Sorry for the rant / essay, but...
Let's look at this. According to David Parkin, premierships are decided by the quality of the midfield. Parko reckons you need as many as ten quality midfielders, and that a side with 10 will beat a side with 5 every time.
A couple of critics have acknowledged that the following "Starting 4" cannot be beaten (possibly equalled, but not beaten) by any side:
Everitt (AA ruckman), Crawford (silk), Hodge (silk), Mitchell (most centre clearances).
Back Up: Bateman (silk, but recently injured), Clarke (rated very highly by opposition coaches), Brown, Smith, Vandenberg, Lewis, Ladson, Sewell, Young, Guerra, Ries. These guys are the goods. Some are competitive with the best; all of them can destroy a moderate player on an average day. And all have off days.
More than 10. 14 plus Everitt to be exact. Sure, quite a few have weaknesses; look at recent premiership sides: quite a few have weaknesses, but together: quality.
THIS STARTING MIDFIELD IS WAY AHEAD OF ANYTHING HAWTHORN HAS STARTED WITH IN THE PAST 5-10 YEARS. 5 years ago we had: Crawford, Smith, Vandenberg, Lekkas, Tallis...
Key Forwards: Williams (23 y.o., 60+ goals @ 22; how many in history have done that? A: Not many - check the record books folks), Barker (??), Boyle (can mark; has only played 3 games; looks ready to play a season), Roughead (unproven, possibly 2nd yr blues, but capable of contested marks with the best in the comp), Dixon (not a 1st KPP, but a very good 3rd or 4th)
Key Backs: Croad (AA), Jacobs (fit for the first time? Essendon say he's better than Bolton, but was in doubt due to his back when he was swapped to Hawthorn for Rawlings, who had a sus knee), a youngster at FB (possible serious weakness, but there are options).
Plus: Campbell, Ries, Franklin, Miller, Taylor, Thurgood, Dawson (not a bad bunch of extras off the bench) - and some very highly rated first-years.
Injuries could kill us. But this is a Top 8 side. No questions. No excuses. I cannot understand why Hawthorn fans rate us bottom 4.
Coaches? The first MBA coach in the AFL (is it a bonus? who knows? but nobody in history has managed to change a list the way he has in 15 months), also as assistants: a premiership player @ 2 clubs / B&F and a captain / B&F.
The coaching staff said our weakness was hardness at the start of last year. We are now as hard as any. Now they're focused on skills. If they get that right this year... ???
Final 8? Hardly a delusion. Not a certainty. But very, very gettable.
Remember the Baby Bombers? (Feel free to spit at the memory.) When Sheedy took over at Essendon, he replaced captain Simon Madden (who would go on to win 2 more B&F's) with Ron Andrews.
Our coaches ain't stupid.
Our team ain't ordinary.