AFL Toast RND 18: Win Against the Roos

Remove this Banner Ad

Sep 22, 2014
2,249
4,229
AFL Club
Essendon
They are a weird supporters, some of the vitriol is pathetic on a humane level.

The excuses are pathetic, the reasoning is laughable and the optimism is a cause for concern.

They celebrate being a developing team, like we aren’t? They laid the effort with player(s) out. Like we had no one..

The comments (re Stringer) are pretty low, sure he’s done some dumb sh*t but let’s overlook a number of things other high profile players have done.

All in all, a win is a win


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Have to laugh at the commentary honestly.

“Look how well the midfield did without Cunnington!!!”. When we have McGrath, Shiel, Langford and Caldwell all out for our midfield rotations.

“We’re a young, developing team and we still challenged them!!”. When we fielded the youngest team bar GCS this round.

Just a load of nonsense.

Anyway, interesting to see what happens next week. A bye round would make a massive difference - both Shiel and Langford very close to returning.
 
May 6, 2007
39,099
22,789
South East Suburbs
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
Tottenham Hotspurs, Melbourne Vixen
Have to laugh at the commentary honestly.

“Look how well the midfield did without Cunnington!!!”. When we have McGrath, Shiel, Langford and Caldwell all out for our midfield rotations.

“We’re a young, developing team and we still challenged them!!”. When we fielded the youngest team bar GCS this round.

Just a load of nonsense.

Anyway, interesting to see what happens next week. A bye round would make a massive difference - both Shiel and Langford very close to returning.

I genuinely want to point out some really skewed misconceptions but think it won’t be met with much balanced response.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Ambrosia

Brownlow Medallist
Mar 11, 2010
15,596
10,422
AFL Club
Essendon
The performance of Wright aside, the only thing that really interested me about that game was North's list and where it is placed in the grand scheme of things. That may well have been the worst game we played this year, if you combine sloppy skills, complete lack of gas and intensity and general lack of application (Adelaide game was probably worse but it's too hard to gauge because it wasn't a competitive match of football as much as it was a semi-competitive training drill).

Having watched North 4 times now since we last played them, I agree generally that they look very good, unusually good given that they performed the single must brutal end-of-season cull we have ever seen. It's not just the number of players but the ability of 4 or 5 guys to play at the level and contribute to a reasonably high standard (and also the handbrake of keeping Turner around).

I'm not going to say their kids are better than ours because I don't know them that well and I'm not sure who is classified as a kid, but there are, obviously, some very good signs coming from the existing youth (i.e. players who can play another 10 years) on the list which is what I would say explains the extent of the turn around in the second half of the year.

- McKay has really established himself in defence.
- Larkey has kicked 27 goals with key forward support coming from a guy who is 189cm (and while I don't think Larkey is the sort of player anyone will wish they had in their team he is clearly a solid AFL player).
- Zurhaar has kicked 23 goals in his last 11 games (after a quite start).
- Thomas is developing a game as a forward/midfielder that, with his level of talent, could see him in discussions as one of the best in the game. I agree with your assessment, the guy is a freak show.
- LDU has gotten his sh*t together in a big way. The top 5 of the 2017 has been underwhelming to date but it's starting to establish itself. While I've previously said I couldn't see "it" in LDU's game, on what he is now doing, I'd gladly take him above anyone other than Naughton in that top 10. He plays a power inside game with class and it's most easily translatable to being elite based on the position he plays. It could be my bias as an EFC fan given he is the ideal sort of player for us.
- Taylor and Scott will be solid enough players.
- Simpkin, who I'm not really a fan of, is prolific enough to suggest that he is as good as other players considered good because of how prolific they are.
- In Stephenson, it looks like they've got the pick 6 who was drafted (much more so than the guy who struggled in years 2 and 3). He looms as a significant point of difference. He reminds me a bit of Lovett, with more staying power, they way he carves opponents up from he middle of the ground, particularly late.

Add picks 3 (Phillips) and 13 (Powell) to the middle, thrown in Comben as a key forward/second ruck option to develop and Edwards as a free hit top 15 pick calibre player and one of the best young mids in the country at the end of the year (that will mean picks 12, 4, 6, 8, 3, 13 and 1/3 in a future midfield) and the list is actually in pretty good shape. The midfield is set and could be deep enough to protect the rest of the side. It's far from the basket case it could be.

There are probably 5 players North could add at the end of the year for virtually nothing, with 150 to 200 games in them, which could help to fast track things a bit. They might still be bottom next year, because of age and lack of depth, but by 2023 I can see things turning pretty dramatically.

North’s youth definitely looks the goods. Their side as a whole is held back by playing guys who are well below AFL standard. Guys like Mahoney, Xerri and Turner (who plays unskilled shutdown back pockets anymore) are never going to make it imo.
 

Log in to remove this ad.

bomberman500

Club Legend
Sep 27, 2012
1,850
1,835
Canberra
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
Ravens, Thunder, Orioles, Man Utd
The performance of Wright aside, the only thing that really interested me about that game was North's list and where it is placed in the grand scheme of things. That may well have been the worst game we played this year, if you combine sloppy skills, complete lack of gas and intensity and general lack of application (Adelaide game was probably worse but it's too hard to gauge because it wasn't a competitive match of football as much as it was a semi-competitive training drill).

Having watched North 4 times now since we last played them, I agree generally that they look very good, unusually good given that they performed the single must brutal end-of-season cull we have ever seen. It's not just the number of players but the ability of 4 or 5 guys to play at the level and contribute to a reasonably high standard (and also the handbrake of keeping Turner around).

I'm not going to say their kids are better than ours because I don't know them that well and I'm not sure who is classified as a kid, but there are, obviously, some very good signs coming from the existing youth (i.e. players who can play another 10 years) on the list which is what I would say explains the extent of the turn around in the second half of the year.

- McKay has really established himself in defence.
- Larkey has kicked 27 goals with key forward support coming from a guy who is 189cm (and while I don't think Larkey is the sort of player anyone will wish they had in their team he is clearly a solid AFL player).
- Zurhaar has kicked 23 goals in his last 11 games (after a quite start).
- Thomas is developing a game as a forward/midfielder that, with his level of talent, could see him in discussions as one of the best in the game. I agree with your assessment, the guy is a freak show.
- LDU has gotten his sh*t together in a big way. The top 5 of the 2017 has been underwhelming to date but it's starting to establish itself. While I've previously said I couldn't see "it" in LDU's game, on what he is now doing, I'd gladly take him above anyone other than Naughton in that top 10. He plays a power inside game with class and it's most easily translatable to being elite based on the position he plays. It could be my bias as an EFC fan given he is the ideal sort of player for us.
- Taylor and Scott will be solid enough players.
- Simpkin, who I'm not really a fan of, is prolific enough to suggest that he is as good as other players considered good because of how prolific they are.
- In Stephenson, it looks like they've got the pick 6 who was drafted (much more so than the guy who struggled in years 2 and 3). He looms as a significant point of difference. He reminds me a bit of Lovett, with more staying power, they way he carves opponents up from he middle of the ground, particularly late.

Add picks 3 (Phillips) and 13 (Powell) to the middle, thrown in Comben as a key forward/second ruck option to develop and Edwards as a free hit top 15 pick calibre player and one of the best young mids in the country at the end of the year (that will mean picks 12, 4, 6, 8, 3, 13 and 1/3 in a future midfield) and the list is actually in pretty good shape. The midfield is set and could be deep enough to protect the rest of the side. It's far from the basket case it could be.

There are probably 5 players North could add at the end of the year for virtually nothing, with 150 to 200 games in them, which could help to fast track things a bit. They might still be bottom next year, because of age and lack of depth, but by 2023 I can see things turning pretty dramatically.
Would rather Norfs list than Whorethorns... by a large margin

Norf have the nucleus of a good list, very shallow, but a lot of potential
 

raskolnikov

Cancelled
10k Posts 30k Posts Wordler Werewolf Player Essendon Player Sponsor 2021 - Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti and Archie Perkins Essendon Player Sponsor 2020 Essendon Player Sponsor 2019 Song Contest Winner - 5+ Rounds
Apr 1, 2002
36,677
36,723
Cap Coast
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
Gold Coast Suns
Norf supporters "Essendon supporters are obsessed with us"

Umm yeah. We're not the ones with a 260 page thread devoted to them on our board.
 

Halftimehero

Cancelled
10k Posts
Jun 26, 2012
11,951
10,901
AFL Club
Essendon
Agree - they need to take the broom through their list like we did last year - they will be stuck in no mans land for years.

Devon Smith, Jye Caldwell, Martin Gleeson, David Zaharakis, Tom Cutler, James Stewart, Irving Mosquito, Cale Hooker, Andrew Phillips, Brandon Zerk-Thatcher, Brayden Ham, Dylan Clarke, Wil Snelling & Alex Waterman.

None of these players should be on an AFL list.


Just a bit of wisdom from the Norf board by old Billy boy.
 
Agree - they need to take the broom through their list like we did last year - they will be stuck in no mans land for years.

Devon Smith, Jye Caldwell, Martin Gleeson, David Zaharakis, Tom Cutler, James Stewart, Irving Mosquito, Cale Hooker, Andrew Phillips, Brandon Zerk-Thatcher, Brayden Ham, Dylan Clarke, Wil Snelling & Alex Waterman.

None of these players should be on an AFL list.


Just a bit of wisdom from the Norf board by old Billy boy.
That's, um, an interesting take.
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

Macca18

EFC
Jul 6, 2009
5,127
3,645
Victoria
AFL Club
Essendon
I actually think, sadly, some (most are fine) of the North fans on here are seriously mentally ill. I hope they can receive the help and support they need.

Very unhealthy obsession with anything red & black. It would be a real sore point at the moment that their biggest rival (and let's face it, we've been mediocre for some time) has still found a way to win its 7th straight game against them.

They are years away from getting out of the bottom 3 or 4. The only thing the last month has done is delude them further about their club's progress.

We were a long way from anything special yesterday... but still got the job done in the end. That's all that matters.
 
Last edited:
Jun 11, 2007
34,086
29,320
Victoria
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
Bayern, Milan, Boston Celtics
Agree - they need to take the broom through their list like we did last year - they will be stuck in no mans land for years.

Devon Smith, Jye Caldwell, Martin Gleeson, David Zaharakis, Tom Cutler, James Stewart, Irving Mosquito, Cale Hooker, Andrew Phillips, Brandon Zerk-Thatcher, Brayden Ham, Dylan Clarke, Wil Snelling & Alex Waterman.

None of these players should be on an AFL list.


Just a bit of wisdom from the Norf board by old Billy boy.
AFL list as depth is fine for most of them.
Our issue is we have had to rely on a few of them

Snelling & Caldwell are fine. And i reckon we've got a player in Waterman
Ham i can't fault the endeavour on either.

Bold i doubt play in a side that finishes top 4 for us.
 
I actually think, sadly, some (most are fine) of the North fans on here are seriously mentally ill. I hope they can receive the help and support they need.

Very unhealthy obsession with anything red & black. It would be a real sore point at the moment that their biggest rival (and let's face it, we've been mediocre for some time) has still found a way to win its 7th straight game against them.

I think only a handful have serious mental issues and most others just feed off the vibe. It gives them purpose when things are so glum. When a major part of your club’s identity is hating another club like they’re Hitler, it’s not healthy. Yes we have ****ed up big time as a club but we’re trying to move on and North would be better for it if they found something new to focus on. I agree with your sentiment about wishing them the best and I know you mean it sincerely, not smugly.

I kind of want to move on myself from the North observations lol, so maybe this comment will be my last for now :)
 

Macca18

EFC
Jul 6, 2009
5,127
3,645
Victoria
AFL Club
Essendon
I agree with your sentiment about wishing them the best and I know you mean it sincerely, not smugly.

I kind of want to move on myself from the North observations lol, so maybe this comment will be my last for now :)

Absolutely. No malice in my post (and hope it wasn't interpreted that way?). Genuinely hope they get some support because it's bordering on next level obsession.

Agreed. Time to focus on GWS now. See you next year, North.
 

emblurr

Club Legend
May 1, 2008
2,023
3,119
South Yarra
AFL Club
Essendon
I actually think, sadly, some (most are fine) of the North fans on here are seriously mentally ill. I hope they can receive the help and support they need.

Occasionally you see some North posters make reasonable opinions in a positive way on our list or club, as if it was someone with a neutral outlook. Only for them to get shouted down with vitriol from other posters for daring to suggest such. Sometimes you see the posters call out the more obsessed ones to be met with the same response. The culture of that specific board is how dare you have an opinion that could be interpreted as a positive towards Essendon. It's pretty sad.
For many, simply facing the incomprehensible that Essendon is on the right path. There is always the 'drugs' and 'days without winning a final'. It's the warm mug of milo and comfortable pillow they can rest their precious heads on.
 
Yeah, but is 4 points worth having to deal with their supporters for another week?
Their supporters, and also the thousandth Groundhog Day of how North are just another team for us.

You could honestly predict three quarters of the post content in advance every time we play them.
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Back