE BOARD WERE VERY KIND.

If Gary Lyon is defending us then ..


......say no more

 

[Paul Mac]

If Gary Lyon is defending us then ..


......say no more

Spot on

 

[M Malice]

Even Gerrard Nerdley said it was a joke this was a story at all, guys batting above their average is accepted Aussie banter.

Also heard Eddie McGuire say "this is the biggest beat up of all time".

 

[dlanod]

Is it some sort of pr0n site?

Unfortunately it now requires login from Australian IPs.

Or so I hear.

 

[Tom14]

This will be unpopular for some on here but I actually think Caro's pretty measured here if you watch the full clip, not just read the quote that 7 socials put up:





Main criticism is that Fages made it worse in the presser rather than just saying that it was a mistake that it was allowed to get out.

Caro also reports that it is something that the players fill in over a few days and Fages didn't know until it was leaked that someone had written Prior's partner's name on it.

 

[M Malice]

Bronte's name being on it is an absolute nothing burger, laughable.

 

[braddsey]

This will be unpopular for some on here but I actually think Caro's pretty measured here if you watch the full clip, not just read the quote that 7 socials put up:





Main criticism is that Fages made it worse in the presser rather than just saying that it was a mistake that it was allowed to get out.

Caro also reports that it is something that the players fill in over a few days and Fages didn't know until it was leaked that someone had written Prior's partner's name on it.

All it tells me is it’s a very slow news week in the off-field drama that dominates all the talk shows throughout the week…

 

[martinson]

Bronte's name being on it is an absolute nothing burger, laughable.

Caro's got form as being a viper when she chooses to be and takes no prisoners.

The Wags were high fiving Bronte . Fact. Caro's made that story up.

Still a misstep by Fages in taking the holier than thou road and looking angry about it which has given the media and people like Caro a perfect opportunity to put the knife in.

 

[martinson]

All it tells me is it’s a very slow news week in the off-field drama that dominates all the talk shows throughout the week…

Let's keep it going.

Not much else happening.

All I'm hearing about is Carlton and thewhiteboard.

The AFL is actually rife with childlike minds who love talking crap about the most inconsequential things on planet earth.

I'm ashamed at myself for participating and am adding this to the list for when I next see my therapist.

 

[3KZ is Football]

From the last 2 games Mckenna has played what i can remember, when he has ball in hand something constructive has always been happening.

Premiership player and genuine club man. He’s a lock as a defensive forward, especially because he’s kicked a couple of goals in his last two games.

I will never forget his dinkie little foot pass to Logan Morris in the last quarter of the 2024 Preliminary Final against Geelong. GOLD!!

 

[010203]

If <insert name of an awesome Lion's player> played for a big Melbourne club he would be a superstar... how often have those words dribbled out of a commentator's mouth oblivious to the casual Vicism inherent to the statement...

Garry said exactly that about Will Ashcroft last year. It's not a Lions specific thing, as Will Schofield said something about how highly thought of Murphy Reid would be if he played for a big Melbourne club.

 

[Section 5]

Premiership player and genuine club man. He’s a lock as a defensive forward, especially because he’s kicked a couple of goals in his last two games.

I will never forget his dinkie little foot pass to Logan Morris in the last quarter of the 2024 Preliminary Final against Geelong. GOLD!!

I doubt McKenna is a lock.
McCarthy over McKenna for me

But we are so injury prone at the moment you just need to get through the game, and you likely keep your spot somewhere on the field until someone returns

 

[010203]

A bit over a decade ago, Trent Merrin was in his first stint as a player for the St George Illawarra Dragons and was in a relationship with Sally Fitzgibbons. Naturally, the point was made that Trent Merrin was batting above his average and I mean seriously batting above his average. The running joke for a while then was that if somebody was batting above their average in the looks department relative to their girlfriend/fiancé/wife, it'd be said that they're ''batting Merrins''.

This is the point being made about Jaxon Prior too, I'm sure. I can understand people outside the tent making the point that if every other Bombers player's strengths and weaknesses were kept to the footy field, maybe Jaxon Prior's could have been too, and the point about him doing well off the field romantically could have been stored in the mind and used during the match, rather than on display onthe whiteboard - but when Gerard Flipping Whateley calls something like this a non story, that's exactly what it is.

 

[3KZ is Football]

I doubt McKenna is a lock.
McCarthy over McKenna for me

But we are so injury prone at the moment you just need to get through the game, and you likely keep your spot somewhere on the field until someone returns

I like then both and as we have seen, we can have them both in the same team. I just think McKenna plays the ‘Ah Chee Role’ better.

 

[SpecialBruce]

It depends on your definition of the word “p0rn”

A saint looking to bring the devil outside of them?

 

[Maboo]

This will be unpopular for some on here but I actually think Caro's pretty measured here if you watch the full clip, not just read the quote that 7 socials put up:





Main criticism is that Fages made it worse in the presser rather than just saying that it was a mistake that it was allowed to get out.

Caro also reports that it is something that the players fill in over a few days and Fages didn't know until it was leaked that someone had written Prior's partner's name on it.

I watched the full show, Caro had her say and tried hard to discredit Fages and the Lions, but it fell flat and she lost the argument by knockout. As mentioned before, it's only people that have not been part of a football program that are crying about this.

 

[Grasshopper17]

Geeze, picky bunch.

I actually do a similar thing for the posters on this board. I have a comprehensive spreadsheet on each poster.

I have seen this whiteboard and was shocked, angered and offended by what was written about me.

Strengths: Ruthless. Throws toys out of cot when we don't turn a 70 point lead at 3 quarter time into a 100 point win.

Weaknesses: Spoilt brat. Throws toys out of cot when we don't turn a 70 point lead at 3 quarter time into a 100 point win.

 

[braddsey]

I watched the full show, Caro had her say and tried hard to discredit Fages and the Lions, but it fell flat and she lost the argument by knockout. As mentioned before, it's only people that have not been part of a football program that are crying about this.

Yep, I went back and watched it too. A bit of "pot calling the kettle black" when she suggested Fagan was a lost in his interview... but by the time she'd been pretty well over-ruled by Kane and Nick she kind of meandered to a flat ending that all she wanted was for Brisbane to show a little remorse. Hutchey then rightly called time on the debate.

 

[Grasshopper17]

Siren seemed a second late based on the t.v?

This is the case I reckon 80% of quarters. Once you see it a few times you will keep seeing it.

Note how the clock always vanishes with 3 seconds to go? On both 7 and Fox? This is why. Because if it went to 0:00 and then the siren didn't go imagine the furore. There would be screenshots galore of "look the ball was here when the clock reached 0:00" etc.

The TV networks clearly know it's a problem but nobody has ever gone public as to why. I'd be fascinated to learn why it's the case and so consistently the case. It's almost as tho that extra 2-3 seconds at the end of each quarter (after the clock in theory reaches 0:00) is somehow a built-in part of the timekeeping process.

 

[Grasshopper17]

Twas nice to not hear music after every goal today for a change. The only song I want to hear at the ground is ours after the siren.

Songs were played after Essendon goals on Saturday. Perhaps not quite as loudly as for other teams.

Portions of our supporter base also sang our songs acapella