Moved Thread Five years on: are Essendon in a good place?

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JayJ20

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Carlton didn't have a dozen quality players waiting to re-join the team after 12 months off - Their squad was s**t after their draft sanctions

Essendon's draft sanctions were laughable (Adelaide's Tippett fiasco cost more draft picks) and Essendon's squad was never wooden spoon material
They might not have rejoined. The reason why we are good isn't only to do with the players that came back. Look at our younger players plus Daniher.

Of the players that came back, only Hooker, Hurley and Heppell are quality best 22 players. Hardly the dozen quality players that you're saying. Even that, Hooker is not even playing in his preferred position, obviously lacking some forward craft. We lost a lot of quality players because of the saga, but made the most out of it through trades, rookie picks, nailing draft picks and fantastic player development.

We made finals because of our younger crop that performed even when the returning players ran out of steam in the first half of the year. We simply dealt with the consequences much better than Carlton did. We did everything right to get us to this point. The "we weren't punished" line people keep repeating ad nauseam is just a bs excuse to try and undermine our hard work.
 

MaddAdam

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One thing the doping program did give Essendon was relevance.

Prior to that they were the most nothing club in the league.
 
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Carlton didn't have a dozen quality players waiting to re-join the team after 12 months off - Their squad was s**t after their draft sanctions

Essendon's draft sanctions were laughable (Adelaide's Tippett fiasco cost more draft picks) and Essendon's squad was never wooden spoon material
Adelaide volunteered their picks, and in my mind that was stupid.
At worst they would have copped a single year out of the draft. Maybe even a fine and a warning.
Its not like they had history.

We were the best team to ever receive the #1 pick, no doubt.
The year before we got pick 4 as well from a squad that just stopped once the WADA appeal was announced.
So even that was not an indication of where the team was at.

What is unknown is what happens if none of this had occurred.
Does Ryder stay? Hibberd? Carlisle?
Who did we miss during those trade periods? Treloar? Docherty?

Spine of Carlisle - Hurley - Heppell - Daniher - Hooker is pretty strong.
If Ryder stays, we vastly improve our ruck as well.
And Hibberd adds attack from HBF, negating the loss of McGrath.

We wouldn't have Parish, Francis, Laverde or McGrath on the list as a result.
We'd likely have Lobb on the list form the 2013 1st rd, and Merrett still comes in for the Crameri pick
plus draftees in place of those we took in 2015/16 in place of Parish and McGrath. My guess would be Curnow and Simpkin
so our best 22 would be:

Saad Carlisle Gleeson
Hibberd Hurley McKenna
Zaka Heppell Smith
Stringer Daniher Tippa
Fantasia Hooker Stewart
Ryder Goddard Merrett
Langford Simpkin Lobb Curnow
E: Myers Colyer Begley

vs

Saad Hartley Gleeson
Hibberd Hurley McKenna
Zaka Heppell Smith
Stringer Daniher Tippa
Fantasia Hooker Stewart
Bellchambers Goddard Merrett
Langford McGrath Laverde Francis
E: Myers Colyer Begley
 

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Macpotata

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It's fickung billshut that these campaigners are back in business so quickly

Waaaahhhh

Seriously though would the bombers winning this years flag be an embarrassment to the AFL ? I don't think it would be particularly well received by the rest of the football world , not that the bombers fans would give a stuff.
Big Footy would be bordering on unbearable you would think , bombers fans with an axe to grind hijacking every thread and everyone else with the * crap. Man it would be like Richmaggedon x2 ( not that I blame the tiger fans with all the s**t they've copped over the years but it's getting a bit tiresome )
Too much to hope for that winning gracefully would survive the internet age I suppose
Perhaps the best outcome if the the bombers make the GF this year would be a interstate side ( Freo ) knocking them off on the MCG then that mind- numbing Unfair GF advantage narrative could also be put to bed. Essendon would get a highly visible smack on the bum to appease the masses and everyone could link arms, sing some bittersweet love songs in the soft waning light and move on


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Best post in big footy history.
 
This. I reckon they had a pretty good squad when Hird took over. Bomber took them to the finals in 2014. They've got Andy McGrath who will be - is - a jet as a direct outcome of the whole disaster but they lost plenty of quality players as a result too.

Would they be in better place onfield now if it hadn't happened? Maybe won a final?
Well, they would have been in the finals probably in 2013 if this all hadn't blown up, and who knows what from there?
 
Hurley bashed a taxi driver, up himself hipster wannabe flog.

Jobe a fat slow hack who had one good year when he was doped, captained 34 players to doping bans, acted like a spoiled child when he had to give his stolen medal back, another wannabe hipster poseur flog
hahahahaha, this is why you can't do a good troll thread.

You crack at the first chance of s**t posting
 

DapperJong

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hahahahaha, this is why you can't do a good troll thread.

You crack at the first chance of s**t posting

nah nah not a troll proper discussion and stuff pls keep on topic
 

DapperJong

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Says he who supported his Club through the whole thing! If that's not an obsession... ;)

Spend time supporting my club? Whilst you and the HTB roll call that has been this thread spent 4 years on my club also? I'm afraid you've got the whole thing a bit topsy turvy. Haven't got any smarter since those days hey?
 
Spend time supporting my club? Whilst you and the HTB roll call that has been this thread spent 4 years on my club also? I'm afraid you've got the whole thing a bit topsy turvy. Haven't got any smarter since those days hey?
... Just think it's a bit rich calling someone else obsessed when you (and I) were clearly no different. Haven't got any nicer, hey?
 

DapperJong

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... Just think it's a bit rich calling someone else obsessed when you (and I) were clearly no different. Still not no nastier, hey?

Am I still creating threads about it on the main board?
 

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MaddAdam

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Whenever this flog starts an Essendon thread you automatically know it's a troll. Dunno why posters even bother.

If I wanted to troll I'd troll.

Why don't you tell us what you think - did some good come from it all?
 
If I wanted to troll I'd troll.

Why don't you tell us what you think - did some good come from it all?
Good came from it 100%.

As has been said many times we were heading down the same path of list building and accepting mediocrity. Something had to change, it's just I wish it was caused by something other than what transpired.

Are we now a great club again? Hell no, still much more to do before that happens again. As a supporter you just hope the people in charge are heading the club in the right direction.
 

MaddAdam

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Good came from it 100%.

As has been said many times we were heading down the same path of list building and accepting mediocrity. Something had to change, it's just I wish it was caused by something other than what transpired.

Are we now a great club again? Hell no, still much more to do before that happens again. As a supporter you just hope the people in charge are heading the club in the right direction.

Good post.
 

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