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- Essendon
Essendon by Night, Nothing by Day
This year, Essendon has been unable to win a single game during the afternoon.
This year Essendon has been given arguably one of the toughest draws, but coming with this draw is the luxury of prime time football. In the thirteen rounds leading up to the Bomber's mid-season break, they have played a total of four games on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons with one twilight match and eight night matches.
What is intriguing is that Essendon has failed to win any of their afternoon games this season. Their first loss came in round two against Fremantle where they went down by 44 points, the next in round five where they Bombers produced a pathetic performance for the ANZAC day blockbuster, succumbing to Collingwood by 65 points.
The next two losses came against Port Adealide in round 7 where the Bombers lost by only 3 points and finally in round 11 where the Bombers fell short against Sydney by 9 points. In 2009, Essendon were only able to win four out of their nine afternoon games, with losses to North Melbourne and Richmond. It begs the question, can Essendon play afternoon football?
Although Essendon have been dealt a harsh fixture facing the reigning premiers Geelong twice in the first twelve rounds, they have been gifted a plethora of prime-time games. The Bombers play seven of their twenty two games on a Friday night, including a run of three successive games between round 18 and 20 inclusive. This also includes seven Saturday night matches, while their Round 22 clash against the Bulldogs could well draw a prime-time spot if the Bombers are in contention for finals football.
It asks the question, do Essendon play too many games at night? In the remaining rounds, Essendon plays a total of two games in the afternoon against Melbourne in round fifteen and Brisbane in round twenty one with round twenty two yet to be decided. Some may argue that this cushy ride of prime-time night matches come at a price and leaves players disinterested for up-coming games. Following their big win in round three against Carlton during 2009, Essendon were unable to capitalise on their form and followed up with a loss against North Melbourne.
After a three successive losses, Essendon has a week of to reassess it's position and goals for the rest of the 2010 season. With only two games left to be played in the afternoon, could this be the wild-card that allows them to make the finals or will this cushy ride be the downfall of the Bombers if they are forced to play in the afternoon?
This year, Essendon has been unable to win a single game during the afternoon.
This year Essendon has been given arguably one of the toughest draws, but coming with this draw is the luxury of prime time football. In the thirteen rounds leading up to the Bomber's mid-season break, they have played a total of four games on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons with one twilight match and eight night matches.
What is intriguing is that Essendon has failed to win any of their afternoon games this season. Their first loss came in round two against Fremantle where they went down by 44 points, the next in round five where they Bombers produced a pathetic performance for the ANZAC day blockbuster, succumbing to Collingwood by 65 points.
The next two losses came against Port Adealide in round 7 where the Bombers lost by only 3 points and finally in round 11 where the Bombers fell short against Sydney by 9 points. In 2009, Essendon were only able to win four out of their nine afternoon games, with losses to North Melbourne and Richmond. It begs the question, can Essendon play afternoon football?
Although Essendon have been dealt a harsh fixture facing the reigning premiers Geelong twice in the first twelve rounds, they have been gifted a plethora of prime-time games. The Bombers play seven of their twenty two games on a Friday night, including a run of three successive games between round 18 and 20 inclusive. This also includes seven Saturday night matches, while their Round 22 clash against the Bulldogs could well draw a prime-time spot if the Bombers are in contention for finals football.
It asks the question, do Essendon play too many games at night? In the remaining rounds, Essendon plays a total of two games in the afternoon against Melbourne in round fifteen and Brisbane in round twenty one with round twenty two yet to be decided. Some may argue that this cushy ride of prime-time night matches come at a price and leaves players disinterested for up-coming games. Following their big win in round three against Carlton during 2009, Essendon were unable to capitalise on their form and followed up with a loss against North Melbourne.
After a three successive losses, Essendon has a week of to reassess it's position and goals for the rest of the 2010 season. With only two games left to be played in the afternoon, could this be the wild-card that allows them to make the finals or will this cushy ride be the downfall of the Bombers if they are forced to play in the afternoon?
