The Ex-Bombers

[mongrelpunt]

Which of the above Ex-Essendon players will have the biggest impact in 2003, not just against Essendon, but for the whole season?

Chris Heffernan at Melbourne is my choice. I reckon has the most to prove after 2001-02. Could be a smokey for Brownlow!

 

[MJ_RULES]

I voted for Dimma but would love for Slash to do well.

Great thread by the way.....

 

[gozzo]

I voted for Blake, because he'll have plenty of people to pass him the ball.

I wish them all well.....just not against Essendon.
(Still, I suppose there's no chance of that for D-Mac, really)

 

[windyhill]

Great question.
There is only one champion in this list though.
G.Wanganeen. He will continue to haunt us till the day he retires, missing the 2000 flag still makes me chuckle though. Did not eat for two days when I heard he left.

 

[windyhill]

The one I hope blitzes is Gazza. Wrong move E.F.C, wrong move, the only good thing to come out of it was that Melbourne beat carlton to the punch. Crucified at Essendon.

 

[topdon]

Great thread!!

I voted for Heffernan. I'm still livid that we let him go. Of the three so-called 'underachievers', he was the most versitle. Having Blumfield and especially Caracella didn't phase me ... they were living of past glories. Always felt that Heffernan was having a dip, it was the other two disinterested ****s that shat me up the wall.

Melbourne got a steal when they picked up Heffa and Slash.

 

[SydneyBomber]

Top Thread.

I'm with you topDon, I reckon of the three 'underachievers', losing Heff will hurt the most.
Cara was always gonna leave, and Heff was at least having a go.

BTW, Slash will win Melbourne at least one or two games off his own boot this year. He may not do much else, but those games will more than justify his selection.

I'd be devastated if he went the blooze.
Stupid Essendon. Stupid.

 

[Lethal]

I think it will be Heffernan that will perform the best of the ex-Bombers this season.
Saw him in the paper this morning and he has sure bulked up a lot.

 

[LionsForever]

Hopefully Blake Caracella

 

[Pornstar]

Caracella will go crazy this year running forward of Brissy's midfield. Like a kid in a candy store. He is my pick to have the best season.

Wanganeen played his best footy at Essendon IMO. Hardwick will be brilliant again. Still love that guy. Heffernan wasn't fit to carry Cara and Blummers boots. Only two 20+ disposal games out of his last 48 - ha! If that's what he can achieve when he 'always has a dip' i'd hate to see him when he slacks off.

 

[SydneyBomber]

Originally posted by Pornstar
Caracella will go crazy this year running forward of Brissy's midfield. Like a kid in a candy store. He is my pick to have the best season.

Wanganeen played his best footy at Essendon IMO. Hardwick will be brilliant again. Still love that guy. Heffernan wasn't fit to carry Cara and Blummers boots. Only two 20+ disposal games out of his last 48 - ha! If that's what he can achieve when he 'always has a dip' i'd hate to see him when he slacks off.

hehe - knew you'd say that Porny!


Agreed on Wanga and Dimma though.

 

[Clackers69]

I'm thinking along the lines of a few others that Cara will have a pretty good year in the Brissy team. They will suit his game and he will suit theirs. Plus they are probably still the team to beat this year, so if they have another good run with injuries (i.e. none to key players!) then he will be sporting another Premiership Medal on the last Saturday in September.

That may/will be what gets him over the line ahead of say Dimma. Otherwise, it may be the other way around and Dimma will be wearing Premiership Medal No. 2!

 

[ClintEastwood]

Originally posted by SydneyBomber

Agreed on Wanga and Dimma though.

Originally posted by windyhill
Great question.
There is only one champion in this list though.
G.Wanganeen. He will continue to haunt us till the day he retires, missing the 2000 flag still makes me chuckle though. Did not eat for two days when I heard he left.

Agreed. Isn't he great to watch It's good to be able to get agreement from opposition supporters of at least one club on this It's amazing how many supporters of other clubs hate him.

And yes, you'd have to say he played his best footy at Essendon, but not by as much as many Dons supporters think. Can't top a Brownlow, but when your Brownlow was from the back pocket, and you subsequently get All Australian selection in a forward pocket, I think that says something

Oh, by the way Essendon, thanks for Wanganeen, Dimma, Mark Williams, Andrew Russell, Adam Kingsley, and even Che and Cummings. Keep up the good work

 

[SydneyBomber]

Originally posted by Pred
Oh, by the way Essendon, thanks for Wanganeen, Dimma, Mark Williams, Andrew Russell, Adam Kingsley, and even Che and Cummings. Keep up the good work

And you still haven't won anything of note....

 

[ClintEastwood]

Originally posted by SydneyBomber
And you still haven't won anything of note....

And you seriously think we won't win anything in the next 5-10 years, do you, hmmmmmm??

Ya see, one thing that foreigners to the Port Adelaide Football Club sometimes fail to understand, is the true nature of the club. Crows supporters are all too familiar with it, having been supporting clubs in the SANFL who have been dominated by Port for 100 years. And Crows supporters are scared. Sure, their club won 2 flags quite quickly with the help of genius Malcolm Blight, but Cows supporters can feel another century of domination coming on. So can I. The thing about this club is that THEY KNOW ABOUT FOOTBALL. Simplistic statement, but this is a club that seriously knows about recruiting, about club ethos, about winning culture, player development, club financial success. Port Adelaide rarely gets worse. Ok sometimes we have a bit of a mini-nose-dive for a couple of years, but in the last 2 years Port has been up near the top (albeit not having made a GF yet). People bag port for being finals chokers and being pretenders, but mark my words, this is hollow talk. WHen Port first came into the comp, I said it may take time, but we will reach the top, and when we do, we will never be far from the top of the ladder. In this modern age of equalisation, you might say that's crap and it's impossible to predict. But this is no middle of the road club. Sure, the Draft and the Cap will limit up the same as everyone else, but superior knowledge around the club, a superior attitude and superior recruiting will see us right up there.

If this sounds like a bit of an arrogant post - it isn't meant to be, it's just that I know something about Port that maybe you don't. Sheedy's always known it too. Port and Essendon are very similar in some ways.

 

[mongrelpunt]

Geez, Port supporters are so touchy when you mention the "P" word.....

I guess just like us Essendon supporters when someone mentions the "U" word...

 

[SydneyBomber]

Originally posted by Pred
Port and Essendon are very similar in some ways.

Only 'cos you keep nicking off with our blokes and trying to be as good as us....
Bunch of 'mini-me's'.

 

[topdon]

Originally posted by Pred
Oh, by the way Essendon, thanks for Wanganeen, Dimma, Mark Williams, Andrew Russell, Adam Kingsley, and even Che and Cummings...

... and ... umm ... Dean Bailey

 

[raskolnikov]

Heff - along with Welly was my favourite player at the Dons. I think Melbourne will bring out the best in him.

 

[BERT]

I thought Mcallister will have the best year.

 

[SkARkS_69]

Il be the outsider here and say that Justin Blumfield will have the best year out of all those listed....is a class act and pretty solid.
Will be a big loss to that once dominating Bombers outfit of 2000.

 

[godees]

I'm hoping it is Heffernan. He has been good in the preseason but his disposal has let him down from time to time. Is that just part of warming up to the season or a normal thing?
I have always hated Moorcroft but I'll still support him in a Dees jumper and if he does produce maybe things will change.

 

[Pevers-Legend]

Heff, Blumfield and Cara and Moorcrooft all had talent but didn;t deliver often enough last year.

For starters, no Essendon supporter should wish Caracella well, he left for money (something Brisbane have and we don't - yet they have a better list hmmm, that doesn;t sound like they are using the money to keep players, rather buy them, hmmmm).

Heffernan was a log last year. He has as much talent as Robert Harvey, but he was the 2nd laziest sod in the team last year (behind Hille) and he should have been offed - still good luck to him.

Blumfield was a terrible trade, that boy has lots of talent and dominated 2000 GF. If he gets fit and fires he will hurt us.

Moorcroft, never delivered often enough and was too undisciplned.

Oh and by the by, Port Power and Port Magpies ain;t the same no more bub. The Power have made a concerted effort to move away from the traditional roots to attract new support, so don;t give me that winning crap, cause if it were true, they would have performed much better aka - Adelaide and West Coast.

Still, I can see why they are called Port Power rather than Port Adelaide Power Football Club - too many of there supporters couldn;t pronounce the name correctly.

 

[Roylion]

Originally posted by Pevers-Legend
For starters, no Essendon supporter should wish Caracella well, he left for money (something Brisbane have and we don't - yet they have a better list hmmm, that doesn;t sound like they are using the money to keep players, rather buy them, hmmmm).

That's completely wrong.

In an interview today (27/3, Herald-Sun p. 77), Blake Caracella stated "I would have liked to have stayed there [Essendon], I had been there eight years, it's a third of my life so it was all I knew.'..."A year ago, I would have not even thought about the idea I would be somewhere else." It's clear that from this and other interviews that Caracella was quite happy to stay at the Bombers.

Kevin Sheedy also stated that Essendon's decision to trade Blake Caracella was taken because of salary cap pressure.

Moreover Caracella was able to be included under the Lions TPP limit because Headland, Bolton and Cupido were traded and Hammond, Clarke and Martin were delisted.

Brisbane did not buy Caracella. Cupido and Pick#17 were traded to Essendon for Caracella. Pick#17 was gained by Brisbane for trading Des Headland.

 

[James2]

Originally posted by Roylion
That's completely wrong.

In an interview today (27/3, Herald-Sun p. 77), Blake Caracella stated "I would have liked to have stayed there [Essendon], I had been there eight years, it's a third of my life so it was all I knew.'..."A year ago, I would have not even thought about the idea I would be somewhere else." It's clear that from this and other interviews that Caracella was quite happy to stay at the Bombers.

Kevin Sheedy also stated that Essendon's decision to trade Blake Caracella was taken because of salary cap pressure.

Partially true.

After the trade period, Blake's manager admitted that he had turned down an offer from Essendon midseason in an effort to gain a better offer. He admitted in light of the trade period, that he should have accepted the initial offer.

It seems to me, that Blake got in the situation he did because he wanted more money. IMO if he had signed mid-season, as his manager now admits he should have, Essendon would not have traded him.