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Opinion 2018 Expectations

  • Thread starter Thread starter JayJ20
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the premiership has been cheapened, sullied if you will...

when the hawks and the cats and the swans were sluggin' it out, they were hard to come by!

now they are just giving them away to the likes of dogs and the tigers, who even wants one now? they have sold out - gone all mainstream..

like buying jeans from kmart - its over.
 

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Before the trade period I felt that we might fall back a few places on the ladder with all our retirements, but now I expect that we should at least finish in the top 8 again and trying to get a finals win.

Joey will step it up again in 2018 and be a strong contender for the Coleman.

Francis HAS to step up! I have #10 and I am sick of wearing a jumper of a player that is languishing in the twos.
 
After landed three good players, if we can find a way to improve the midfield and I think Woosha is right to suggest that it isn't that weak then I'm expecting top four but will accept anywhere in the eight.
 
Our list is in good shape. 2018 can be a year where anything can happen for us.

What I am really pleased about with what we achieved this trade period is the age bracket of our new recruits. It will help us be at the top for a few years yet. They are only just about to enter their prime years. They all have speed and x factor. We also have a list of good leaders in our squad. Heppell, Zerrett, Daniher, Hooker, Hurley, Goddard, Zaharakis and even McGrath are all good leaders in different ways.

We can be a top 4 side in 2018, but I think for that to happen we need improvement from the young talent that need to turn from being players with “potential” into players that are consistent and resilient.
The players I am talking about are Parish, Langford, Laverde and Francis.

I am a harsh critic on Parish. He is only a second year player and he really hasn’t put a foot wrong. But 2018 is a year where he has to take a step up. He needs to put on size this preseason and when the season comes, he needs to play with aggression. We need grunt in the midfield and he is one who can add that.

Langford is so hard to measure. He will only be 21 next year, in his 4th season on our list and will come out of contract by the years end. He is a good sized body mid. He has nice hands and at times, can be silky. In 2018, I have faith that he will improve a heap and will end up playing all games (barring injury).

Laverde is at a crossroads IMO. Yes, like Langford he is only entering his 4th year, but I just feel that if he can’t crack it into the best 22, we will either trade him or he will be in danger of being delisted. I understand that he has missed so much time through injury, but even when he made the team this year, he looked like he went backwards. The talent is there. We have all seen it. He’s a great size and can be quite bullocking. He has so much upside and needs some luck with injury so he can try to force his own luck by “bullocking” his way into our best 22.

Francis, Francis, Francis. This kid can be the most improved player in the whole AFL next year. But his head isn’t right atm. I feel for the bloke. He faced a major tragedy so young with the passing of his brother. That is a massive ordeal that cannot be underestimated. But he seemed so delighted when Essendon (the club he grew up barracking for) read out his name on draft day. From then on, it has been a challenge for him to get fit and I reckon it’s because he is finding it mentally tough. He has fans treating him as the possible messiah (which I am guilty of… as you can see in my profile pic) and he has struggled with fitness, which has been openly discussed and by many at the club quite publicly. As we all know, it was reported that he is missing his family and requested a trade back to his home state. I reckon that’s because he is not enjoying the demands that come with being a pro AFL player and because his mind isn’t willing to accept the challenge. So he asked for a trade so he can move back home believing that it might offer him some comfort and ease his mental stress. It is so easy for me to say it as a keyboard warrior on the bigfooty Essendon forum, but the reality is that Aaron needs to find resilience, self-belief and pure hard work to get himself out of the rut he is in. I think if he can do that, he will even start feeling better about himself and will want to stay because he feels like he belongs. At the moment he is lost and down on confidence. The proof will be in the pudding. IMO he is the most talented player on our list, he just has to want it. I truly wish him all the best.

Anyways, with those 4 players - if parish can step up a gear, Langford and Laverde cement their spot in the 22 and if Francis can shake off his self-doubt, we will be a shoe in for a top 4 spot. Especially when you add to that, the likes of Stringer, Smith and Saad… the only way from here is up. Go Dons!
 
Only thing that has changed for me is that rather than possibly going back a little we should win 12 to 14 * if we are pretty much injury free.
Win a final ? who knows ?
The year is still a big if.
If Myers can be fit and find form.
If Laverde and Lanford start playing to their potential.
If we can get our head around team defense.
If we can get Stringer up and going.
If Smith can play regular midfield.
If we can stop being beaten up physically in the midfield.
If we can start taking more marks around the ground.
Until we play we will not know. At this stage I am just hoping for a decent season where we win the ones we should and play well in the 50/50's and see where it goes from there.
 

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Top 4 should be the goal. Absolutely no question.

The only senior players we’ve lost are Watson and Kelly - Kelly was the better of the two this year and finished 10th in the B&F.

We’ve added three mature yet young (perfect age) players who are straight into the best 22.

Daniher and Merrett are both tracking to become top 10 players in the comp.

The young guns are all a year older.

Top 4 has got to be the aim.
 
Mad Bomber Sean’s crazy predictions for 2018

1. Top 4
2. Daniher beats Buddy to Coleman
3. Zach places 3rd in Brownlow
4. Begley plays every game & becomes a feared contested beast with very efficient disposal and just misses out on All Australian selection
5. Stringer teams up with Hooker. Raz Walla & Daniher to become the most powerful forward line in comp
6. Saad, Mckeena & Gleeson become the fastest back flank in the competition
7. McGrath plays as a rover in the middle and along with Hepp, Stringer and TBell, we actually beat the opposition in the middle more often than not
8. Our team averages more tackles & contested ball than Sydney and the Crows
9. Our defence is rated the top 4 in points against
10. We win two finals and narrowly lose to GWS away in a prelim
 
Should have won 14 games this year. Yes we had an easy draw but we stack up against most teams. The expected improvement in key youngsters some of who have massive upside.

Hurley was injured for most of the second half of the season and will put on more bulk. It’s another off season that many of the suspended will have had with rest of the squad.

The three new players are terrific additions and if Stringer gets it together... look out! Even if he doesn’t, look out!!

Top 6 should definitely be our aim and is very achievable
 
Woosha's game plan worries me, I hope it was just a year of teaching how to move the ball from the backline. We need to up our defensive running and clearance winning abilities to be true contenders. The weight of expectation worries me a little too, we don't deal with it well generally, now we are expected to make the 8, perhaps even secure a home final.
 
We will live and die by our midfield.
Inside footy and winning clearances worry me and a lack of defensive running concerns me greatly.
 

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foj1 said:
We will live and die by our midfield.
Inside footy and winning clearances worry me and a lack of defensive running concerns me greatly.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Will need a massive lift from a few but at the end of the day I think it is what we do in next years trade and
draft period that will paint the full picture. At this stage I just see us still putting the building blocks in place.
 
Flag talk is absolutely laughable. And embarrassing.

This club hasn't won a final in over a decade. Might be a good start to perhaps achieve this first.

15 clubs could realistically make finals next year. No guarantee we are just going to automatically hold our place/improve. Too many pats on the back after a successful trade period. Don't become delusional that this is suddenly the gateway to ultimate success.
 
Mad Bomber Sean said:
Mad Bomber Sean’s crazy predictions for 2018

1. Top 4
2. Daniher beats Buddy to Coleman
3. Zach places 3rd in Brownlow
4. Begley plays every game & becomes a feared contested beast with very efficient disposal and just misses out on All Australian selection
5. Stringer teams up with Hooker. Raz Walla & Daniher to become the most powerful forward line in comp
6. Saad, Mckeena & Gleeson become the fastest back flank in the competition
7. McGrath plays as a rover in the middle and along with Hepp, Stringer and TBell, we actually beat the opposition in the middle more often than not
8. Our team averages more tackles & contested ball than Sydney and the Crows
9. Our defence is rated the top 4 in points against
10. We win two finals and narrowly lose to GWS away in a prelim
Click to expand...

Can't finish top 4 win 2 finals and bow out in a prelim.
 
Macca18 said:
Flag talk is absolutely laughable. And embarrassing.

This club hasn't won a final in over a decade. Might be a good start to perhaps achieve this first.

15 clubs could realistically make finals next year. No guarantee we are just going to automatically hold our place/improve. Too many pats on the back after a successful trade period. Don't become delusional that this is suddenly the gateway to ultimate success.
Click to expand...
Umm majority of people are saying that our expectation is to win a final first. Our midfield is too inexperienced to be considered a flag contender.

But hey. You know who else hadn't won a final in over a decade?
 
ant555 said:
Only thing that has changed for me is that rather than possibly going back a little we should win 12 to 14 * if we are pretty much injury free.
Win a final ? who knows ?
The year is still a big if.
If Myers can be fit and find form.
If Laverde and Lanford start playing to their potential.
If we can get our head around team defense.
If we can get Stringer up and going.
If Smith can play regular midfield.
If we can stop being beaten up physically in the midfield.
If we can start taking more marks around the ground.
Until we play we will not know. At this stage I am just hoping for a decent season where we win the ones we should and play well in the 50/50's and see where it goes from there.
Click to expand...
I think the additional pace of the three new recruits will be really important for the midfield. We can afford to play a really defensively minded midfield game plan now because we will have the pace all around the ground. When we get our hands on the ball in the backline, the spread will come from Saad, Mckenna, Gleeson, McGrath and whoever is on the other wing. They will be going over the top to a host of other players with plenty of pace so it wont matter so much if the midfielders are behind the ball. Whatever Woosha decides, the extra speed we now have should be able to mitigate our shortage of big inside mids. That's the challenge in front of him i guess.
 

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