Essendon's Next premiership

[Tippaz]

can't see it either

you need a strong midfield and ours doesn't exactly read Selwood/Bartel/Corey/Ling/Chapman/Kelly or Swan/Pendlebury/Ball/Thomas/Wellingham/Beams

 

[windyhill]

I love our spine, the midfield still worries the shit out of me, until that is fixed/improved , forget it.

 

[SirJimi05]

Hope we can pinch it next year.

No reason why our 2-5 year players can't start playing their best football from next year.
Our list is close to reaching the age and games bracket to challenge.

Maybe next year is one we get lucky on and then the following 5 years we have a Geelong like run.

Massive Kelvin Dummy spit is on the cards for 2012.

 

[essendon2008]

A common trap probably 80% of AFL fans fall into every year is they predict where improvement might come from in their side and how much they will jump up the ladder. Yet they do not regard the strength of other teams and improvement by others.

I think we should improve next year, long way off Premiers though.

 

[gO_bOmBeRz]

Surprised many can't see a premiership in the near future..

 

[yaco55]

Voted 2014 but with trepidation - All the planets will have to align.

Hard to win premierships in an 18 team competition - as opposed to a 12 team competition.

Since the AFL increase from 12 teams in 1987 we have won two premierships.

 

[rawm]

A common trap probably 80% of AFL fans fall into every year is they predict where improvement might come from in their side and how much they will jump up the ladder. Yet they do not regard the strength of other teams and improvement by others.

I think we should improve next year, long way off Premiers though.

People also tend to forget or ignore the reduced output from some players a year on. I agree that as a team we will be better next year, but nowhere near enough to compete with the top 4. Id say we'd have done well to finish in the top 8 again next year.

As I said before, with players like NLM, Davey, Hille, McVeigh, Quinn, Dyson, Welsh, Neagle and to some extent Jetta on the list we just wont compete at the next level. It will take 2/3 years minimum to turn these guys over unless James Hird and co. can work some magic at the trade/draft table.

 

[Kong]

Voted 2013.

People say we have no midfield, but it's already there in my opinion.

In two years, a midfield of Watson, Hocking, Zaharakis, Melksham, Heppell and Stanton will strike fear into the hearts of opposition clubs.

 

[rawm]

Voted 2013.

People say we have no midfield, but it's already there in my opinion.

In two years, a midfield of Watson, Hocking, Zaharakis, Melksham, Heppell and Stanton will strike fear into the hearts of opposition clubs.

And in two years sides like Carlton, North Melbourne, Richmond and Fremantle wont be able to say the same thing about their centreline combinations?

I know this is a popular statement atm, but its really about your bottom 6-8 players. We have a good balance right now, but to even consider competing with other clubs, the output of our lesser lights needs to increase by 40% which I just cant see happening.

 

[Kong]

North will have an awesome midfield, as will Richmond and Freo.

I'm not convinced on Carlton's outside of Judd and Murphy, and in two years Judd is anybody's guess.

However IMO we will have all of those clubs covered in terms of key position talent, quite comfortably.

Also, we've barely had even close to a full squad for 4 years now. While it means we're continually playing unsettled sides, it's also meant we've exposed a lot of players to senior footy.

With a full squad, the likes of Hardingham, Hibberd, Gumbleton, McVeigh, Hille, Monfries, Lonergan, Myers, Colyer, Reimers and Davey are going to be in that "16-22" bracket.

Looks good to me.

 

[rawm]

North will have an awesome midfield, as will Richmond and Freo.

I'm not convinced on Carlton's outside of Judd and Murphy, and in two years Judd is anybody's guess.

However IMO we will have all of those clubs covered in terms of key position talent, quite comfortably.

Also, we've barely had even close to a full squad for 4 years now. While it means we're continually playing unsettled sides, it's also meant we've exposed a lot of players to senior footy.

With a full squad, the likes of Hardingham, Hibberd, Gumbleton, McVeigh, Hille, Monfries, Lonergan, Myers, Colyer, Reimers and Davey are going to be in that "16-22" bracket.

Looks good to me.

Point taken with Carlton and Judd age dilemma, but I suspect they will challenge (2012-13) before he becomes a half forward. But:

Hille/Gumbleton: Finished - cannot compete at the same level anymore, needs to be raplaced by Bellchambers/Ryder combo

McVeigh/Davey - Fringe 22 players at best now surely.

Myers,Colyer,Reimers, Jetta - Jury still out.

 

[Kong]

My bad, I wasn't really thinking both ways with that post, re: age of players.

In 2013 I suspect that Hille, Davey, McVeigh and Gumbleton will be gone.

If Myers, Colyer, Reimers, Jetta, Hibberd, Hardingham, Lonergan (not to mention unknowns like Browne, Steinberg etc) are our players in that 16-25 range, we'll be doing pretty well.

No worse than people like Fasolo, L Brown, Sinclair, Maxwell, Toovey, Blair; or Collins, O'hAilpin, Austin, Armfield, Davies, White, Tuohy.

 

[Tassieboy]

I really rate Hardingham, although it seems I'm in the minority. His only 23 and played just 28 games. There's a lot to look forward to IMO.

 

[Kong]

Nah, I rate him.

His first half of the year was probably the best of any of our backmen.

 

[Childish Gambino]

Most people rate him on the ability he has shown and potential to improve.

I just worry that he won't produce that form consistently over his career. The way his form dropped off towards the end of this year is very concerning. Went from our top 7-8 players consistently early on in the year to our bottom 5.

 

[Kong]

Not to mention the following players could be competing for the backline:

B: Hibberd/Browne, Pears/Hurley, Myers/Fletcher
HB: Dempsey/Heppell, Hooker/Carlisle, Hardingham/Davis

 

[Lance Uppercut]

hilarious to see the posters who voted for "can't see it happening at all"...

Aussie Assault, Blueboys11, centurion, Donslad, emblurr, Escobar123, King_George, Likely Lad, Lord Nicholson, muesli, onthemoney, PortBrillance, Pritchard, rawm, reincarnated, sighclone, SirJimi05, Skeeta Olly, The_Doctor, The_Panther, Tippaz, windyhill, WindyHillWatcher

So good to see opposition supporters taking such a close interest. I mean, who amongst us doesn't care deeply what the likes of PortBrillance, The_Panther and Blueboys11 think?

 

[Tassieboy]

Exactly, Whomb, good point.

Our backline is still developing and in 2-3 years it could be out real strength once everyone has 50-100 games under their belt. The whole meltdown from some (especially folks on BigFooty who support other clubs) about how average our backline is and how we need to find a magic cure or we're in big trouble is a bit over the top for mine. However, this agenda has been partially lead by sections of the media who only really see the stat sheet and don't see Essendon day-in-day-out. Many have said: 'Essendon's average score against is basically the same as 2010 so therefore there's big problems and they can't win a premiership with such a backline." And they carry on as if they know every player inside out. Well they obviously don't.

Yes we had our problems at the end of the year in defence, but to cross out Hooker, Pears, Myers, and Hardingham as players is just a knee-jerk, need to find an insightful reason reaction IMO. Annoyed me to no end when one commentator (can't remember who) said once Fletcher goes all we have of standard in defence in Carlisle. Rubbish.

 

[Kong]

I've noticed a lot on BigFooty no longer rate Pears as a key defender, despite barely being beaten since he was being lauded at the beginning of 2010.

And to clarify, no, they're not saying "he could be great but he keeps getting injured", it's that they actually think he can't defend.

LOL

 

[Childish Gambino]

I've noticed a lot on BigFooty no longer rate Pears as a key defender, despite barely being beaten since he was being lauded at the beginning of 2010.

And to clarify, no, they're not saying "he could be great but he keeps getting injured", it's that they actually think he can't defend.

LOL

His performance against Butcher was embarrassing so you can see why people are starting to think that.

Fingers crossed for a full pre season, he'll prove himself.

 

[Tassieboy]

It was one performance, though, and he was obviously hindered.

 

[Kong]

Exactly, what Tassieboy said.

Fletcher's put in a few stinkers this year. Even Ben Reid, the poster boy of key defenders at the moment, was embarrassed in the biggest game of the year.

Pears has far more in the "wins" column than "losses".

 

[Childish Gambino]

Oh, I don't agree with it at all.

I was just suggesting how opposition supporters may think that.

 

[Kong]

Ah fair enough.

I think some people on here (not you) take the "you're only as good as your last game" mantra too literally.

 

[yaco55]

IMO, Pears is a bit overrated on performances to date - Hurley and Hooker have shown more as Key Backs.

Need to find the right match up for Pears - He is best suited to playing on tall forwards who strength is leading - Can struggle against big power forwards - who are strong at contested marking - Read Butcher/J.Riewoldt.

It is a matter of getting the match ups right - Hooker to take the forward who is strong at contested marking and Pears the tall forward who is the leading type.