Brad Scott how long?

[EBERT THE KING]

The issue is they have refused to make hard calls on their list, and this isnt even about the Merrett situation.

Their ceiling is about 13th with this list. Don't give me "they were playing well until injuries hit last year". This is a broken team and club at the moment.

They have a young list, but it is their 28 year olds and above that are killing them.

Wright
Langford
Guelfi
Gresham
Parish

None should be there in 2027. None are anywhere near good enough.

But what hurts the most is that Perkins, Tsatas and Cox all need to depart as well, which means some of these older guys probably get a reprieve.

The longer the list stays like it is, the further back they fall.

 

[Dewyyyyy]

Im not a Scott fan but this is an extremely weak Essendon squad. Who outside of Merrett and Durham are walk up starts for Hawthorn?

Caldwell, Redman and Caddy are all there abouts but not locks you’d say. Ridley and Martin are good but not playing and would have to have question marks about every getting back to their best.

Plus the Hawthorn players have already played a game this year.

On your first point.

Outside of the mids:
Merrett, Durham, Caldwell etc

No one from Essendon plays at Hawthorn, caddy is a gun but early doors, Martin definitely but missing this season.

Merrett would, Durham probably would, Caldwell definitely could. Outside of that it’s no one. As the season goes along the list gets smaller too as the younger brigade of mids at hawthorn will only cement themselves more.

I feel for Brad as he’s neck deep in a rebuild and a long way to go. Cattle isn’t there yet tho, and been in a tough position.

Edit: second point has been brought up but Essendon would’ve been better prepared too, not having to come off a game and smallish break. 50-50.

 

[My Tilly]

Essendon play a pretty nice brand of football but there's only so much a coach can do with the talent at his disposal.

They also lack depth.

 

[HairyO]

After 20 years of rebuilding, its an indictment on Essendon (and Dodoro) that this is the current list

The new President's flex during trade week didnt help.

But his long game is getting Hird back coaching.

 

[SC_Power]

lol at the people saying that Scott just has a shit list.
He just had a shit list at North too.
He's been at it 14 years. This is just what he does.
Essendon would do will to catch on before the damage gets even worse.

Not to let Dodoro or their systemic cancer during their drug cheating era off the hook. But he is definitely a major part of their problem.

Hey, some people make an entire 40+ year career in the workforce by doing shit jobs that no one else wants to do.

Why would AFL coaching be any different?

 

[nut]

Forcing a 30 year old to stay and rejecting a sizeable draft haul, will hurt them in 2-3 years.

Loading up on free agents when he arrived and making promises of success …. Now blaming the players who want to leave.
Classic Brad Scott

 

[Linda Lovelace]

Anyone that follows the cult of James Hird, commonly referred to as the Essendon Football Club, knows that he will be back in 2027.

The great man has his acolytes in the top seats at the club and has positioned himself well in the media to knife Brad Scott just like he did to Matthew Knights

Matthew Knights

Age

55

Ht

178cm

Wt

79kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

21.3

5star

K

12.0

4star

HB

9.3

5star

M

3.0

3star

T

2.2

4star

No current season stats available

D

18.4

5star

K

10.8

4star

HB

7.6

5star

M

4.4

4star

T

1.6

4star

.

If Dodoro isn't an immediate return in 2027, he will also be back in 2028.

 

[FlyHigh18]

Anyone that follows the cult of James Hird, commonly referred to as the Essendon Football Club, knows that he will be back in 2027.

The great man has his acolytes in the top seats at the club and has positioned himself well in the media to knife Brad Scott just like he did to Matthew Knights.

If Dodoro isn't an immediate return in 2027, he will also be back in 2028.

One can pray and hope

 

[demondavey]

The new President's flex during trade week didnt help.

But his long game is getting Hird back coaching.

Imagine your end game is getting that idiot back.

Keeping Merrett was a joke.

They are still rating themselves far too highly.

 

[demondavey]

Why would they not trade Merrett for picks? Whilst he is the only player that can play he is 30 and doesn’t want to be there. You’re keeping a scab from falling off as opposed to tearing it for short term pain and letting the wound heal.

Essendon this century have been the worst performed club and it’s not even that close. This is an amateur sports club hanging on to ghosts. Hawthorn did exactly what they had to do and gutted the list and rebuilt.

It’s just become purgatory for the club and its supporters now.

 

[Yellow Feathers]

I've seen enough. Brad Scott is the worst coach in the AFL.

 

[Upgrayedd]

Daylight?

You mean a cloudy, dark vortex of bleakness.

I think you have Durham probably screaming clinging on and trying his best to stay out of the bleak dark vortex


I'm not sure Scott is the problem. I see essendon as like an 8 person row team

Someone laying down and not trying can really drag everyone else down and you can't reach your goal unless everyone is working together and doing their part.

Essendon for the last 17 years literally have 1/2 guys rowing the opposite way of everyone else.

 

[Dazb86]

This list is abysmal.

Absolutely shocking.

Wtf was Dodoro doing for all of those years?

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

Monday

Guy tries to be too clever for his own good. His rotations last night and positions were laughable. Blakiston going 83% while playing on 2 rucks in Reeves/Meek was a disaster. Wright needed to spend alot more time in the ruck, if not be that 50/50. May at 59% shouldnt have played if thats his TOG. Another reason Wright needed more ruck time. Sharp as some type of forward at 58% game time is illogical. Durham/Parish/Perkins being some of the lowest TOG even dumber.

They are obsessed with trying to handball out of defense because no one can actually hit a target down there. Hawls just kicked it around and Essendon got tired chasing the ball. No one gets tired watching Essendon tring to zigzag the ball up forward. The plan doesnt work. Its even dumber in a 23 man rotation

They play all the talls deep who just get in each others way meaning Caddy can only get the ball by going towads the pockets when in actuality they are desperate for a target to kick out too from defense and that should be Caddy at this stage.

After spending ample time last year playing Blakiston at CHB, they dump Laverde and replace him with no one despite crying out for more defensive options. The second Aleer to St Kilda broke down they should have been on the phone getting that deal done. Same with Khamis to Carlton. Sitting around doing absolutely nothing about it but regressing was weird. They spent so much time trying to keep Merrett they fogot to improve the list

Overall feel they are in a very bad spot

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

Why would they not trade Merrett for picks? Whilst he is the only player that can play he is 30 and doesn’t want to be there. You’re keeping a scab from falling off as opposed to tearing it for short term pain and letting the wound heal.

Essendon this century have been the worst performed club and it’s not even that close. This is an amateur sports club hanging on to ghosts. Hawthorn did exactly what they had to do and gutted the list and rebuilt.

It’s just become purgatory for the club and its supporters now.

They didnt need the picks, they needed the players ready to go. They had enough picks for 2025s draft

Merrett should have gone but coming back should have been something like Aleer, Flanders and Jiath + 1 pick. Gresham should have been delisted and rookied, same as Guelfi

 

[demondavey]

They didnt need the picks, they needed the players ready to go. They had enough picks for 2025s draft

Merrett should have gone but coming back should have been something like Aleer, Flanders and Jiath + 1 pick. Gresham should have been delisted and rookied, same as Guelfi

All of those guys you listed are genuine top ups. Jiath is not the solution. They need a core midfield develop from the draft and they need to still go back there to start again.

They absolute need picks. They are nowhere.

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

All of those guys you listed are genuine top ups. Jiath is not the solution. They need a core midfield develop from the draft and they need to still go back there to start again.

They absolute need picks. They are nowhere.

Flanders is a young midfielder not a top up. Same as Alerer. Both got 10 more years

Jiath to replace another top-up in Prior is a sideways move but still a improvement

 

[HairyO]

They didnt need the picks, they needed the players ready to go. They had enough picks for 2025s draft

Merrett should have gone but coming back should have been something like Aleer, Flanders and Jiath + 1 pick. Gresham should have been delisted and rookied, same as Guelfi

All those picks could have been bundled for a serious draft pick. Or traded for 2026 draft for the same thing. Or to go for a couple of established B+ players.

They are treading water at the moment, while being told they are on the way up.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

Imagine your end game is getting that idiot back.

Keeping Merrett was a joke.

They are still rating themselves far too highly.

It's not only the club itself, but the media. There was a period where every season the media rated them amongst flag chances, and every season they would fail.

Not meaning to bag Essendon, but from the outside looking in, they do appear to be a club which lives in its own bubble, drinks its own bathwater, and appears oblivious to what the rest of the football world is doing. Sounds harsh, I know, but that's my honest opinion.

Not sure what Scott can do to change all that, but I will say he's had many years in the coaching game and apart from a couple of years at North, his record is very ordinary indeed.

 

[Cleavy]

Wtf was Dodoro doing for all of those years?

arguably stealing a wage

 

[Lando_]

After 20 years of rebuilding, its an indictment on Essendon (and Dodoro) that this is the current list

Dodoro destroyed that club. How he managed to stay there for 20 years is beyond shocking. They'll pay for it for a few years yet.

 

[Spirit Level]

Spare a thought for all the millennials who picked Essendon because they were good in 00-01 and now have to live with their choices everyday

 

[hoddo22]

Dodoro destroyed that club. How he managed to stay there for 20 years is beyond shocking. They'll pay for it for a few years yet.

I've said it plenty of times, he knows where the bodies are buried re the drug saga.

How this liniment sniffer got nearly a million dollar payout for unfair dismissal baffles even the sharpest minds.

 

[Daka]

I said at the time they were crazy for not letting Merrett go, even if they thought he was worth more, they stuck with a 31 year old now, and they have big problems... they are not honest with where their at as a football club. Brad Scott talks at times like their in a rebuild not sure if that's to buy time for his own sake.
If truely believed that you would never have kept him.

 

[Mitchell Madness]

It's not only the club itself, but the media. There was a period where every season the media rated them amongst flag chances, and every season they would fail.

Not meaning to bag Essendon, but from the outside looking in, they do appear to be a club which lives in its own bubble, drinks its own bathwater, and appears oblivious to what the rest of the football world is doing. Sounds harsh, I know, but that's my honest opinion.

Not sure what Scott can do to change all that, but I will say he's had many years in the coaching game and apart from a couple of years at North, his record is very ordinary indeed.

It is the club. The media narrative is because the club feeds the information to their buddies to get the puff pieces