Essendon

[kelvin_sheedy]

Rebuild started 2 years ago.

The kids haven't been played enough because they have generally been injured.

Sheeds also failed to cycle enough through.

The team we put out tonight was 1.5 years younger than Richmond and 20 games less.

Were in the midst of it but I don't like it. Too many kids at the one time and we are getting belted. We need bigger bodies and experience out there.

 

[topdon]

We are the worst team in the league at the moment. That 1st half was the worst i have seen Essendon play in my 30 years of life. Utter garbage!

 

[trev106]

mcphee,laycock,johns,johnon,pevrill and lovett-murray gone, hille a gun? you must be kidding. lloyd a joke for a captain his more intrested in making sure his hairs ok then leading the team but poor lloyd he isnt going to good this year is he the bal dosent get ther enough for him to take a dive, but the bad thing for essendon is no one else can captain them they lack leadership. ryder can be a very good footballer but they need to settle him don in a postion they sem to be moving him from chb to ruck to foward.

 

[Dan26]

We are the worst team in the league at the moment. That 1st half was the worst i have seen Essendon play in my 30 years of life. Utter garbage!

Do you remember the first half versus Hawthorn in late 1992?

Train-wreck central, that one.

And the second half that day too.

 

[Ron The Bear]

We are the worst team in the league at the moment. That 1st half was the worst i have seen Essendon play in my 30 years of life. Utter garbage!

Was shocked at Essendon's lack of resistance tonight, despite Richmond being ordinary. Their middle-tier players with 50-100 games under their belts are average at best and it'll be at least a two-year wait to find out whether the current crop of kids are any good, IMO. Bomber fans' loyalty looks set to be severely tested.

 

[Mullo]

I wouldnt call it a shocking list of players.

Still alot of culling to do with players drafted between before '04 though ie. Lovett-Murray, Dyson, Laycock, Johns, Lee, J Johnson, Peveril etc and possible trades with Welsh? Lovett? Mcphee?

We've got some good kids we've drafted the last couple of years and will get some good early picks this year aswell and most likely next year.

Im pretty positive about our long term future, alot of faith in guys like Houli, Ryder, Riemers, Hislop, Lonergan, Davey, Jetta, Gumbleton, Dempsey, Myers, Pears, Neagle, Daniher etc.

And this, is why Essendon fans are hated and why Essendon are sucking so much. The arrogance that every player who enters windy hill is a gem. If you actually think these kinds of players are ones to build a future upon, then it's going to be a long, long, loooooong decade ahead....

 

[ManWithNoName]

And this, is why Essendon fans are hated and why Essendon are sucking so much. The arrogance that every player who enters windy hill is a gem. If you actually think these kinds of players are ones to build a future upon, then it's going to be a long, long, loooooong decade ahead....

Davey-gun
Dempey-Unproven
Houli-Promise
Reimers-Angry man
Hislop-Unproven
Lonergan-Unproven
Jetta-Some potential
Pears-Has he even played yet?
Daniher-Shown a shitload of potential

Happy?

 

[GuzzLG]

And this, is why Essendon fans are hated and why Essendon are sucking so much. The arrogance that every player who enters windy hill is a gem. If you actually think these kinds of players are ones to build a future upon, then it's going to be a long, long, loooooong decade ahead....

Having faith in our young players translates to arrogance

Says a lot about you.

 

[dmc333]

After the torture regularly inflicted on me by arrogant Essendon supporters over the years, I must say I'm enjoying this. However they're just a little too shithouse for me at the moment.

I'm looking forward to the return of Lucas and possibly a few more wins this season, putting them a few spots lower down the draft pecking order. That should ensure more trouble as the expansion sides start thieving draftees and the rot will last even longer.

It's all short term pain for longterm gain for me.

 

[gaelictiogar]

Tonight had nothing to do with the coach, the game plan or the actual playing ability of the players.

Tonight was mainly the lack of heart in the first half. I counted 3 4 quarter players tonight - Hille (star ruckman of the competition now based on that effort), Lloyd (lead from the front) and Reimers (it's not always about the stats - he was the one continually putting his arse on the line - orange boots and all).

Too harsh. Richmond have come up against all the best 4 in the League in recent rounds and have pushed all of them. Richmond's 12th position is and was before the game a false position. We are top 8 material this year. Essendon are struggling but were simply beaten by what is now a competitive and improving outfit.

 

[GuzzLG]

Too harsh. Richmond have come up against all the best 4 in the League in recent rounds and have pushed all of them. Richmond's 12th position is and was before the game a false position. We are top 8 material this year. Essendon are struggling but were simply beaten by what is now a competitive and improving outfit.

Wasn't too harsh at all. Our performance in the first half was terrible and completely unacceptable.

We were very good in the 3rd quarter and only okay in the 4th. Our players should play to the standard of our 4th quarter AT MINIMUM. We lost the qtr by 2 goals and if we played to this minimum acceptable standard we should have been down by about 25 at half time, not 50.

 

[Scotland]

You have to ask who they are building a successful future around and when do they think this future will come?

Down back, I can't see Michael & Fletcher being around too much longer. The great white hope is Ryder, but what has he really done? I'd back Josh Kennedy at CHF to beat Ryder, and he hasn't even played 30 AFL games. People talk up Ryder vs Franklin as some future Jakovich/Carey type duel, but that fact is Franklin would tear him a new one now, and I can't see that changing in the next few years.

In midfield, the cupboard is pretty bare. Mcveigh is going well in 2008, but after that there isn't much. Peverill and Johnson are on the outer, and Stanton & Watson are plodders, despite the ravings of the Bomber faithful. Houli has shown a lot of promise, but he is basically Rhys Palmer in black and red. As good as he might become, he can't carry a midfield alone - particularly as a 20-30 gamer. If there were 2-3 players like Houli with similar experience who looked just as promising, there'd be more cause for optimism.

Up forward, it's still the Lloyd and Lucas show. They won't be around forever, and while Gumbleton is rated highly he has shown very little (a lot of that due to injury). Will him & Neagle be up to the standard required to build a forward line around by the time Lloyd and Lucas depart? I doubt it. Davey, Jetta & Lovett is a trio of players with exceptional pace and creativity. If consistency could be harnessed (and they could avoid injury) from these three, then there is cause for more optimism.

There's going to be a lot of pressure on the recruiting at Essendon over the next year or two. I can't predict how good the unproven draftees of recent years (Reimers, Dempsey etc.) are going to become, but the group that have been in the system a few years is pretty disappointing, so even if the current first and second year players become jets I can't see their best coming at a time when the likes of Lloyd, Fletcher, Michael & Lucas are still around, which is worrying.

 

[The Dice Man]

Only goals they got in the 1st half were from free kicks, and they had more than a helping hanc from the umpires in the 3rd qtr.

I honestly do not remember seeing a worse team than this current Essendon team... and Ive seen plenty of bad teams first hand!

 

[Island Bomber]

Only goals they got in the 1st half were from free kicks, and they had more than a helping hanc from the umpires in the 3rd qtr.

I honestly do not remember seeing a worse team than this current Essendon team... and Ive seen plenty of bad teams first hand!

Have a look at your own club for the past 20 years or so. As far as frees were concerned did you happen to catch N Brown diving in the forward line for a couple of the softest frees you would ever see?

 

[tazhawk]

Hardwick knew very well that Essendon's list was on the nose, and told them they needed to re-build (Hawk style).

It seems the board got sucked in by the rosy pic that Knights sold them.

I see a fair bit of pain coming up for Essendon.

 

[W. Smithers]

I will give you a neutral opinion on these guys.

Ryder- Has every attribute to be an elite footballer
Houli- Very Limited
Riemers- Jury Out
Hislop- Jury out
Lonergan- Jury Out
Jetta- Cannot play, very very ordinary
Neagle- Looks the goods, hits it hard in the contest and good be a key position player for a long time. May even make a very good CHF
Myers- Had a peek, didnt like that
Others- Jury out

Going back last year and the year before all our youngsters looked like they were terrible and we'd made a lot of mistakes drafting.

These Bombers will be ok, they just need games and time.

 

[GottaLoveCarlton]

How we lost to these guys in round 3 is beyond me

 

[Smyth94]

You have to ask who they are building a successful future around and when do they think this future will come?

Down back, I can't see Michael & Fletcher being around too much longer. The great white hope is Ryder, but what has he really done? I'd back Josh Kennedy at CHF to beat Ryder, and he hasn't even played 30 AFL games. People talk up Ryder vs Franklin as some future Jakovich/Carey type duel, but that fact is Franklin would tear him a new one now, and I can't see that changing in the next few years.

I don't know where you're coming from but Ryder this year has had a few decent scalps this season - Mooney, Hale, Murphy. At the moment his form
is a little bit down but thats partly due to the fact that he hasn't been able to lock down a position (due to differing roles in the team - brought upon by injuries).

I don't understand the fuss - Essendon are a very young team with a host of unproven kids and few genuine good players, most of which are going to retire in the next few years so it will be a long road for Essendon, I'm under no illusions.

 

[krustyman]

Injury has limited the bomber since the nab cup, a bit like saints. full strength they might be challenging for the top 8.

 

[ManWithNoName]

Injury has limited the bomber since the nab cup, a bit like saints. full strength they might be challenging for the top 8.

Apart from Lucas I'd say we were basically full strength last night.

 

[kelvin_sheedy]

Apart from Lucas I'd say we were basically full strength last night.

Davey, Dempsey, Houli also.

But we had close to our best available for a while and it wasn't even near good enough.

 

[ManWithNoName]

Davey, Dempsey, Houli also.

But we had close to our best available for a while and it wasn't even near good enough.

Davey, forgot about him.

Dempsey and Houli wouldn't be in our best at the moment IMO.

 

[Beckers]

Usually you are a very intellegent poster, but i cant agree with that at all. Looks very very promising, even if he does appear to be an outside player.
.

Doesn't that mean 'LIMITED' as the OP quoted???

 

[High Ryder]

Only goals they got in the 1st half were from free kicks, and they had more than a helping hanc from the umpires in the 3rd qtr.

I honestly do not remember seeing a worse team than this current Essendon team... and Ive seen plenty of bad teams first hand!

We are shit atm but the worst team of all time? You only beast us by 38 points and lost the 2nd half to us. What does that say about your lot?

 

[High Ryder]

Davey, forgot about him.

Dempsey and Houli wouldn't be in our best at the moment IMO.

Yes they would be...