Bender The Offender
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- Aug 20, 2006
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2006 report card: Essendon
4:39:56 PM Fri 8 September, 2006
Ben Wise
Exclusive to afl.com.au
2006 record and ladder position: Won 3, Drawn 1, Lost 17. Finished 15th
2005 record and ladder position: Won 8; Lost 14. Finished 13th.
What went right: It isn't too heartening for Essendon fans that the best thing to come out of the season was that the club enters 2007 with bragging rights over arch rival Collingwood following the upset round 19 win. The victory over the Swans in round one - when skipper Matthew Lloyd booted eight goals of which six came in the first quarter - was hardly a sign of what would follow, but may also be something the 'red and black' army can smile about - if they can remember back that far. In terms of the playing ranks, there were a number of Essendon youngsters who showed either significant improvement, or put their hand up to be the core of the Bomber line-up for years to come. Essendon finished ahead of Carlton.
What went wrong: A shocking run with injury - one of the worst in the competition - was the catalyst for Essendon's miserable season. This was a major factor in the club's poor form, a lack of stability in the team and a drop in confidence, which ultimately produced its worst season since 1933. It also achieved its worst-ever losing streak, dropping 14 matches in a row from rounds two to 15, while Essendon drew with Carlton in round 16. Essendon's 138-point loss to Adelaide in round 10 was the heaviest defeat suffered by an AFL club in 2006. Just three players - Mark Johnson, Scott Lucas and Brent Stanton - played every match for the season. Conversely, Essendon was without Matthew Lloyd for 19 matches, James Hird (nine), Dustin Fletcher (six), Adam Ramanauskas (22), Scott Camporeale (10), Andrew Lovett (seven), Richard Cole (10), Jason Laycock (15), Dean Rioli (15), Henry Slattery (nine), Paddy Ryder (seven), Aaron Henneman (21) and Jason Winderlich (nine) - these figures indicative of how many games were missed due to injury and suspensions not including when the players represented the Bendigo Bombers.
Other than the losses to Port Adelaide, Adelaide, Geelong and Melbourne from rounds 9-12, Essendon can not be criticised for lacking endeavour, nor can its players' ability to win the Sherrin in most 2006 contests, but the Bombers as a collective unit had arguably the worst skills in the competition. The side's turnovers at the most inappropriate of occasions were almost as costly as the injury list. How does the Essendon board feel about Mark Harvey's season with the rampant Fremantle?
Who stepped up: Stanton and Jobe Watson displayed supreme ball-winning skills, and with another pre-season - where they should work predominantly on their disposal by foot - under their belts, they have the potential to be All-Australian midfielders next year. Stanton racked up 25 or more disposals on five occasions, including 35 in a narrow loss to the Kangaroos in round 13, but he needs to add the finishing skills to his repertoire before he can step up from being one of the Bombers' best midfielders to being one of the best in the game. 'Son of Tim' was third in the AFL handball category with 276 but didn't break into the top-100 in kicks. While it might be easy to assume that Stanton - who finished ninth in the league in kicks (332) - and Watson compliment each other in the midfield perfectly, the latter must get the ball onto his boot more often, and only a glaring improvement in his disposal by foot in 2007 will give the Essendon No.4 the confidence to do so. That all being said, Watson had played only 13 games in three years heading into 2006 and he should be congratulated for a great year.
David Hille took on the task of filling in for the injured Lloyd as captain and made a good fist of it. The 25-year-old displayed a steadfast commitment to courageously insert his body in the way of opposition forwards on a lead, he rucked admirably if not superbly (276 hitouts, seventh in AFL) and was willing to do the hard things some big men shy away from like chasing and burrowing into the bottom of a pack when necessary. A strong mark and someone with agility that belies his size, Hille does need to present as a target more often, whether that be from kick-ins, across the middle of the ground or when resting in the forward line. Dons premiership player and best and fairest winner, Scott Lucas, booted 67 goals - including a best-ever bag of eight in the final round loss to the Bulldogs - and looks a strong chance to add both a second Crichton Medal, and an All Australian selection, to his kit bag.
Angus Monfries continued his development as a small forward by booting 22 goals (including five against Brisbane in round two) in 21 games, and reminded many of a former Essendon star, Mark Mercuri, with strong overhead marking and evasive skills prevalent in his game.
James Hird played enough good games - his 27 touches and four goals in the win against Brisbane in round 17 had Leigh Matthews and Michael Voss hailing the effort as one of his best - to remind the Brownlow Medalist himself that he should shelve retirement plans for one more season. Dustin Fletcher was sensational as usual and will retire as one of the best defenders in the club's history when he eventually calls it a day. Jason Johnson and Damien Peverill - who had an amazing 30 or more possessions in five of his last seven games - may have saved their careers at Windy Hill with strong finishes to the season.
Andrew Lovett showed a glimpse of his prodigious talent in the three-point loss to St Kilda in round 15 - one of the better individual games turned in by a Bomber this year - and his admission of his battles with depression should be commended. Expect him to emerge as one of the better players to watch in 2007 as he finds consistency and continues recovery from his mental illness.
Missing in action: Dean Rioli's year turned out to be his last. The 28-year-old will be remembered for his sublime skills and a respected commitment to his Aboriginal heritage. Many pundits compared Rioli to triple-premiership player Darren Jarman when he was on song, but unfortunately, he was unable to ever really shine for a sustained period of time. He also never got the chance to win an AFL flag, memories of an injured and suit-clad Rioli in tears with then assistant coach Robert Shaw after the 2000 grand final sadly indicative of his career - so close. Scott Camporeale was exactly what the hard-working but poor-finishing Bombers midfield needed, but his great foot skills were seen in only 12 games. There is a place for the former Blue at Windy Hill if he can avoid injury. Adam Ramanauskas' career is in serious doubt as the speedy left-footer continues his battle with cancer.
Rising Star: Essendon had eight players - Courtenay Dempsey, Slattery, Ryder, Tristan Cartledge, Andrew Lee, Jay Nash, Ben Jolley and Sam Lonergan - who tasted senior action that were eligible for AFL NAB Rising Star nominations, but none were bestowed the honour. Courtney Johns was ineligible as he turned 21 just before the beginning of 2006. Of the Bomber youngsters, Johns and Ryder in particular showed that the massive wraps they had on them coming out of junior ranks are a chance to be on the money, while lightning-quick Queenslander Dempsey finished his debut year off strongly with pleasing efforts against the Bulldogs and Richmond. Johns registered 12 goals in ten games and his long-left foot kick started to straighten up as the year wore on, most notably against Collingwood. He is a strong pack-mark and will be a good third forward target behind Lloyd and Lucas in 2007 - creating match-up problems for opposition defences. Ryder, taken at pick No.7 in last year's draft, managed nine senior games in his first season, and as the 18-year-old's body develops in the next few years he and Hille may become one of the more dominant ruck tandems in the competition. Slattery figured in nine matches also this year, and though he missed the last six games through injury, the Dons re-signed him for two years in July indicating their high opinion of the tough midfielder.
Best win: The 10.14 (74) to 9.7 (61) win against Collingwood cost Essendon's major rival a top-four berth and the victory also ultimately helped the Dons finish ahead of other cross-town enemies, Carlton, on the ladder. Dustin Fletcher embarrassed Anthony Rocca by holding the Magpies forward to four touches and a behind while winning the ball 28 times himself, and the Bombers' win came on a night when Hird lowered his colours to James Clement. McPhee shut down Chris Tarrant, though history may prove that to be not such a big deal, and Mark Johnson did a sound job on Nathan Buckley. Veteran midfielders Peverill (33 possessions) and Jason Johnson (26 posessions and a goal) were well-supported by Watson (28 disposals, ten marks) and Stanton (25 and a goal). Johns booted three goals for the Bombers and Lucas worked hard all night.
Worst defeat: The obvious one would be the 138-point defeat at the hands of the Crows in round ten, but it was the ten-goal loss the week before against the Power that stung the Bombers the most. Heading into the game as favourites against a Port side that was in 14th position on the ladder and had managed only two wins despite having six of their first eight matches at home, Essendon turned in its lamest effort of 2006 in Kevin Sheedy's 600th game as coach. Second to the ball all match and looking a tired and beaten side early on, the debacle was punctuated by the record-low Telstra Dome crowd of just 29,232 on a black night for the club. Kepler Bradley played Warren Tredrea back into form and the Bombers had no clear winners on the night.
Shopping list: With the return of Lloyd to a forward line which includes Lucas and Johns, Essendon is unlikely to go for a tall forward in the off-season exchange and draft period. Sheedy has mooted that midfielders are what he craves, and with Essendon lacking a genuinely skilful and high-possession accumulator, publicly-named target Jason Akermanis would certainly help the Bombers whether he started at half-back, in the middle or on an attacking flank. The Dons recruiting staff will also be salivating at the prospect of having picks two, 18 and 20 in the 2006 'Super-draft', though to get Aker, pick 18 or 20 and possibly a player may need to be offered to the Lions. If Carlton opts to select a much-needed key position player like a Mitch Thorp or Scott Gumbleton and bypasses midfielder Bryce Gibbs with the No.1 pick, Essendon would undoubtedly secure the hyped South Australian teenager. With Fletcher in his twilight years, the Dons should also be on the lookout for a key defender, maybe Gumbleton, Thorp or Lachlan Hansen will fit that bill if Gibbs heads to MC Labour Park. Other options for the Dons with the coveted second pick could be Queenslander Ricky Petterd - a midfielder with pace to burn and a strong overhead mark - or Vic Country's Daniel Connors.
What the coach says: "(It was a) very frustrating season but we didn't shy away from trying to make the right decisions when we felt that we may not make the finals that we're going to keep playing most of the players we felt we needed to look at on the ground. And in the end we may have found a couple of players that we weren't sure about. I think a lot of coaches just play experienced players and lose the same loss of four premiership points. We probably lost this year a lot of games hopefully going into the right direction. But you look, it's three-and-a-half wins and they're the facts. You've got to have a look at the cold hard facts," Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy said after round 22.
What we say: Was it really just the injuries? Essendon (13th last year) and Brisbane (11th last year) had comparable seasons, with gun forwards Lloyd and Jonathan Brown respectively missing in action for large parts of the season. The Lions also had All Australians Chris Johnson, Jason Akermanis and Nigel Lappin sidelined for extended periods, former AFL Rising Star winner Chris Scott missing the entire season and the retirement of club legend Justin Leppitsch to contend with - yet they still managed four more wins than the Bombers. Dean Solomon had a poor year. Other than forcing his coach to undergo shoulder surgery after he cleaned him up at training accidentally, Solomon was left out of the senior side in round 19 for turning up late to a recovery session the day after the loss to Sydney when he reportedly stayed out drinking until after 5am. He also showed that he is not quick enough to deal with mobile smaller forwards - Robert Murphy killed him in round three - and while he can be used on bulky tall forwards like Fraser Gehrig when Fletcher is out or required elsewhere, the jury is out on whether Sheedy plays the right hand in those instances - Barry Hall proved the match-winner in round 18 when manned up by Solomon. Kepler Bradley was destroyed by Matthew Richardson in round 21, and though he can fashion periods of solid play, his kicking is ordinary and he is inclined to commit crucial judgment errors.
Sheedy can deflect the attention from himself all he likes with talk of the game being comparable to basketball at times and declaring that flooding is the cancer of football, and even though he may not be far off the mark with these comments, the veteran super-coach, who has had a superlative career with four premierships, will once again have to fend off the doubters in 2007.
http://afl.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=296365
4:39:56 PM Fri 8 September, 2006
Ben Wise
Exclusive to afl.com.au
2006 record and ladder position: Won 3, Drawn 1, Lost 17. Finished 15th
2005 record and ladder position: Won 8; Lost 14. Finished 13th.
What went right: It isn't too heartening for Essendon fans that the best thing to come out of the season was that the club enters 2007 with bragging rights over arch rival Collingwood following the upset round 19 win. The victory over the Swans in round one - when skipper Matthew Lloyd booted eight goals of which six came in the first quarter - was hardly a sign of what would follow, but may also be something the 'red and black' army can smile about - if they can remember back that far. In terms of the playing ranks, there were a number of Essendon youngsters who showed either significant improvement, or put their hand up to be the core of the Bomber line-up for years to come. Essendon finished ahead of Carlton.
What went wrong: A shocking run with injury - one of the worst in the competition - was the catalyst for Essendon's miserable season. This was a major factor in the club's poor form, a lack of stability in the team and a drop in confidence, which ultimately produced its worst season since 1933. It also achieved its worst-ever losing streak, dropping 14 matches in a row from rounds two to 15, while Essendon drew with Carlton in round 16. Essendon's 138-point loss to Adelaide in round 10 was the heaviest defeat suffered by an AFL club in 2006. Just three players - Mark Johnson, Scott Lucas and Brent Stanton - played every match for the season. Conversely, Essendon was without Matthew Lloyd for 19 matches, James Hird (nine), Dustin Fletcher (six), Adam Ramanauskas (22), Scott Camporeale (10), Andrew Lovett (seven), Richard Cole (10), Jason Laycock (15), Dean Rioli (15), Henry Slattery (nine), Paddy Ryder (seven), Aaron Henneman (21) and Jason Winderlich (nine) - these figures indicative of how many games were missed due to injury and suspensions not including when the players represented the Bendigo Bombers.
Other than the losses to Port Adelaide, Adelaide, Geelong and Melbourne from rounds 9-12, Essendon can not be criticised for lacking endeavour, nor can its players' ability to win the Sherrin in most 2006 contests, but the Bombers as a collective unit had arguably the worst skills in the competition. The side's turnovers at the most inappropriate of occasions were almost as costly as the injury list. How does the Essendon board feel about Mark Harvey's season with the rampant Fremantle?
Who stepped up: Stanton and Jobe Watson displayed supreme ball-winning skills, and with another pre-season - where they should work predominantly on their disposal by foot - under their belts, they have the potential to be All-Australian midfielders next year. Stanton racked up 25 or more disposals on five occasions, including 35 in a narrow loss to the Kangaroos in round 13, but he needs to add the finishing skills to his repertoire before he can step up from being one of the Bombers' best midfielders to being one of the best in the game. 'Son of Tim' was third in the AFL handball category with 276 but didn't break into the top-100 in kicks. While it might be easy to assume that Stanton - who finished ninth in the league in kicks (332) - and Watson compliment each other in the midfield perfectly, the latter must get the ball onto his boot more often, and only a glaring improvement in his disposal by foot in 2007 will give the Essendon No.4 the confidence to do so. That all being said, Watson had played only 13 games in three years heading into 2006 and he should be congratulated for a great year.
David Hille took on the task of filling in for the injured Lloyd as captain and made a good fist of it. The 25-year-old displayed a steadfast commitment to courageously insert his body in the way of opposition forwards on a lead, he rucked admirably if not superbly (276 hitouts, seventh in AFL) and was willing to do the hard things some big men shy away from like chasing and burrowing into the bottom of a pack when necessary. A strong mark and someone with agility that belies his size, Hille does need to present as a target more often, whether that be from kick-ins, across the middle of the ground or when resting in the forward line. Dons premiership player and best and fairest winner, Scott Lucas, booted 67 goals - including a best-ever bag of eight in the final round loss to the Bulldogs - and looks a strong chance to add both a second Crichton Medal, and an All Australian selection, to his kit bag.
Angus Monfries continued his development as a small forward by booting 22 goals (including five against Brisbane in round two) in 21 games, and reminded many of a former Essendon star, Mark Mercuri, with strong overhead marking and evasive skills prevalent in his game.
James Hird played enough good games - his 27 touches and four goals in the win against Brisbane in round 17 had Leigh Matthews and Michael Voss hailing the effort as one of his best - to remind the Brownlow Medalist himself that he should shelve retirement plans for one more season. Dustin Fletcher was sensational as usual and will retire as one of the best defenders in the club's history when he eventually calls it a day. Jason Johnson and Damien Peverill - who had an amazing 30 or more possessions in five of his last seven games - may have saved their careers at Windy Hill with strong finishes to the season.
Andrew Lovett showed a glimpse of his prodigious talent in the three-point loss to St Kilda in round 15 - one of the better individual games turned in by a Bomber this year - and his admission of his battles with depression should be commended. Expect him to emerge as one of the better players to watch in 2007 as he finds consistency and continues recovery from his mental illness.
Missing in action: Dean Rioli's year turned out to be his last. The 28-year-old will be remembered for his sublime skills and a respected commitment to his Aboriginal heritage. Many pundits compared Rioli to triple-premiership player Darren Jarman when he was on song, but unfortunately, he was unable to ever really shine for a sustained period of time. He also never got the chance to win an AFL flag, memories of an injured and suit-clad Rioli in tears with then assistant coach Robert Shaw after the 2000 grand final sadly indicative of his career - so close. Scott Camporeale was exactly what the hard-working but poor-finishing Bombers midfield needed, but his great foot skills were seen in only 12 games. There is a place for the former Blue at Windy Hill if he can avoid injury. Adam Ramanauskas' career is in serious doubt as the speedy left-footer continues his battle with cancer.
Rising Star: Essendon had eight players - Courtenay Dempsey, Slattery, Ryder, Tristan Cartledge, Andrew Lee, Jay Nash, Ben Jolley and Sam Lonergan - who tasted senior action that were eligible for AFL NAB Rising Star nominations, but none were bestowed the honour. Courtney Johns was ineligible as he turned 21 just before the beginning of 2006. Of the Bomber youngsters, Johns and Ryder in particular showed that the massive wraps they had on them coming out of junior ranks are a chance to be on the money, while lightning-quick Queenslander Dempsey finished his debut year off strongly with pleasing efforts against the Bulldogs and Richmond. Johns registered 12 goals in ten games and his long-left foot kick started to straighten up as the year wore on, most notably against Collingwood. He is a strong pack-mark and will be a good third forward target behind Lloyd and Lucas in 2007 - creating match-up problems for opposition defences. Ryder, taken at pick No.7 in last year's draft, managed nine senior games in his first season, and as the 18-year-old's body develops in the next few years he and Hille may become one of the more dominant ruck tandems in the competition. Slattery figured in nine matches also this year, and though he missed the last six games through injury, the Dons re-signed him for two years in July indicating their high opinion of the tough midfielder.
Best win: The 10.14 (74) to 9.7 (61) win against Collingwood cost Essendon's major rival a top-four berth and the victory also ultimately helped the Dons finish ahead of other cross-town enemies, Carlton, on the ladder. Dustin Fletcher embarrassed Anthony Rocca by holding the Magpies forward to four touches and a behind while winning the ball 28 times himself, and the Bombers' win came on a night when Hird lowered his colours to James Clement. McPhee shut down Chris Tarrant, though history may prove that to be not such a big deal, and Mark Johnson did a sound job on Nathan Buckley. Veteran midfielders Peverill (33 possessions) and Jason Johnson (26 posessions and a goal) were well-supported by Watson (28 disposals, ten marks) and Stanton (25 and a goal). Johns booted three goals for the Bombers and Lucas worked hard all night.
Worst defeat: The obvious one would be the 138-point defeat at the hands of the Crows in round ten, but it was the ten-goal loss the week before against the Power that stung the Bombers the most. Heading into the game as favourites against a Port side that was in 14th position on the ladder and had managed only two wins despite having six of their first eight matches at home, Essendon turned in its lamest effort of 2006 in Kevin Sheedy's 600th game as coach. Second to the ball all match and looking a tired and beaten side early on, the debacle was punctuated by the record-low Telstra Dome crowd of just 29,232 on a black night for the club. Kepler Bradley played Warren Tredrea back into form and the Bombers had no clear winners on the night.
Shopping list: With the return of Lloyd to a forward line which includes Lucas and Johns, Essendon is unlikely to go for a tall forward in the off-season exchange and draft period. Sheedy has mooted that midfielders are what he craves, and with Essendon lacking a genuinely skilful and high-possession accumulator, publicly-named target Jason Akermanis would certainly help the Bombers whether he started at half-back, in the middle or on an attacking flank. The Dons recruiting staff will also be salivating at the prospect of having picks two, 18 and 20 in the 2006 'Super-draft', though to get Aker, pick 18 or 20 and possibly a player may need to be offered to the Lions. If Carlton opts to select a much-needed key position player like a Mitch Thorp or Scott Gumbleton and bypasses midfielder Bryce Gibbs with the No.1 pick, Essendon would undoubtedly secure the hyped South Australian teenager. With Fletcher in his twilight years, the Dons should also be on the lookout for a key defender, maybe Gumbleton, Thorp or Lachlan Hansen will fit that bill if Gibbs heads to MC Labour Park. Other options for the Dons with the coveted second pick could be Queenslander Ricky Petterd - a midfielder with pace to burn and a strong overhead mark - or Vic Country's Daniel Connors.
What the coach says: "(It was a) very frustrating season but we didn't shy away from trying to make the right decisions when we felt that we may not make the finals that we're going to keep playing most of the players we felt we needed to look at on the ground. And in the end we may have found a couple of players that we weren't sure about. I think a lot of coaches just play experienced players and lose the same loss of four premiership points. We probably lost this year a lot of games hopefully going into the right direction. But you look, it's three-and-a-half wins and they're the facts. You've got to have a look at the cold hard facts," Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy said after round 22.
What we say: Was it really just the injuries? Essendon (13th last year) and Brisbane (11th last year) had comparable seasons, with gun forwards Lloyd and Jonathan Brown respectively missing in action for large parts of the season. The Lions also had All Australians Chris Johnson, Jason Akermanis and Nigel Lappin sidelined for extended periods, former AFL Rising Star winner Chris Scott missing the entire season and the retirement of club legend Justin Leppitsch to contend with - yet they still managed four more wins than the Bombers. Dean Solomon had a poor year. Other than forcing his coach to undergo shoulder surgery after he cleaned him up at training accidentally, Solomon was left out of the senior side in round 19 for turning up late to a recovery session the day after the loss to Sydney when he reportedly stayed out drinking until after 5am. He also showed that he is not quick enough to deal with mobile smaller forwards - Robert Murphy killed him in round three - and while he can be used on bulky tall forwards like Fraser Gehrig when Fletcher is out or required elsewhere, the jury is out on whether Sheedy plays the right hand in those instances - Barry Hall proved the match-winner in round 18 when manned up by Solomon. Kepler Bradley was destroyed by Matthew Richardson in round 21, and though he can fashion periods of solid play, his kicking is ordinary and he is inclined to commit crucial judgment errors.
Sheedy can deflect the attention from himself all he likes with talk of the game being comparable to basketball at times and declaring that flooding is the cancer of football, and even though he may not be far off the mark with these comments, the veteran super-coach, who has had a superlative career with four premierships, will once again have to fend off the doubters in 2007.
http://afl.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=296365
