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TheDon35

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Thread starter #1
Righto... After 9 years, hundreds of debates, several yellow cards and season after season of frustration, the sleeping giant is about to awake.

Make what you want of this but i'm extremely confident that the next few years will be painted red and black.

While fitness & experience derailed our season this year it was plain to see that the Bombers have the tools to match it with the best and their arrow is heading north.

Finally a midfield we can look at with pride. Watson, Goddard, Stanton, Hocking, Howlett, Zaka, Heppell & Myers an ideal blend of experience and youth. Expect this group to go to the next level in 2013 of the back of the expected improvement from Myers, Heppell and Zaka along with the addition of Goddard and potentially Jacobs. Melksham, NLM, Kavanagh, Collyer provide a level of depth that simply hasn't been there for many years. Also wouldn't be surprised to see Hibbo push in there at times.

Forward line. Hurley and Crameri do what they do. Hurley has proved that when he can string more than 5 games in a row, he's as destructive as most forwards in the comp. Cram does what he does. Gumby finally fit and the addition of Daniher over the next couple of years will add further depth and with Both Bellchambers and more so Ryder being able to get dangerous inside forward 50, we have a plethora of tall options emerging.

Still a little light on in the small forward department although Davey demonstrated that when we play well, he's an extremely effective small option. When the ball is brought into the forward line on our terms, this provides him far more scope to a) kick goals and b) provide a defensive beacon. With a return to full fitness, Winderlich will cover the Monfries loss.

Despite popular opinion, Jetta improved again this season and to me it looks very close to finally clicking for him. Look out when it does.

Our mid size backs are first class. Dempsey, Hardingham, Hibbo, Heppell, Goddard all able to work off their men and defend well. All too with strong decision making and bar Hardingham - disposal ability. Hooker, Carlisle, Pears, Hurley, Ryder, Gumby, Fletcher et al provide plenty of options in key defensive posts.

Importantly, we're developing an army of guys that can with their own ball and make the right decisions with it which is the cornerstone of any premiership side.

We've got x factor in Dempsey, Jetta, Davey, Heppell, Collyer all (bar maybe collyer) with strong defensive attributes complimenting our wealth of blue collar workers.

Buckle in people... It's about to happen.
 

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TheDon35

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Thread starter #15
I like this. We've spent a lot of time over the last 5 years disagreeing on things with you taking a slightly more pessimistic line. If we're both thinking along top 4 lines, there's a good reason for it.
My pessimism was largely due to the fact that from 2003 onward we had a heap of trucks running around that were never going to be good enough. All have now gone.

2013 will be our year. I expect us to go past Geelong, Freo, Adelaide, North, St Kilda, Carlton and am confident of being as good as Collingwood and Sydney. Hawthorn are ahead of us but anything can happen in footy. Sides emerge every year that weren't expected to and finally I expect that side to be us next year.
 

BrunoV

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#17
I'm confident that we are going to become seriously good in the next two seasons and be good enough to have a ridiculously successful era.

This sleeping giant thing does annoy me though. It plays at a sense of entitlement which is, in the main, based on irrelevant years gone by. What we are doing on and off field is placing ourselves in a position to become the "giant" we always like to think that we are but in reality have never really been.
 

Childish Gambino

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#19
Who gives a **** what others think.

I'm hoping for a top 4 finish and I think we can achieve that. Look at the football we played at the start of last season, especially the WCE game and it shows we can match it with anyone.
 

VelvetSledge

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#23
I'm going to tune back into Essendon about June onwards. We need to have a season of real substance. Not a start. Or an end. Or bits & blobs over the year.
Had a dream last night that we played consistent footy all through the year and lost every match.

feelsbadman
 
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