Essendon - A Danger Game?

[Neville Bartos]

Everyone around here seems pretty confident that we'll roll over Essendon and get 4 points, increase our percentage and be in the top 4 within a few weeks, but I'm not so confident.

There are plenty of signs that we're going to be great on Friday night and Essendon are going to be rubbish. Here's the breakdown so far:

Hawks will be great:
1. We played our best football of the year last week
2. Roughy kicked 8
3. Buddy is due to find form and Essendon are his bitches
4. We might have Birchall and Gilham back
5. We play well at the Dome
6. We have beaten Essendon well in the last few years
7. Several Hawks haven't hit peak form yet (Hodge, Lewis, Bateman, Williams etc.)

Essendon will be rubbish:
1. Essendon got pummelled in Brisbane
2. Essendon are young and soft
3. Fletcher and Hille are both out, and they have no-one to stop Buddy and Roughie
4. They're beset by injuries to experienced players
5. Lloyd and Lucas are out of form, while Lucas has been dropped


But Essendon have already showed twice this year, that they are not to be under-estimated after stunning victories over Carlton and Collingwood. There's no doubt Matthew Knights will fire up his troops for this game as obviously we're the reigning premiers, but because we've consistently smashed Essendon in recent years.

Not to mention it's at the Telstra Dome, it's an Essendon home game meaning their army of supporters will be out in force to lift their efforts and it's a Friday night game. Essendon are a lightning quick team and when they get going, with the crowd behind them, they're pretty hard to stop.


Does anyone share my concerns?

 

[apiro]

No, will be comfortable win. Youngsters will lift now with reurning players and competition for spots.

 

[kaitlin3017]

every game is a danger game- you never know which way it will go. essendon are playing some good footy at the moment and seem to have their mid field pretty sweet.

i guess the one positive for us is having fletcher and hill out, ryder will have to do all the ruck work and that leaves their defense very weak, and not having any talls. roughy and buddy will have a field day.

we are starting to get some height down back and there is a chance that gilly and birch might be back this week, and in that case we will smash them!!

we can cover lloyd and we can cover lucas. they have some good run through the mid field but so do we- they won't be able to stop us coming off half back especially of birch plays!!

GO THE MIGHTY HAWKS- 3 IN A ROW THIS WEEK BOYS

 

[Big Ronnie]

No..

 

[Big Ronnie]

Re: Essendon - A Percentage Boosting Game?

Yes.

 

[HFC082]

Re: Essendon - A Percentage Boosting Game?

The only danger is the hamstrings that buddy and roughy may wear to the bone with the amount of goals they are going to kick.

It is going to be carnage. Be there to witness it.

 

[Neville Bartos]

Re: Essendon - A Percentage Boosting Game?

No.

Yes.

I'm convinced. CLOSE THREAD!

 

[MinerBoy]

Does anyone share my concerns?

No.

Everything you mention sounds about right - we should whack them.

 

[Big Ronnie]

Re: Essendon - A Percentage Boosting Game?

I'm convinced. CLOSE THREAD!

Neve,after you mathematical brilliance the other day, you have earned the positon of king thread starter for the rest of year.

Now seriously, where's the cash?

 

[noosa hawk mad]

No mate you have convinced me Nev Hawks by plenty!

 

[The Kipster]

there is no guarentee we'll win....on paper we should collect the 4 points....though it has been proven time and time again when teams have there backs to the walls they come out firing....our biggest concern is the Bombers pace, if we nullify that factor we should bring home th ebacon..

 

[Roberiquez]

If Hawthorn don't flog the bombers by 10 goals + I would be very surprised and dissappointed.

I fully expect to win and think that +39.5 points margin betting will pay quite sh#thouse for the punters this week.

 

[play2win]

bombers also without welsh and most likely mcveigh too. having lucas in the team would have helped the hawks anyway so it is to the favour of the bombers that he has been dropped. wouldn't mind seeing hurley in the team and how he goes against roughy?

quite often when you expect a big margin the game ends up being a lot closer.

having said that all my money is still on the hawks 40+

 

[Big Ronnie]

there is no guarentee we'll win....on paper we should collect the 4 points....though it has been proven time and time again when teams have there backs to the walls they come out firing....our biggest concern is the Bombers pace, if we nullify that factor we should bring home th ebacon..

Kipster you are as passionate a Hawk as there is

However I will personally guarantee to you that we will win this week. I'll underwrite it

The only speed Essendon will show this week is from their cheersquad throwing the ball back down to the ground after The Budster and Roughy have slammed another one through at their bonces!!

 

[ONWARDS 09]

Danger game only if wed won our previous 6..Then wed might go in feeling a little bit cocky and complacent..This is the perfect game to launch our season against vulnerable opposition! If the Hawks were to drop this game then we have serious issues..dont have to win by much, but win we must..no disrespect to Essendon but they have to much quality out for their inexperienced team..

 

[willo_k]

If you offered me $1.50 odds I'd probably put my savings on it, and sleep like a baby every night to the game. That could be a reflection on how measly my savings are or how confident i am. you decide.

 

[play2win]

Kipster you are as passionate a Hawk as there is

However I will personally guarantee to you that we will win this week. I'll underwrite it

kipster, with the BR underwriting, i'll loan you $10k on the win and we'll split it 50/50? in fact, i'll call the bank and see if i can get $100k.

 

[carntheroos4eva]

We can't afford to take the bombers lightly otherwise they will shit all over us. We will have to play at our best if we want the win.

 

[Birchall01]

I share your sentiment. Its as simple as that. If the hawks dont play well, we wont win i dont think. The competition is very even at the moment and if we dont go out hunting the ball first and run the lines theres a good chance essendon could beat us. Things are looking alot better injury wise now though thank god. Lets hope it lasts more than one week and the boys dont slack off now that there 3-3. I think its good with the abundance of yongsters in the team right now, that they are able to push these senior players to perform better. Right now im comfortable with the hawks manufacturing wins until they get some solidarity in their back half and midfield.

 

[The Kipster]

Kipster you are as passionate a Hawk as there is

However I will personally guarantee to you that we will win this week. I'll underwrite it

The only speed Essendon will show this week is from their cheersquad throwing the ball back down to the ground after The Budster and Roughy have slammed another one through at their bonces!!

BR classic humour

well that's it then..I am convinced, so much so I'll take the shitty odds the TAB provide and make 'em pay

just a query, what's your gut feel on margin?

 

[The Kipster]

kipster, with the BR underwriting, i'll loan you $10k on the win and we'll split it 50/50? in fact, i'll call the bank and see if i can get $100k.

now we are talking....

 

[Big Ronnie]

kipster, with the BR underwriting, i'll loan you $10k on the win and we'll split it 50/50? in fact, i'll call the bank and see if i can get $100k.

Not a problem. I am a bank so maybe I can help you out. Now, How much would you like to borrow from the Icelandic Constituted Bank for the People of Iceland?

BR classic humour

well that's it then..I am convinced, so much so I'll take the shitty odds the TAB provide and make 'em pay

just a query, what's your gut feel on margin?

I'm a little bit caught with the accuracy due to the blow out of this one Kipster but is should be somewhere between 127 and 128 points

 

[11sjw]

A few of the Bombers midfielders are quick, this will absolutely kill us on turnovers. Provided we hit targets we'll do ok.

 

[Jesse Custer]

Our pace is the factor. Stop us going down the corridor and the 4 points are definitely yours. With a percentage booster thrown in as well.

I personally can't see us challenging in this game. McVeigh is a big loss and our midfield is young and inexperienced. Its good in a way because the kids are getting games but for the short term its bloody painfull. Our forward line is not functioning well at the moment either. We need more from our skipper obviously, but we also need more from Davey and Jetta. Our backline is young and inexperienced and Buddy should be played back into form. Hurley and Daniher will miss again.

In closing out, you never know what can happen but the Hawks should win very comfortable.

Goodluck guys, and may our rivarly continue.

 

[James Buchanan]

I consider the Freo game at Subi more of a danger game than this.