Essendon and Bendigo Re-Align

[boncer34]

http://www.bendigobombers.com/html/...sp?article_id=258&nav_cat_id=-1&nav_top_id=-1

Not up on the Essendon website yet but from the Bendigo website it says we've re-aligned for 2010 & 2011.

No reserves will be fielded instead the club will create a "development" squad of younger players.

Interesting decision, going to have to improve incredibly over the next two years for the alignment to continue.

 

[The House]

I wouldn't have thought the money to run our own reserves would be out of our reach...probably a lot easier to attract good players too.

Let's hope at very least we spend some good cash getting a decent midfield up there so we can develop our forwards...bit hard to learne the game up forward when the sidewhole side is kicking 6-8 goals a week.
Can't imagine they're developing as quickly as they would if we had our own competetive reserves (eg pies and cats in finals).

 

[Super Gusto]

Extremely suprised at this decision to say the least.

I'm assuming it has been carefully thought out and Bendigo will improve significantly over the next two years.

 

[BrunoV]

They would want to have an ace up their sleaves.

It must be impossible to develop forwards when we are being thrashed every week.

 

[beev]

Disappointed with this. I thought it was time to go stand-alone and have full control over the reserves team. Collingwoods and Geelongs decisions to go stand-alone have paid off.

Bendigo is too much of an inconvenience. QEO is sub-standard and the squad never gets to train together. I think there is 6 different locations for training each week.

 

[Phat Toni]

I feel sick!

Worst alignment EVER!!

 

[The Donners]

This isn't going to help the Essendon Football Club move forward as an on-field success. This neglect could really hurt us in the long run.

Poor decision.

 

[Skeeta Olly]

Gees..

Some interesting news on the Bendigo front.
Hickmott spoke about what will be happening next year last thursday night at the Bomber Footy show.
As expected no new licence. What will happen is the alignment with bendigo will saty in place.

• They will be known as the Bendigo Bank Bombers

.

• There will be no seconds side. There will be a development squad of around 25 young players from the bendigo region and they will play for a Bendigo Leauge based club when not needed for Bendigo.

• The money saved on payer payments for the seconds will be used to chase some ex AFL players to strengthen the Bendigo list

• The squad (including Essendon players not in line for senior selection) will train with each other at least once a week which did not happen this year.

• There will be a Melbourne based squad

• At this stage no decision on the coach as this wont happen until Knights does his end of season review

• The split of games will be possibly 4 or 5 games in Bendigo depending on the ground with the other home games to be played at Windy Hill

Obviously this is not what everyone wanted but the clubs hands where tied to a certain degree and it took a fair few meetings to convince AFL Victoria and the VFL that not fielding a reserves side was in the best interests of the competetion let alone any stand alone side issues.

Lets hope that they can sign 5 or 6 really good VFL quality players so that the side can be competative every week and the young blokes are not just deck chairs on a sinking ship.

 

[Kong]

Gees..

Yep, I assumed this was common knowledge by now.

 

[eth-dog]

shit decision tbh

 

[ant555]

shit decision tbh

Only decision they could make.


AFLV stood firm on their stance of no more stand alone licenes.
Frankston is a basket case that still wanted control over everything including where the players (firsts or reserves) and what positions they play.

The two options where do some sort of deal with Frankston and loose control of the playing options or sign another two year deal with Bendigo and keep control of the players and play more games at WH.

As i mentioned a couple of weeks ago in the Bendigo thread ( some of you need to learn that it is pretty easy to have a look in that area ) the hope is that by cutting the reserves they will have extra cash to throw at recruiting some better quality VFL players.


So i will repeat again. The club was limited in its options and stand alone was simply not an option becasue they could not get a licence

The two years was smart as there are still a few whispers about an East Coast reserves comp once GC and West Sydney are in.
The majority of games will be played at WH because the QEO will not be fully recovered in that time frame.

 

[Skeeta Olly]

Yep, I assumed this was common knowledge by now.

We need a "Not Ant Friendly" tag tbh. Put them on Kelvin threads, Myers threads and Bendigo threads.

 

[Spikey]

So i will repeat again. The club was limited in its options and stand alone was simply not an option becasue they could not get a licence

You've said this about 300 times now. What makes you think people will start listening to you now?

 

[Godzke]

Disappointing we can't get a license. Bendigo will only hold our development of youngsters back.

 

[LeeARM]

I don't know why you bother Ant.

 

[Mad Bomber Sean]

Ok so we had no choice, understand that.

But please open up the damn wallet & buy some decent hardbodied guns to play in this team. we need to win games.

We aint gonna get much serious development if we play suburban footballers alongside high grade AFL draft picks.

If you dont, we can forget about building depth.

 

[ant555]

Just on the development front i was looking through Collingwoods VFL list and it is not like they have 7 or 8 good VFL players. It has been the fact that the 3rd to 5th year players on the Pies list are playing good footy and have been the reason behind their good run this year.

It was the same with Geelong. they had a group of players come through together and when they hit their 4th or 5th year the VFL side was really strong.

I know the Bendigo list has been nothing flash but some of the Essendon listed players have to carry the can a bit.
One reason why they got burnt so badly this year was the fact that the team often had 10 to 15 players aged 21 or under playing. One thing that should show up is the fact the Essendon players should get better with a year or two under their belt.

The argument about player development suffering has not been totaly true. Obviously it has not helped Jetta but on another front it did not hurt Zaka , Hurley , Houli (yes Houli as he would have played the last 4 games if he was not injured),Hooker or players like Neagle who really struggled in the VFL but showed improvment when he came back into the senior side.

Ideally Bendigo can hopefull sign a ruckman , a Key forward and a couple of on ballers. It really hurt having to ruck Bock week in and week out and we got smashed in the clearances most weeks.

 

[Knight Ryders]

Also remember guys that we've been carrying a lot of injuries the last few years and this would have a significant impact on our VFL side. If we can get a bit more luck (or good management) with our injuries, our VFL side will be better as a result.

 

[daffo]

Not suprised but very disapointed.

 

[Rack Watts]

Good move

 

[dapto]

Take the decison as clarified even if i find the situation a little bewildering.

To be beaten by the margins we have and rely upon such an abject and important resource I am staggered we could not find a better outcome. Bruno was right re forwards. But the club is obviously aware

Even though the bulked message was clear, (Ant you should use that font all the time), what isnt clear is..

.....
The two years was smart as there are still a few whispers about an East Coast reserves comp once GC and West Sydney are in.

Ant can you help with this comment. Two years was necessary because???

 

[Donakebab]

Ant can you help with this comment. Two years was necessary because???

In two years GC will be in the AFL and WS will be getting up and ready, so that would be when an east coast reserves comp would most likely take off.

 

[dapto]

In two years GC will be in the AFL and WS will be getting up and ready, so that would be when an east coast reserves comp would most likely take off.

Thanks for the clarification

But I am mortified to think the EFC has such narrow foresight. If that comp takes off in that time frame we have no leverage unlike Collingwood to negotiate at the table. A moot point perhaps but possibly we should have pressed harder now even if what you say is true

An eastern reserves league sounds fanciful 2021 let alone 2011

 

[ant555]

Thanks for the clarification

But I am mortified to think the EFC has such narrow foresight. If that comp takes off in that time frame we have no leverage unlike Collingwood to negotiate at the table. A moot point perhaps but possibly we should have pressed harder now even if what you say is true

An eastern reserves league sounds fanciful 2021 let alone 2011

They did press hard for a stand alone licence. Not much more they can do other than put forward an aplication to AFLV which was rejected.

As far as the Eastern states reserves comp it is still bubbling along in the back ground of AFL matters and it will get revisited once West Sydney are in the comp and the new media deal has been signed.
Take the tip , it is still a very real possability.

 

[FandangoDingo]

Sack Quinn!!!



But seriously... whilst I appreciate our circumstances and limited options, it's a pretty terrible outcome.