Universal Love Optimism for 2019

[calyam]

Next season we should have our strongest list in at least 15-years. Of course I could say the same thing about this season too and look how that turned out.

I'm most excited about having a healthy Daniher and pairing him with an improving Stringer and surrounding them with the likes of Tippa and Fantasia.

I'm also hopeful that we can finally start phasing out some of our marginal players - the likes of Colyer, Baguley, Green, Dea and even Myers - which needs to occur if we have any genuine top 4 aspirations.

 

[Doss]

Next season we should have our strongest list in at least 15-years. Of course I could say the same thing about this season too and look how that turned out.

I'm most excited about having a healthy Daniher and pairing him with an improving Stringer and surrounding them with the likes of Tippa and Fantasia.

I'm also hopeful that we can finally start phasing out some of our marginal players - the likes of Colyer, Baguley, Green, Dea and even Myers - which needs to occur if we have any genuine top 4 aspirations.

I think we already have started phasing out some of those types. Green has only played seven games this year and is not going to add to that total, and in fact I wouldn't be surprised if he is barely seen in an Essendon jumper again. Colyer only played yesterday because of Guelfi's withdrawal and has played just four games this year; granted that injury is a big part of that though.

Don't really see a pressing need to draw a line through Bags, Myers or Dea at this stage, given they've played some very reasonable football this year. It's okay to have role players if they are actually playing that role well.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Do you recall anything happening in early 2016 that might have caused a bit of disruption to that plan?

If we achieve top 4 in 2019, which I think we're capable of, then I'd say being only a year behind schedule is a pretty good result.

Is that a reason for why we couldn’t achieve our top 4 aim in 2018?

Because if I asked the question 6 months ago, absolutely nobody would have said it was.

Going backwards this year is an enormous failure. We can’t paper over it.

 

[DERO]

I think we already have started phasing out some of those types. Green has only played seven games this year and is not going to add to that total, and in fact I wouldn't be surprised if he is barely seen in an Essendon jumper again. Colyer only played yesterday because of Guelfi's withdrawal and has played just four games this year; granted that injury is a big part of that though.

Don't really see a pressing need to draw a line through Bags, Myers or Dea at this stage, given they've played some very reasonable football this year. It's okay to have role players if they are actually playing that role well.

YOU MONSTER

 

[BOMBERS 4 LIFE!!!!]

Is that a reason for why we couldn’t achieve our top 4 aim in 2018?

Because if I asked the question 6 months ago, absolutely nobody would have said it was.

Going backwards this year is an enormous failure. We can’t paper over it.

Need to start delivering results ie winning finals.

No more excuses 2019 has to be the season where we make a charge up the ladder and secure a top 4 spot.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Need to start delivering results ie winning finals.

No more excuses 2019 has to be the season where we make a charge up the ladder and secure a top 4 spot.

No, 2018 was. We finished seventh last year and made quality additions to the squad.

I’d love to know what the club is going to do to address this failure. Do we just go again in 2019? If nothing changes, nothing changes.

 

[calyam]

I think we already have started phasing out some of those types. Green has only played seven games this year and is not going to add to that total, and in fact I wouldn't be surprised if he is barely seen in an Essendon jumper again. Colyer only played yesterday because of Guelfi's withdrawal and has played just four games this year; granted that injury is a big part of that though.

Don't really see a pressing need to draw a line through Bags, Myers or Dea at this stage, given they've played some very reasonable football this year. It's okay to have role players if they are actually playing that role well.

It is more that we need our younger players to pass these guys. If a 32-year old Baguley is still getting a game late next year then it suggests that our development hasn't been as strong as we need to make the leap to top four. The same can be said for Dea: if he is still ahead of, say, Francis or Ridley next year then the latter two haven't taken the next step.

And ultimately that is a concern since the hurdle to surpass these guys isn't exactly high.

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

Yeah I'm not feeling it. This year has been an utter failure and I think it'll be a while before I'm feeling optimistic again.

The stats since round 9 (or whatever it is) just annoy me. So what? It doesn't mean anything. We know our best is great but it's just that - it doesn't mean anything. You can have a great quarter or game or month. It doesn't matter. You have to have a great season. You have to win enough games (say, 15 or whatever) to put you in the top 4 to have a shot at it.

Of course every team has a poor week or game every so often. That's footy. But have a poor month, or longer, like we did? That's it. Your season's over.

Until and unless they are able to put together a full season of quality footy then we're going nowhere. I saw no sign of that this year. If anything, it's been the opposite.

We have a good win, are going well, and come to a game against a poor opponent that we should win... will we perform professionally and put in the required performance to just win it? Or will we take our foot off the gas?

We have a poor week and lose. Do we know how to address it and arrest it immediately and turn it around by the next weekend? Or will it linger for weeks on end and before we know it, our season's over? Do the leaders know how to do that? I see nothing that says they do.

We're good when things are going well and we fold when faced with adversity or a lack of motivation. It's the same each year.

For me the best thing the club has done is years was in late 2015 when they sat down and did a proper, considered strategic plan. Because that gave us a map rather than just "we'll do our best every year".

http://s.afl.com.au/staticfile/AFL Tenant/Essendon/Images/2015 Strategic Plan Presentation.pdf

Among the usual optimism or whatever there is each off-season, this calmly lit a way forward and had us Top 4 by 2018. It was more than reasonable.

So we've failed. Why? Do we know why? Will it be acknowledged and addressed?

Plenty of teams have started season poorly then finished well and gone on either that season or next. Lions 4-5 in 2001.

You judge it by second half in which we’ve been very consistent, putting away poorer teams and winning interstate, something we haven’t done for a while.

All without our All Australian full forward who clearly played injured first 8 weeks and it cost us. We also were getting used to new players fitting in and new game plan.

A fully fit Daniher and we’d probably be 10-1 last 11 weeks. Big step forward by Langford. Good signs from Redman, Ridley, Begley. Guelfi been a good pick up.

Stringer, Saad and Smith been terrific and all three only young.

I’m staggered fans aren’t up for next year.

 

[jmoo wan]

i’m really disappointed at how we’ll end up ladder-wise this year and consider that a massive failure.

i’m also very excited and bullish about our prospects next year.

these two thoughts are not mutually exclusive.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Plenty of teams have started season poorly then finished well and gone on either that season or next. Lions 4-5 in 2001.

You judge it by second half in which we’ve been very consistent, putting away poorer teams and winning interstate, something we haven’t done for a while.

All without our All Australian full forward who clearly played injured first 8 weeks and it cost us. We also were getting used to new players fitting in and new game plan.

A fully fit Daniher and we’d probably be 10-1 last 11 weeks. Big step forward by Langford. Good signs from Redman, Ridley, Begley. Guelfi been a good pick up.

Stringer, Saad and Smith been terrific and all three only young.

I’m staggered fans aren’t up for next year.

Just heard it all before is all.

 

[Maxabillions]

Is that a reason for why we couldn’t achieve our top 4 aim in 2018?

Because if I asked the question 6 months ago, absolutely nobody would have said it was.

Going backwards this year is an enormous failure. We can’t paper over it.

That plan was drafted in 2015, so obviously what happened in 2016 would have caused the club to reassess.

I don't think the club ever came out last year and said top 4 in 2018 was the goal. Based on having lost a year in 2016 then top 4 in 2019 would fit with that plan made in 2015.

I'm not saying this year wasn't a failure. We definitely should have made finals. I think we were probably overhyped this year but the first 8 rounds were extremely disappointing.

I'm just hoping the failure of this year will drive us next year as it does seem like we turned a corner in terms of consistency now.

 

[Shanghaistu]

Can we please get a flag before Hawthorn gets their next one? Or, even worse....Carl...car...rlt....I can’t even say it

 

[ChampTurboBucko]

Is that a reason for why we couldn’t achieve our top 4 aim in 2018?

Because if I asked the question 6 months ago, absolutely nobody would have said it was.

Going backwards this year is an enormous failure. We can’t paper over it.

Depressed Bunk rather resembles a dog spinning around chasing its own tail.

 

[fanuch]

Sorry I cant allow myself to share the optimism, it hurts too much when they let us down. Maybe its just the rawness of yesterday talking but I just don't want to be let down again.

Yes the 2019 side looks great on paper, but unfortunately the game isn't played on paper. Unless something changes they will be the same side with average disposal, poor decision making, terrible goal kicking that dont care when a teammate kicks his first goal.

Consider me Red to the OPs Andy

 

[Mr_McBoogerBalls]

Just a gentle reminder to the usual suspects: this is the “Optimism” thread, not the “Pessimism” thread.

 

[Yoda_]

Why we will improve in a big way in 2019?

1) The side as a whole will have a full pre season together.
2) The side will have played more games together with no drastic changes to the 22 like we witnessed in 2018.
3) We lost some key players this year (namely JD, McKernan at a s**t time, Gleeson was poised to break out into a very reliable, under rated AFL player)
4) Our fixture for 2019 will shape up as an 'easier' draw (poised to be in section 2 or what ever they call it)
5) We will have more games into the next generation of guys leading our charge (Parish, Francis, Zac)
6) The next gen (again) will get there opportunity to break into the seniors in 2019 with positions opening up.
7) Our kids are great, just can't get a consistent clean run at it.
8) Did I mention we'll get some serious firepower back next year?
9) We have the right game plan to do some serious damage to other, more fancied teams.
10) We've already beaten some very bloody good teams
11) Our W:L differential will improve exponentially.
12) We will put teams away (finally)
13) We WILL play finals.

 

[mike14]

Wouldn't we have similiar draw to this season?
I know the AFL like to change things up at the drop of a hat, but isn't broken in to 3 tiers for matchups; 1-6, 7-12, 13-18? Meaning that we get a similiar draw for finishing 10/11 as we do for finishing 7 last year

 

[Doss]

Wouldn't we have similiar draw to this season?
I know the AFL like to change things up at the drop of a hat, but isn't broken in to 3 tiers for matchups; 1-6, 7-12, 13-18? Meaning that we get a similiar draw for finishing 10/11 as we do for finishing 7 last year

Our draw would only, in theory, be easier if we finish 13th or lower. Which isn’t going to happen.

 

[eDPS]

Bummed about missing finals but having another top 10 pick again certainly has my interest for obvious reasons

Im excited to see the progression of players like Clarke, Mutch and Mynott and see how much they can progress physically over the pre-season because i see these 3 being important towards our midfield depth for the coming years.

 

[Pweter]

Reading this thread has me feeling like what I assume it was like to be a Richmond supporter for almost the entirety of my Essendon supporting existence.

The thing about footy though is it can very easily sell hope for next season, and we're definitely in that bucket right now despite the failures of 2018 (off the back of the first 8 rounds).

Fingers crossed we can rapidly get to feeling like Richmond supporters have over the last 18 months.

 

[Stopher]

Combine 2017 MCG form with 2018 interstate form, with the 'Marvel' form somewhere in between those two seasons, should see 15-16 wins, ie top 4 or thereabouts.

That's all recent history, so very possible, and includes some pretty ordinary losses too, so it'd hardly mean having to make some unrealistic jump either.

 

[Drummer_19]

I'm much more optimistic going into next year than I was going into this year since it finally seems like we've been creating the defensively good habits necessary to have a team that can actually contend deep into September. It took too long to kick into gear this year but the trend they're showing to me is much more interesting and likely to be successful than the way our games played out last season defensively and into the first 10 weeks of this year.

Then again, it might go backwards and everyone will revert back to one way glory running like they did in the first half against Hawthorn on the weekend but I hope with a bit of a newer group coming in over the last couple of years they'll be more likely to keep the higher standard as opposed to some of the guys we've transitioned out recently.

 

[Shanghaistu]

Is it fair to say that the jury’s still out with regard to the club in some areas :
- recruitment and development of top talent
- winning culture and continuous pressure
- game day tactics and flexibility
- fitness and injury management
- overall skills at team level

Not saying any of those are particularly good, or bad, but for me the jury’s still out, using 2015 as a base.
Imo We probably need to improve at most of them to be a regular top 6 contender...

 

[TDay]

Why we will improve in a big way in 2019?

1) The side as a whole will have a full pre season together.
2) The side will have played more games together with no drastic changes to the 22 like we witnessed in 2018.
3) We lost some key players this year (namely JD, McKernan at a s**t time, Gleeson was poised to break out into a very reliable, under rated AFL player)
4) Our fixture for 2019 will shape up as an 'easier' draw (poised to be in section 2 or what ever they call it)
5) We will have more games into the next generation of guys leading our charge (Parish, Francis, Zac)
6) The next gen (again) will get there opportunity to break into the seniors in 2019 with positions opening up.
7) Our kids are great, just can't get a consistent clean run at it.
8) Did I mention we'll get some serious firepower back next year?
9) We have the right game plan to do some serious damage to other, more fancied teams.
10) We've already beaten some very bloody good teams
11) Our W:L differential will improve exponentially.
12) We will put teams away (finally)
13) We WILL play finals.

14) fair chance the trade period brings in a missing link/cherry on top

 

[TDay]

I'm not saying that we will go back to back to back... but back to back is on the table. And from that point, who knows?

*just needed to counter all this pessimism