Preview Round 10: Essendon Bombers vs Oliver Twist Kangaroos, Marvel Stadium, Sunday 19th May, 1:10pm

[silk]

Round 10 sees us play in Melbourne two weeks in a row for the first time this season against the plucky spirited and always-fighting North Kangaroos as they try to avoid their 11th loss of the season… and I can’t bothered.. I was going to try and write an agnostic preview for this game I usually do just to fire up the north nuffies on BigFooty.. But they are just so s**t this season.. What’s the point?

Essendon is flying (pun intended) and is happily sitting in the top 4 after 9 games. It’s been 5 weeks since we last lost a game but the lid is still on even if the can is bursting at the seams right now. We’ve had many false dawns before, but something feels different about this one. I’ve moved from doubtful to... cautiously optimistic on the belief scale.

---

The Round That Was

Revenge is a dish best served on a cold Saturday afternoon. What a game that was! All was looking dire in the first quarter; we were on the back foot right away, kicking only 1 goal to their 4. Our turnovers were costly. Hogan took some early grabs and kicked and goal and suddenly a feeling of Deja Vu crept in, but the Essendon team has cojones.

Guelfi was awesome, Durham was awesome. Mckay was awesome, Merret was Merret. Langford is the beast! Redman’s back. Martin is AA. Great team effort all around.

ESSENDON 1.2 4.6 9.9 12.10 (82)
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 4.3 6.6 8.7 9.8 (62)

GOALS
Essendon: Langford 4, Guelfi 3, Stringer, Redman, Perkins, Hind, Davey
Greater Western Sydney: Hogan 2, Greene 2, Stone, Riccardi, Kelly, Jones, Bedford

BEST
Essendon: Durham, Langford, Martin, Caldwell, Merrett, Redman, McKay
Greater Western Sydney: Green, Briggs, Coniglio, Taylor, Kelly

INJURIES
Essendon: Nil
Greater Western Sydney: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Essendon: Ben Hobbs (replaced Alwyn Davey jnr in the fourth quarter)
Greater Western Sydney: Harvey Thomas (replaced Conor Stone in the fourth quarter)

Crowd: 37,295 at Marvel Stadium

Oh and just in case you missed it! 3rd!

North on the other hand… well bau you for them.

GOLD COAST 2.4 5.12 10.14 17.18 (120)
NORTH MELBOURNE 1.4 2.5 4.7 7.10 (52)

GOALS
Gold Coast: King 3, Walter 2, Long 2, Clohesy 2, Ainsworth 2, Witts, Sexton, Rogers, Miller, Johnston, Anderson
North Melbourne: Stephenson 2, Zurhaar, Tucker, Larkey, Davies-Uniacke, Curtis

BEST
Gold Coast: Flanders, Miller, Andrew, Clohesy, Collins, Anderson, Uwland
North Melbourne: Davies-Uniacke, Powell, Comben, McKercher, Fisher

INJURIES
Gold Coast: Nil
North Melbourne: Archer (foot)

SUBSTITUTES
Gold Coast: Bailey Humphrey (replaced Alex Davies at three-quarter time)
North Melbourne: Charlie Lazzaro (replaced Blake Drury during the third quarter)

---

The Last Time We Met

Let’s be honest here.. This was a moral loss. We beat North twice last year by a combined winning margin was 15 points.. Actually, it was hecken hilarious! It had the Northies up and about and pretending that they were the real winners. Mckay was bloody good the last time we played him and I’m a little bit worri.. Oh wait.

NORTH MELBOURNE 3.0 6.1 9.3 12.5 (77)
ESSENDON 2.1 5.2 10.4 13.8 (86)

GOALS
North Melbourne: Larkey 5, Stephenson 2, Cunnington 2, Simpkin, Ford, Davies-Uniacke
Essendon: Martin 3, Langford 3, Wright 2, Menzie 2, Tsatas, Perkins, Guelfi

BEST
North Melbourne: Davies-Uniacke, Larkey, Cunnington, Thomas, Sheezel
Essendon: Martin, Parish, Langford, Tsatas, Redman, Hobbs

INJURIES
North Melbourne: Simpkin (arm)
Essendon: Nil

LATE CHANGES
North Melbourne: Nil
Essendon: Will Snelling

11

Will Snelling

Age

26

Ht

175cm

Wt

79kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.1

4star

K

4.7

2star

HB

9.4

5star

M

1.8

2star

T

4.8

5star

G

0.8

4star

D

12.6

3star

K

4.3

2star

HB

8.3

4star

M

1.3

1star

T

5.6

5star

G

0.4

3star

D

16.2

4star

K

5.2

2star

HB

11.0

5star

M

2.4

3star

T

3.8

5star

G

1.2

4star

replaced in selected side by Kaine Baldwin

SUBSTITUTES
North Melbourne: Charlie Lazzaro (replaced Jackson Archer at three-quarter time)
Essendon: Will Snelling

11

Will Snelling

Age

26

Ht

175cm

Wt

79kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.1

4star

K

4.7

2star

HB

9.4

5star

M

1.8

2star

T

4.8

5star

G

0.8

4star

D

12.6

3star

K

4.3

2star

HB

8.3

4star

M

1.3

1star

T

5.6

5star

G

0.4

3star

D

16.2

4star

K

5.2

2star

HB

11.0

5star

M

2.4

3star

T

3.8

5star

G

1.2

4star

(replaced Nick Bryan in fourth quarter)

Crowd: 37,231 at Marvel Stadium

---

The Selection Table

Possible Outs -
Hobbs - Full game somewhere needed
Davey -
Heppel - (Rest if he needs it)

Possible Ins -
Roberts
Tsatas - Very good in the VFL.. so I’ve read
Davey -
Bryan - Not sure for who, but he is good form.

---

My Prediction - I don’t normally pick big winning margins; I know Essendon too well, but this should and will be a 30+ point win.

---

Housekeeping - Going to be a guest doing the preview next week.. Assuming ghostdog still wants to to do it, now that Richmond are truly back to their true selves.

 

[Yoda_]

unsubscribed



to busy enjoying the win v plastics

 

[theboxmike]

Norfs GF

 

[maskmcgee]

dont lose

 

[Godzke]

Brad Scott: "no injury concerns out of today's games" both AFL and VFL

 

[Gumby2Hurley]

That 140 odd win against the deez in 2013 is the biggest margin i've attended. Would love to give it a shake against handout FC

 

[hurlygurdy]

Expect a repeat of the eagles game. Our efforts seem consistent but will we actually play well enough to beat them? We all know they will throw everything at us.

 

[BratPack]

Should: Win by 15 goals.

Will: Win by 1 point with a kick after the siren. Probably.

 

[blitzer]

Brad Scott: "no injury concerns out of today's games" both AFL and VFL

Yeah that's well and good but how about at training.

 

[Keystone agony]

Changes:

The only spots up for grabs can be Davey, H.Jones and the sub (Hobbs)

Hobbs needs a full game so hes either in for Davey if we see enough speed and ability to pressure in him vs Davey. Or we go back to a Menzie or go a surprise other Davey after his performance. I think ill go Hobbs

The Harry Jones vs Bryan vs Caddy is interesting

Do we try and find form of H.Jones vs North, or do we go back to 2 rucks, or debut Caddy against an easier opponent that had a very good VFL gane apparently

In: Hobbs
Out: Davey (Sub)

Sub: Also interesting, could go taller with the chance to rest Goldstein if we have the opportunity. Tsatas the obvious, Davey if hes moved out of the 22, i know people hate it on debut but Caddy would be interesting aswell

Hope Scott drill into them this isnt just a needed 4 pts but a chance to fill the % never know what happens vs us and pies for the top 8/9

 

[nipst@r]

Both norf and Richmond look terrible but we have a draw and odd points already so no need to increase percentage. I'll take a 1 point win next week.

Maybe swap daveys, but unsure if Jayden can bring the same pressure. Goldy and heppel keep on keeping on but are probably due for a rest.

Tsatas, byran and hayes deserve a game but with no injuries no real need to make changes.

 

[The Devils Advocate]

Good game to debut Hayes

 

[VelvetSledge]

The preview will be up tomorrow at some point because right now I'm so excited I can't fit under my desk to type.

This made me snort laugh in the bathroom very loudly and i think my kids woke up

 

[nipst@r]

A lot of games this year including today, we have won by effort, structure and game plan so the next few weeks are a bit of a risk against some less talented teams. I Think we have matured as a side but injecting a bit of eagerness/excitement could be a good thing.

We know what happens when we think we can compete by talent alone.

 

[fishardansin]

Changes:

The only spots up for grabs can be Davey, H.Jones and the sub (Hobbs)

Hobbs needs a full game so hes either in for Davey if we see enough speed and ability to pressure in him vs Davey. Or we go back to a Menzie or go a surprise other Davey after his performance. I think ill go Hobbs

The Harry Jones vs Bryan vs Caddy is interesting

Do we try and find form of H.Jones vs North, or do we go back to 2 rucks, or debut Caddy against an easier opponent that had a very good VFL gane apparently

In: Hobbs
Out: Davey (Sub)

Sub: Also interesting, could go taller with the chance to rest Goldstein if we have the opportunity. Tsatas the obvious, Davey if hes moved out of the 22, i know people hate it on debut but Caddy would be interesting aswell

Hope Scott drill into them this isnt just a needed 4 pts but a chance to fill the % never know what happens vs us and pies for the top 8/9

Sorry, what? I was lining up to execute Jones after round 1. However, he's been very good since then. His run and attack on the ball have been excellent and he also provides a lot of pressure for a big man. Yes, he doesn't always stick the marks, but I think that is something that will come. His running patterns are AFL standard now, so his development requires he plays AFL. I wouldn't even think it is a discussion anymore.

Coming from a family who rated Davey Snr as the most exciting player seen in red and black since peak Michale Long, it hurts me to say, but Jnr needs to play reserves and learn to not disappear for 30 min or so at a time. We'd be as well served pressure-wise having a tall, especially when Jones can run like a flanker and pull one tall away from the hot spot, Wright can lead up at the ball and then the resting ruck can take the spoils in the goal square.

Stringer is playing mostly centre square now who pushes forward, and Langford can put pressure on too, and will be more effective when the opposition has to put their fourth guy on him, or Jones will get off the hook.

I also like the set-up of our talls playing forward of the ball when it is in midfield and backline, but once the ball is at a stoppage in the forward line staying outside of 50 to make the opposition's hurried kicks out of defence (with one remaining in the goal square for our quick kick.

I wouldn't mind giving Shiel a run this week as the sub and bringing Tsatas in to play the full game, with Davey and Hobbs making way for them. I would also accept an unchanged side based on the result.

 

[outersanctum]

The next fortnight is a big test for this group. Tonight they passed a massive test in playing their best against the best. Now comes the part where the group learns how to efficiency put away lesser teams whilst still maintaining the discipline to stick with structures and game plan.

I expect big wins in both games. I hope Scott allows them time to celebrate this win and then straight back to business. You don't win cups in May but you can lose them. Need to put North to the sword, keep our pressure up and stamp our credentials. It would be good to get our % above 100 at least.

With our draw opening up from here.. gotta keep feet firmly planted.

 

[BOMBERBLITZ]

Surely Z Reid in for Laverde or Hepp?

 

[Keystone agony]

Sorry, what? I was lining up to execute Jones after round 1. However, he's been very good since then. His run and attack on the ball have been excellent and he also provides a lot of pressure for a big man. Yes, he doesn't always stick the marks, but I think that is something that will come. His running patterns are AFL standard now, so his development requires he plays AFL. I wouldn't even think it is a discussion anymore.

Coming from a family who rated Davey Snr as the most exciting player seen in red and black since peak Michale Long, it hurts me to say, but Jnr needs to play reserves and learn to not disappear for 30 min or so at a time. We'd be as well served pressure-wise having a tall, especially when Jones can run like a flanker and pull one tall away from the hot spot, Wright can lead up at the ball and then the resting ruck can take the spoils in the goal square.

Stringer is playing mostly centre square now who pushes forward, and Langford can put pressure on too, and will be more effective when the opposition has to put their fourth guy on him, or Jones will get off the hook.

I also like the set-up of our talls playing forward of the ball when it is in midfield and backline, but once the ball is at a stoppage in the forward line staying outside of 50 to make the opposition's hurried kicks out of defence (with one remaining in the goal square for our quick kick.

I wouldn't mind giving Shiel a run this week as the sub and bringing Tsatas in to play the full game, with Davey and Hobbs making way for them. I would also accept an unchanged side based on the result.

Harry has been poor for the last 2-3 weeks now since 2MP returned basically

His first 5 weeks have probabky been good enough that he holds and i dont think Scott ia making too much change regardless

I expect HJ to hold and be given an easy kill

He needs to improve on his last few weeks though otherwise we can turn to the 2 rucks or Caddy if he keeps producing like some said he did todsy then he may force a hand

I forgot about Shiel, he may be a good sub but his game apparently wasnt great

Davey may need a bit of a rest and as a sub may be best for him, 3 disposals just isnt enough especially when your making other erros and costing scores

Menzie im not sure is banging the door down enough, Jayden probably needs more than 1 week, but maybe Hobbs doesnt provide enough of that speed that we lose from Davey considering Gresham is also quite slow

 

[Keystone agony]

The next fortnight is a big test for this group. Tonight they passed a massive test in playing their best against the best. Now comes the part where the group learns how to efficiency put away lesser teams whilst still maintaining the discipline to stick with structures and game plan.

I expect big wins in both games. I hope Scott allows them time to celebrate this win and then straight back to business. You don't win cups in May but you can lose them. Need to put North to the sword, keep our pressure up and stamp our credentials. It would be good to get our % above 100 at least.

With our draw opening up from here.. gotta keep feet firmly planted.

Certainly a big chsnce the mindset is off and were content with the performance beforehand and think were just gonna win

Id be very surprised if we blow them away to be honest

 

[outersanctum]

Certainly a big chsnce the mindset is off and were content with the performance beforehand and think were just gonna win

Id be very surprised if we blow them away to be honest

This is where I judge coaches harshly. One of the main things a truly great coach does is prepare the team for consistent effort. Not take any opponent likely and to ensure the team remains focussed on its goals.

I want to believe this squad is different, they have shown us for five weeks in a row that they are different. It is going to be very interesting to watch.

 

[Keystone agony]

This is where I judge coaches harshly. One of the main things a truly great coach does is prepare the team for consistent effort. Not take any opponent likely and to ensure the team remains focussed on its goals.

I want to believe this squad is different, they have shown us for five weeks in a row that they are different. It is going to be very interesting to watch.

Im done with judging Brad Scott

Hes who i wanted before he became coach and hes done all he needs to for me to be happy with him for another 3-4 years

 

[outersanctum]

Im done with judging Brad Scott

Hes who i wanted before he became coach and hes done all he needs to for me to be happy with him for another 3-4 years

I'm a bit harder to please. The port and sydney games still linger.. I'm still yet to see how ruthless he can be at selection and whether he can take us to the next step.

He has a mandate and he has my full support but no coach or player should be above constant evaluation. Scott hasn't done anything yet that warrants legend status. Have us top 4 at the end of the season.. win a final and then you sign him for another 3-4 years.

 

[TheKanga]

 

[justlookingaround]

Win lose or draw, I now trust that this team won't lose on effort. So pretty confident of a win.
Yeah there's Essington trauma around these sort of games - but North have one of the worst lists in history, they don't have a key back, their best players are all children and McKay will easily account for Larkey.
Dons by 300 points.

 

[TheKanga]

Win lose or draw, I now trust that this team won't lose on effort. So pretty confident of a win.
Yeah there's Essington trauma around these sort of games - but North have one of the worst lists in history, they don't have a key back, their best players are all children and McKay will easily account for Larkey.
Dons by 300 points.

We concede 100 pts at least every game and can't score over 80pts
I think we have scored over 100pt ourselves once in like 2 years.

I just can't see us troubling Essendon.
We may be the first team to go win less.