A poll to excite or depress

[Bunk Moreland]

I’ll call them our top dozen

Daniher
Fantasia
Heppell
Hooker
Hurley
McDonald-Tipungwuti
McGrath
Merrett
Saad
Shiel
Smith
Stringer

They’ve never played a game together.

Will they ever?

 

[ghostdog]

Too many in that list with persistent issues and age against them. Not gonna happen.

 

[IggypopsTshirt]

No. Daniher will not play again for Essendon.

 

[eth-dog]

Yes.

 

[CBombers17]

Yes - in a scrappy 5 goal loss to the Bulldogs.

 

[DapperJong]

What would we prefer?

Our best players (on paper) playing together or a team that manages to string together enough games to actually function properly as a forward line?

You're not allowed to say both. Life doesn't work like that.

 

[Darealrath]

Yes - in a scrappy 5 goal loss to the Bulldogs.

To be fair that would be a 15 goal improvement.

 

[cAsEy_18]

Surely not 'that' surprising.

We've literally had Shiel for 1 year (and 1 game).
And Daniher played, what...2 of those games last year?

 

[citizen-erased]

What would we prefer?

Our best players (on paper) playing together or a team that manages to string together enough games to actually function properly as a forward line?

You're not allowed to say both. Life doesn't work like that.

id take that 12 staying fit with a rotating crew of 10 in support vs a 22 that doesn't see the 12 play together ever but give us a consistent team each week.

 

[CBombers17]

Outside of Daniher, Fantasia and Smith they have all been fairly durable anyway. It's hard to argue we aren't simply performing at the level of players we have.

Our 'top 3' forward line bringing everything together is just magical thinking. Add a fit Daniher and Fantasia to our final against West Coast and you get the same result - L

 

[rumply]

What would we prefer?

Our best players (on paper) playing together or a team that manages to string together enough games to actually function properly as a forward line?

You're not allowed to say both. Life doesn't work like that.

yeah its rarely been the case you get that with any team, certainly none of those that I follow.

That said, both

 

[citizen-erased]

Outside of Daniher, Fantasia and Smith they have all been fairly durable anyway. It's hard to argue we aren't simply performing at the level of players we have.

Our 'top 3' forward line bringing everything together is just magical thinking. Add a fit Daniher and Fantasia to our final against West Coast and you get the same result - L

WCE in Perth is probably the hardest win at the moment.
We're certainly not there yet.

Get that forward line fit and playing regular games (plus some continuity into our top players) and i think we become Top 4 material.
We'd hopefully then capitalise on that - but that's another issue altogether. Mindset. It's been as much a challenge as fitness in recent years.

 

[Ambrosia]

It’s just gotten me thinking about who our 13th best player is.

Redman? Ambrose?

 

[citizen-erased]

It’s just gotten me thinking about who our 13th best player is.

Redman? Ambrose?

Redman, Parish, Ridley, Langford probably take us to our best 16.

 

[Ambrosia]

Redman, Parish, Ridley, Langford probably take us to our best 16.

Wait Mckenna is clearly top 12. Would definitely have Ambrose ahead of Parish, Ridley and Langford.

 

[CBombers17]

WCE in Perth is probably the hardest win at the moment.
We're certainly not there yet.

Get that forward line fit and playing regular games (plus some continuity into our top players) and i think we become Top 4 material.
We'd hopefully then capitalise on that - but that's another issue altogether. Mindset. It's been as much a challenge as fitness in recent years.

Yes West Coast is a tough final but we also have the Sydney Elimination final smashing two years earlier.

I'd argue we are not a substantially better side in 2020 than 2017.

We are no more competitive in the middle and have largely the same forward line. A forward line that didn't help us against Sydney and even fully fully fit wouldn't bridge the enormous gap between us and West Coast.

If anything, on top of this, our first choice KPP's that were in their prime in 2017 are on the decline or way out (mostly without obvious immediate successors). I see us as the epitomy of an 8 to 12 team - still.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

It’s just gotten me thinking about who our 13th best player is.

Redman? Ambrose?

I had McKenna and nearly included him in this group, but went with an even dozen.

 

[ant555]

No. Daniher will not play again for Essendon.

Or anyone .....

 

[citizen-erased]

Wait Mckenna is clearly top 12. Would definitely have Ambrose ahead of Parish, Ridley and Langford.

Oh yeah, that guy.

 

[boncer34]

Wait Mckenna is clearly top 12. Would definitely have Ambrose ahead of Parish, Ridley and Langford.

Christ if true that's depressing.

 

[eth-dog]

Ambrose finished what, 6th in the BnF last year?

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Surely not 'that' surprising.

We've literally had Shiel for 1 year (and 1 game).
And Daniher played, what...2 of those games last year?

not saying it surprising, but it’s clearly not in anybody’s plans to never have our best team together. Very real chance though.

 

[Bjchan13]

I’ll call them our top dozen

Daniher
Fantasia
Heppell
Hooker
Hurley
McDonald-Tipungwuti
McGrath
Merrett
Saad
Shiel
Smith
Stringer

They’ve never played a game together.

Will they ever?

I think the prospect of these 12 players, plus a few more others have mentioned, playing a full season together is what led many to believe that Essendon 2018/19/20 could contend. We haven't had any continuity with our best 22 for 3 years which is a huge reason why we have been middle of the road. If we got our genuine best 22 out on the park uninjured for a run of games who knows what could happen. Its probably too much to ask for.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

I’ll call them our top dozen

Daniher
Fantasia
Heppell
Hooker
Hurley
McDonald-Tipungwuti
McGrath
Merrett
Saad
Shiel
Smith
Stringer

They’ve never played a game together.

Will they ever?

It’s never going to *in happen

 

[Dave]

It’s never going to fu**in happen