I’ve been thinking for quite some time that Essendon’s voice in the AFL community has diminished. It has become a somewhat irrelevant club in a competitive national competition.
Take the lockdown period as the latest case in point. I read about Collingwood’s training preparations and see photos of their training in the newspaper every week. Sometimes several times a week. Richmond feature prominently. Essendon training rarely covered, very little in the way of photos in the newspaper. Maybe the media find it much easier to lob into the Holden Centre for a quick photo? Is that good for Essendon? I’d argue Essendon’s training location is impacting its profile and coverage...
Second, I rarely see Essendon leading by example in the mainstream media on football issues these days. Where’s Tanner? Where’s Essendon’s voice in the football community on the big issues? What’s Essendon’s position on crowds coming back, campaigning for its members to be back at games? Leading the discussion on what football will look like post COVID. The only time we hear from them are when there’s a Dreamtime or ANZAC game approaching. Other than that it’s silence from Tullamarine.
In addition, when any discussion turns to the prominent clubs it’s now routinely Collingwood, Richmond, Hawthorn and West Coast...When did Essendon disappear? Where did Essendon’s powerful position in the league go to?
I think the above feeds into the narrative that Essendon has become a complicit, compliant, somewhat irrelevant club in a large national competition. It’s become a club that follows in behind the discussion. It won’t engage in debates and appears to be comfortable being a nice football club. It isn’t respected like it once was for many reasons and this is a real shame for its legions of fans.
I long for the day when Essendon becomes a leading voice, a prominent and powerful club both on and off field. A leader not a follower. It hasn’t led for years. I want to see a ruthless edge. A bit of mongrel. A bold but calculated decision. Eg: Allow the list management committee to recruit Marlion Pickett if it thinks this will help them win finals....
It needs a jolt. A voice. A profile again. It’s certainly feels like it’s not a great deal of anything these days hasn’t been for at least 8 years.
Take the lockdown period as the latest case in point. I read about Collingwood’s training preparations and see photos of their training in the newspaper every week. Sometimes several times a week. Richmond feature prominently. Essendon training rarely covered, very little in the way of photos in the newspaper. Maybe the media find it much easier to lob into the Holden Centre for a quick photo? Is that good for Essendon? I’d argue Essendon’s training location is impacting its profile and coverage...
Second, I rarely see Essendon leading by example in the mainstream media on football issues these days. Where’s Tanner? Where’s Essendon’s voice in the football community on the big issues? What’s Essendon’s position on crowds coming back, campaigning for its members to be back at games? Leading the discussion on what football will look like post COVID. The only time we hear from them are when there’s a Dreamtime or ANZAC game approaching. Other than that it’s silence from Tullamarine.
In addition, when any discussion turns to the prominent clubs it’s now routinely Collingwood, Richmond, Hawthorn and West Coast...When did Essendon disappear? Where did Essendon’s powerful position in the league go to?
I think the above feeds into the narrative that Essendon has become a complicit, compliant, somewhat irrelevant club in a large national competition. It’s become a club that follows in behind the discussion. It won’t engage in debates and appears to be comfortable being a nice football club. It isn’t respected like it once was for many reasons and this is a real shame for its legions of fans.
I long for the day when Essendon becomes a leading voice, a prominent and powerful club both on and off field. A leader not a follower. It hasn’t led for years. I want to see a ruthless edge. A bit of mongrel. A bold but calculated decision. Eg: Allow the list management committee to recruit Marlion Pickett if it thinks this will help them win finals....
It needs a jolt. A voice. A profile again. It’s certainly feels like it’s not a great deal of anything these days hasn’t been for at least 8 years.
Last edited:
