VelvetSledge
Moderator
- May 24, 2007
- 17,477
- 35,252
- AFL Club
- Essendon
- Other Teams
- Liverpool FC, Melbourne Storm
- Moderator
- #1
FORECAST:
60% chance of rain. 14 degrees max, 0-3mm rain possible. Cloudy. Winds northerly 15-20kmh turning northwesterly around 3pm.
ESSENDON BOMBERS: $1.81
COLLINGWOOD: $2.00
THE SUPERCOACH TOP 3 FROM LAST WEEK:
ESSENDON: Jobe Watson (127), Brendon Goddard (106), Martin Gleeson (99)
COLLINGWOOD: Jordan De Goey (115), Brodie Grundy (105), Adam Treloar (103)
ESSENDON BOMBERS
Went in to the match like celebrities, thinking it was all going to be done for us, and Brisbane took advantage.
Eric Hipwood (No, I'm serious), dominated Michael Hartley and regardless of the herculean efforts of Hurls down back, we were still exposed.
Zach Merrett had a bizarrely quiet game by his standards, failing to even hit the 20-disposal mark for the first time in what seems like forever.
Conor McKenna's dash and run was prevalent all match, but, much like the rest of the team, he couldn't hit a target to save himself.
What the **** was going on with our kicking? If you can't hit a target 20m on his own then what in the name of all that is Reynolds are you doing playing at the highest level? Garbage.
Colyer was extraordinarily quiet. Again. Not certain what he's doing to be kept in the team constantly.
DERO 's lovechild Josh Green was simply far too selfish against his old team; there were multiple instances where a team mate was completely open in an advantageous position, and he completely ****** it.
Joey kicked 3 very early and we were all thinking he was on for a bag.
The Brisbane defence and the old mates with the whistles thought different. I realise he plays for frees too much, but **** me there were some dead set giveaways.
Jobe was great all day until he tried a dinky kick to the tallest man on the ground which soared over his head.
That right there was basically the story of our day.
ESSENDON 11.16 82 def. by BRISBANE LIONS 13.12 90
Crowd: 41,246 extremely disappointed red and black wearin' poodle snatchers at Crapihad with no ******* roof again
BEST: Goddard, Heppell, Hurley, Daniher, McGrath
GOALS: Daniher 3, Hooker, McDonald-Tipungwuti 2, Fantasia, Green, Stewart, Parish
INJURIES: Nil
REPORTS: Nil
--------
COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES
You'd be forgiven for thinking that the Collingwood players were confusing the Hawthorn jumpers for their own, their disposal was that bad.
As does any loss for the Pies, discussion surrounding Nathan Buckley has popped up again, and, just as it always has, the club has remained tight-lipped.
This is super frustrating to see as an Essendon fan. Bucks was the only one who backed Hirdy up when he was embroiled in that saga that must not be named, and seeing him under so much pressure is ridiculous. It isn't Bucks' fault.
The Collingwood players absolutely love him, but just don't have the talent in the defence or attack to mount any major damage against the rest of the league.
The Pies tried all day and no-one could fault their endeavor, going into the final chance with a two-point lead, before Tyson Goldsack and Darcy Moore were ruled out of the final quarter. After that, they just ran out of legs.
De Goey finally started to realise his potential and had a career best game, with 32 touches, as 250-gamer and captain Scott Pendlebury was unable to influence the contest.
Treloar is pretty good.
HAWTHORN 18.10 118 def. COLLINGWOOD 14.10 94
Crowd: 56,593 at the MCG
BEST: De Goey, Treloar, Phillips, Grundy, Sidebottom, Cox
GOALS: Cox, Fasolo 3, Elliott, Moore, Greenwood, Thomas, Sidebottom, Phillips, Broomhead, Treloar
INJURIES: Moore (Hamstring), Goldsack (Concussion, nose)
REPORTS: Nil
ESSENDON COACH: John Worsfold
COLLINGWOOD COACH: Nathan Buckenara
ESSENDON EMERGENCIES:
Kyle Langford, Josh Begley, Ben Howlett
COLLINGWOOD EMERGENCIES:
Lachie Keeffe, Matthew Scharenberg, Jarryd Blair
--------------------------
ESSENDON INS: David Myers
ESSENDON OUTS: Kyle Langford (Omit)
COLLINGWOOD INS: Ben Reid, Josh Smith, Travis Varcoe
COLLINGWOOD OUTS: Darcy Moore (Hamstring), Tom Phillips (Man Flu), Jackson Ramsay (Spud)
Just one in and out for the Bombers, which is slightly deserved and also really not.
Kyle Langford must have run over Woosha's dog, or son, because he just can't hold a spot in the team even when he had seriously improved upon his earlier efforts. Top three in possessions at half time doesn't win you matches, and it certainly doesn't guarantee a spot in the team next week, it would seem. Dropped to the magoos/emergency spot once again, Langers could actually consider himself stiff this time around. Replacing him, however, is long-overdue breakout mid David Myers, who finds himself earning a spot back in the seniors after making the VFL look like a steaming pile of cat piss. Producing thirteen million possessions and forty nine thousand tackles a game over the past two weeks, Dave is returning with the power of a thousand North Korean nuclear bombs, which translates to approximately one American one. The man with the most diced up arms this side of Tullamarine will be hoping to translate his VFL form into the AFL, as we really need his booming left boot. It just hasn't been the same since Ricky Dyson left.
Young Pie forward prodigy Darcy Moore dun goof'd his hamstring late last week and will miss this week, as will Tom Phillips, who has been struck down with a case of the man flu. Reports of a coroner's van outside his residence are largely unconfirmed, but sound somewhat accurate. Jackson Ramsay has been dropped to accomodate the role of Buckley's shoe sniffer for this week. The man with legs made of paper mache, Ben Reid, has come back into the Pies line up, alongside ex-Cat Travis Varcoe (whose shoulders are also, incidentally, made of paper mache), and Josh Smith, the man with a neck the width of his skull. I know nothing else about Josh Smith, except for the fact that trying to find him in the White Pages takes about seven weeks.
ESSENDON BOMBERS - #32 - TRAVIS COLYER
I'll be the first to admit that I love Trav; we've sponsored him on this board for a very long time, he knows a few of us on a first name basis, and he's one of the nicest blokes you could hope to meet, making time for anyone. However, his performances on the field this year are somewhat of a let down. Before he was suspended, he was in lightning form, running rings around the opposition, having worked on his disposal over the prior pre-season to alleviate the one major flaw in his game. In his absence over the past couple of years, it appears as though he's reverted to his old ways. His disposal is more often than not way off target, and his defensive running leaves a fair bit to be desired. This isn't so much a roast as it is an expression of disappointment. I'm not angry, Trav. Just very disappointed. Nosoupforyou. There isn't much else he needs to work on; if the ball is heading towards our 50, he will more often than not be running down there too in an attempt to make an impact on any contest, but the moment it rebounds and heads into our defence, he goes missing. It's something he needs to work on, especially when you consider how easily we turn the ball over heading inside 50. He obviously has the coaches faith, because performances like what he's dished up so far in 2017 with a different panel would see him very much on the outer.
ESSENDON BOMBERS - #15 - JOSH GREEN
Time to step up, bloodnut. Despite consistently failing to deliver on the promises shown to us earlier in the season, little Ranga Green has kept his spot in the side, perhaps not to throw off the balance too much. It's so incredibly frustrating to see him try to take on too many players at once, bomb goals from stupid angles, and fail at simple disposals, when we all know that if he got his act together a little bit and managed to just stop being a **** inside the 50 then we'd all get along a little nicer. He could even be the best thing to happen to gingers since aloe vera infused sunscreen. With the form of young gun Josh Begley in the VFL reaching fever-pitch, Green is on notice. If he once again decides to miss simple disposals and pissfart around in front of goal, when there are other team mates in faaaaaar better positions for an attack, then you'd imagine that the Fridge wouldn't be too far away.
Gotta step up, Cobras.
COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES - #38 - JEREMY HOWE
Howe: "The ingredients were poor defensive efforts, inaccurate disposal, and loss of concentration throughout the entire match. Once again, if I'm not mistaken, I did attempt one good thing with a giant hanger though."
Scott Burns: "Thank you, Jeremy. I look forward to seeing it again next week."
notaplayerbutdealwithit
COLLINGWOOD - NATHAN BUCKLEY
Eddie McGuire: "I'm beginning to think that Nathan Buckley is not the brilliant tactician I thought he was".
Nathan Buckley:
Essington - 6th July 2017
So where do we sit? We've smashed West Coast, Port Adelaide, Geelong... We've got hard fought wins here and there, and at our best, look to be sitting comfortably in the top four. So how do we explain the past two weeks? 19 points up with a few minutes left, and lose after the siren. 26 points up in the final term and lose to the wooden spoon placed team, at home, in front of 41,000 red and black fans. The pathetic, disgusting, limp-wristed effort shown up last Sunday against a Brisbane Lions outfit who simply wanted it more was so bad that our CEO had to make the effort to post a tweet criticising it. Of course, with that, Xavier Campbell copped a barrage of criticism from the footy media.
So here we go again with the footy media. For years now, we've heard the cries from the pen pushers and the ambulance-chasers; we want more transparency with football clubs, we want more access, we just want the truth. Now, the one time that our CEO comes out, and makes a public show of dismay in regards to a performance that was, frankly, deplorable, and he gets chastised for it. To his credit, Xav hasn't backed down on his comments, and the players do agree with him; although he did apologise for any ill feeling caused towards them. They know that their performance wasn't good enough. Experienced players going missing for too long, just expecting to rock up and win. No chasing, weak tackling, no efforts in the run downs... You name it, we probably didn't do it. That extends past the players, however. I was at that match on Sunday, and I was sitting surrounded by plenty of Essendon fans. Even as the scoreboard counted down to the first bounce, there was absolutely no atmosphere. You could have heard a pin drop. What was going on there? 41,000 people just rocked up and expected to win? Tens of thousands of Essendon fans just popped over to Etihad Stadium to witness a routine thumping by a "powerhouse" Bombers side? Garbage. How many times have we been heavy favourites, tipped to win by a staggering amount (sorry), and then completely pissed it away? I'm a Liverpool fan too, I understand what it's like to brainfart against the crap sides and beat the ones you're supposed to struggle against. So why does it happen? What's the psyche like for players that do that? Are they getting confident? Or even cocky?
If any club has absolutely no excuse for cockiness, it's us. We've just come out of four horrendous years at the centre of the biggest scandal to hit the competition in it's history, we haven't won a flag for 17 years, which is this club's second longest premiership drought, and, with that in mind, we haven't even won a single final since 2004, where we just defeated the Demons by 5 points. How in the hell then, do we have this holier than thou, god-tier club mindset? The game does not reward mediocrity. The game does not reward complacency. The game certainly doesn't reward a prima donna group of players who rock up and just expect to have a higher score on the board at the end of the game. You ask any of the players and they'll tell you that the mindset wasn't there, that they weren't at their best... But why? What excuse is there, coming off a nine day break against a wooden spoon-destined team, with their best player and captain out injured, at home, in front of 41,000 home fans? None. Absolutely none.
And so, with that in mind, what Essendon shows up today? We have a battle with one of the old enemies, both teams languishing towards the bottom end of the ladder. One under a world of pressure, one not so much. But should the Bombers have pressure on them? We've been given some grace this year through the start of the season as the players gelled and learned how to play together, but now, the time for talking is done. If we are to make any impact on this season, without it rolling over as another missed chance, another nothing year, a time where we look back on 2017 and just think, "Meh", then we need to take this chance and run with it. Collingwood's midfield is fantastic, but their attack and defence leave a lot to be desired. If we can take this with both hands as we did on ANZAC Day this year, then we should be able to make the media bubble burst for a little while. Should that mean that the pressure the club puts on it's players dies down? Absolutely not.
Pressure builds desire. Desire builds success.
Success means premierships.
ROUND 5, 2017
ANZAC DAY 2017 - MCG
Crowd - 87,685
ESSENDON BOMBERS 15.10 100
def.
COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES 11.16 82
---------
ESSENDON BEST: Daniher, Merrett, Parish, Hurley, Watson, Fantasia, McDonald-Tipungwuti, Kelly
ESSENDON GOALS: Fantasia 4, Green, Hooker, Daniher 3, Francis, Heppell
ESSENDON INJURIES: Watson (Cut Head)
COLLINGWOOD BEST: Howe, Wells, Treloar, Sidebottom, Elliott
COLLINGWOOD GOALS: Elliott 3, Moore, Wells 2, Sidebottom, Fasolo, Treloar, Crisp
COLLINGWOOD INJURIES: Broomhead (Jaw), Grundy (Calf)
---------
CHANGES SINCE THEN:
ESSENDON OUTS: Brown, Stanton, Leuenberger, McNiece, Francis, Ambrose
ESSENDON INS: Hartley, Gleeson, Stewart, Bellchambers, Myers, McKenna
COLLINGWOOD OUTS: Wells, Ramsay, Phillips, Schade, Moore
COLLINGWOOD INS: Dunn, Langdon, De Goey, Thomas, Smith
MELBOURNE:
TV: FOX Sports 3 (LIVE at 2.00pm AEST), FOXTEL Now (LIVE at 2.00pm AEST)
RADIO: Triple M, ABC, ABC Grandstand, 3AW
MOBILE: AFL Live Official App with LIVE Pass (Unmetred on Telstra Mobile Network)
SYDNEY:
TV: FOX Sports 3 (LIVE at 2.00pm AEST), FOXTEL Now (LIVE at 2.00pm AEST)
RADIO: -
MOBILE: AFL Live Official App with LIVE Pass (Unmetred on Telstra Mobile Network)
ADELAIDE:
TV: FOX Sports 3 (LIVE at 1.30pm ACST), FOXTEL Now (LIVE at 1.30pm ACST)
RADIO: Triple M, ABC, ABC Grandstand
MOBILE: AFL Live Official App with LIVE Pass (Unmetred on Telstra Mobile Network)
PERTH:
TV: FOX Sports 3 (LIVE at 12.00pm AWST), FOXTEL Now (LIVE at 12.00pm AWST)
RADIO: 6PR, ABC, ABC Grandstand
MOBILE: AFL Live Official App with LIVE Pass (Unmetred on Telstra Mobile Network)
BRISBANE:
TV: FOX Sports 3 (LIVE at 2.00pm AEST), FOXTEL Now (LIVE at 2.00pm AEST)
RADIO: -
MOBILE: AFL Live Official App with LIVE Pass (Unmetred on Telstra Mobile Network)
All well and good for Xavier to be disgusted by that performance, but we need the players to feel that way too. We don't have long left in the season, and if we're to make the finals and make a name for ourselves, this is the match we need to win. Take no prisoners. Go Bombers.
Essendon by 9.
Last edited by a moderator:
