The booing has distracted us from a very entertaining game that had some valuable lessons.
Callum Brown is on the improve. He is likely to make it.
Phillips should have his detractors silenced by now.
Two goals as a small forward means Thomas did his job, but the arrogant checkside (successful) and the attempts to run around or away from a very fast opponent should penetrate his consciousness. He is not as good as he thinks he is.
Cox is now an established forward pocket and change ruck. It is no longer potential.
Varcoe may not get much of the ball, but he is enormously valuable.
Mihocek is now an established key forward who demands the constant attention of his defender. He gets a lot of the ball if not respected, and drags a good defender with him if he is.
Howe is an outstanding defender, and Moore looks it too. Roughead is solid.
Our midfield has work to do, particularly in the centre square.
Grundy is beyond price.
De Goey is a good full forward, despite his set shot problems.
Stephenson is working back into the form of last year, after a first few weeks where he seemed to believe his own publicity.
Crisp and Langdon, with support from Maynard are very hard to score against, and they look to attack as well.
Hoskin-Elliott is very valuable.
The umpires were awful. They cost us a several of goals, and gave Essendon several. As luck would have it, we didn't goal from the errors in our favour, while Essendon did, but the bad decisions on marks ( Langdon was the worst) cost us, while the around the necks not paid to Tipinwoudi (is this how you spell it?) cost them. The trend in holding the ball decisions is good, but too many are missed, and there sis a subjectivity in the decisions that seems to favour some players over others. The more skilled players seem to get less time (think Treloar and Sidebottom) while the bullockers (think Caddy or Stringer) get more.
The crackdown on players being thumped seems to have been closed out by the chorus from the media.
There have been many comments as if this was an easy game and we should have thrashed them It wasn't. They are very hard and very fast. We had chances to blow them away, but they pressured us out of them. We had to fight tooth and nail for the win, and it was a very meritorious one. At teh end of the game, WE were pressing for another score, not them.
Good approach. I disagree with a few of yours, and have a few of my own to add.
Not convinced Callum Brown will make it yet, and didn't show anything of that sort yesterday in my view.
Phillips' detractors often call out his panic when with ball in hand, and he did nothing to show that he has fixed this area of his game (his main weakess).
J Thomas only kicked one goal, so it was a below par game in my view, but I still have him in my best 22.
Varcoe needs to do more to keep his spot - which I don't think he has when we are at full strength. Can't survive on a handful of tackles and few possessions.
Mihocek is on the right path, but needs to do more also. Was unsighted after quarter time yesterday. Goes missing for too long too often at this point.
De Goey is a good full forward, despite his set shot problems, I agree, but we need him more in the middle where our mids are consistently beaten.
I don't think Stephenson's problem was arrogance as you suggest, more that he became almost too unselfish and was asked to play higher up the ground.
The biggest issue with our game yesterday in my view was that our handballs kept just missing our targets. So often clean in this area (and that has been what has got us to win games) we were off in that regard yesterday, and therefore couldn't start chains that resulted in goals.
Second biggest issue obvioulsy was set shots. If WHE nails that shot from 30 out on slight angle, then we go to 20 in front late in 3rd quarter with the wind out of their sails, rather than only 9 in front when they zip it up the other end from that kick out with them having genuine belief. Just like the Weagles match, we need to break their hearts when we have the opportunity.