Well Done

[OzBomber]

Very good game tonight even though you won comfortably in the end. It's a shame we ran out of legs as it could've been a cracking finish. I was waiting for your midfield to lift and they just went nuts in the last quarter.

Well done and all the best for the rest of the season.

 

[DanA]

Thought the bomber looked alright and I was definately worried half way through the 3rd quarter. Really liked the look of Zaharakis and obviously Prismall, Stanton and Monfries have now found there feet too.

The midfields shaping up well for you guys, just need a few years into your KP's to catch up. They were given a lesson tonight and that was probably the difference. We got more out of Scarlett, Taylor, Mooney and Hawkins than the Bombers got out of Gumbleton, Neagle, Fletcher and Hooker.

 

[Donakebab]

Thought the bomber looked alright and I was definately worried half way through the 3rd quarter. Really liked the look of Zaharakis and obviously Prismall, Stanton and Monfries have now found there feet too.

The midfields shaping up well for you guys, just need a few years into your KP's to catch up. They were given a lesson tonight and that was probably the difference. We got more out of Scarlett, Taylor, Mooney and Hawkins than the Bombers got out of Gumbleton, Neagle, Fletcher and Hooker.

Forwards yes, backmen no. Hooker, Pears and Fletch were great down back. It was our midfield that got shown a lesson from late in the 3rd onwards. You turned the tables on clearaces and tackling presure, found more space and forced our tall defenders to try and cover 2 players because of your mids running forward. Bartel really stepped up in the last and hurt us the most.

 

[scottydeewah]

I thought Fletch was bloody terrible. I think we got about 3-4 goals directly from his shit kicks.

 

[Selwood_14]

This. Was the first time in a long time that i think the game has gone past Fletch. Last season i thought his footy brain was going to keep him in it, but he got exposed tonight, and not just against the faster players like Gaz and Stevie J. There was a couple of times where i think he played what he thought were the "percentages" but either the umpires or the change in rules played against him.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

Thanks Sean. I really enjoyed the game and I think you guys have a great future. You are building a great midfield, you just need to build a forward line to go with it, and get some more on the defensive side of things. I always expected we'd give 10 minutes of our best at some stage, and we did. Not convincing, but as Bomber said, any win in round 1 is good.

 

[Basic83]

Yeah Fletch struggled but I thought Ryder was really disappointing. Just didn't fire a shot.

Bit to like about the Bombers though. Obviously this will be another developing year, but I thought Hooker showed a bit tonight, Pears will be a player for sure. Just need to find some key forwards. Gumbleton was poor tonight but the kid just needs a run of games.

 

[DanA]

I personally don't think the bombers KP players won a single position. Midfielders were on top apart from the last quarter but Gumbleton, Neagle, Ryder, Hille, Hooker, Pears and Fletcher were all soundly beaten throughout the entire night.

 

[MARC_]

Gawd! I wish we had Hurley tonight. Scarlett v Hurley would have been amazing for his developement.

 

[Smyth94]

I personally don't think the bombers KP players won a single position. Midfielders were on top apart from the last quarter but Gumbleton, Neagle, Ryder, Hille, Hooker, Pears and Fletcher were all soundly beaten throughout the entire night.

Don't normally intrude but you're not serious right? Hooker and Pears dominated.

A few junk time goals to Mooney and Hawkins doesn't mask it.

 

[Donakebab]

I personally don't think the bombers KP players won a single position. Midfielders were on top apart from the last quarter but Gumbleton, Neagle, Ryder, Hille, Hooker, Pears and Fletcher were all soundly beaten throughout the entire night.

No and no. They both had the better of Mooney and Hawkins until the last quarter when as I said earlier your mids turned it up, caught ours out of place and forced these two to try and cover too much space. Can't blame them for the short comings of others.

As for Fletch, he coughed up one and the other was from a very sketchy deliberate call. He rotated between your more agile and most dangerous players who went forward in SJ, Chaps, Ablett, yet he only had one kicked on him from a direct opponent. Wasn't a great game but not the worst night out for a player getting long in the tooth.

Not throwing up excuses as to why we lost, you guys ran it out stronger in the end as expected, just saying it how it was. Your midfield tore us up in the last and was easily your most potent weapon.

 

[DanA]

No and no. They both had the better of Mooney and Hawkins until the last quarter when as I said earlier your mids turned it up, caught ours out of place and forced these two to try and cover too much space. Can't blame them for the short comings of others.

As for Fletch, he coughed up one and the other was from a very sketchy deliberate call. He rotated between your more agile and most dangerous players who went forward in SJ, Chaps, Ablett, yet he only had one kicked on him from a direct opponent. Wasn't a great game but not the worst night out for a player getting long in the tooth.

Not throwing up excuses as to why we lost, you guys ran it out stronger in the end as expected, just saying it how it was. Your midfield tore us up in the last and was easily your most potent weapon.

I guess it depends on where your coming from. The way I saw it was Hawkins and Mooney got no service as your midfield were smashing us. Everytime it went near Hawkins he did something good with it I thought though and generally beat his man.

Mooney yeah probably didn't get on top til junk time where previously he'd been staging for free kicks and generally acting like a twat.

 

[bulletproof]

Am I alone in hating these ' well done you were too good' ah 'bad luck you were good too' let's be honest essendon are poor, have a middling group of players and an awful coach, we played at half pace and won easily. Next!

 

[vinum coupe]

What a sh&t game of footy.
Admittedly a lot of it had to do with how rusty we were. Fumbling resulted in delayed hand balls/ kicks and the disposal was rushed.

But 1/2 way through the 2nd quarter I was questioning why we had bought a family membership. Not because I think the Cats will play crap footy all year, but because I am not a great fan of basketball.

I don't know how supporters of teams with crap disposal under pressure can even both going to the footy. Because it's not footy anymore.

The family was a bit crook and wanted to leave early, and it didnt bother me one bit that we left at 3/4 time.

Bombers played well, but it was quite obvious that an up and running cats are a 15 goal better team than the bombers.

Here's to hoping league quality improves.

 

[thejester]

I guess it depends on where your coming from. The way I saw it was Hawkins and Mooney got no service as your midfield were smashing us. Everytime it went near Hawkins he did something good with it I thought though and generally beat his man.

Mooney yeah probably didn't get on top til junk time where previously he'd been staging for free kicks and generally acting like a twat.

Thought Pears and Hooker had the better game in the first half, Hawkins began to play well in the second. All the other Essendon KPPs struggled (as did Williams), but Pears and Hooker could hold their heads high.

Am I alone in hating these ' well done you were too good' ah 'bad luck you were good too' let's be honest essendon are poor, have a middling group of players and an awful coach, we played at half pace and won easily. Next!

Blind faith is a good thing, I guess?

 

[thrillhouse]

Very good game tonight even though you won comfortably in the end. It's a shame we ran out of legs as it could've been a cracking finish. I was waiting for your midfield to lift and they just went nuts in the last quarter.

Well done and all the best for the rest of the season.

I was an Essendon hater until last night. But last night they won my respect. In spots they were doing similar to Geelong, running, carrying the ball, tackling hard, keeping on their man, zoning in the back line. I was really worried.

Watching it on TV last night I said to the missus that if I weren't a Geelong supporter I'd be hoping Essendon win this. Congrats to Jobe Watson and Lingy last night too.

 

[saladin]

well done catters. we're catching up a little bit, but still well off the pace in some key area's. 1st time in a long time that i've seen the geelong defence unable to cleanly run the ball out, but we just couldn't capitalise enough during that mid-third quarter period, and we paid for it.

i stand in awe of joel selwood. absolute machine with his ability to stand up in the tackle and either break through or be productive with the give under extreme pressure. he allowed gazza and others to run forward of the play in confidence, easily the most influential player in the last 40 minutes.

If i was GC, the whole chasing ablett thing would be a red-herring and i'd be throwing everything at selwood. far more important on-field.

 

[AM]

well done catters. we're catching up a little bit, but still well off the pace in some key area's. 1st time in a long time that i've seen the geelong defence unable to cleanly run the ball out, but we just couldn't capitalise enough during that mid-third quarter period, and we paid for it.

i stand in awe of joel selwood. absolute machine with his ability to stand up in the tackle and either break through or be productive with the give under extreme pressure. he allowed gazza and others to run forward of the play in confidence, easily the most influential player in the last 40 minutes.

If i was GC, the whole chasing ablett thing would be a red-herring and i'd be throwing everything at selwood. far more important on-field.

Shut the f@#k up will ya.

 

[Glassjaw]

Pears and Hooker were good but at the end of the day they still had 5 goals kick on them.

Another clean sheet for Scarlett.

 

[winty]

Am I alone in hating these ' well done you were too good' ah 'bad luck you were good too' let's be honest essendon are poor, have a middling group of players and an awful coach, we played at half pace and won easily. Next!

I agree. At half time on Friday night, I overheard some guys saying "Oh, we're playing crap. Ablett's kicked it out on the full twice, so-and-so did this, and so-and-so did that..." and I said "Yeah, but we're still in front!"

I'd say Essendon would've had most of the play in the first three quarters, yet were only a goal up at 3/4 time. It was only a matter of time before we kicked into gear and presented something that looked like our best footy. Actually, I think the last goal we kicked looked like something we did in 2007. Kicked out from full back, ended up with Mooney on the wing, who kicked it to the advantage of Chappy who hit Bartel at the top of the goal square with such a good pass he didn't have to break stride, and Jimmy strolled into an open goal.

After all, the season is a marathon, not a sprint. There's no use playing champagne football from the opening bounce in Round 1. Do enough to win, keep your powder dry, earn enough wins to get a top four spot, then turn it on in September.