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Will Essendon win the Flag ?

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Can't see them doing it this year with only 2-3 A grade players who would perform to their best in a Grand Final (Watson, Fletcher and Hurley/Stanton maybe). Then there are a couple of B+ players, the rest are B-C. It's not enough quality to win a GF.
Maybe in 2 years when some of their young guns - Heppell, Melksham, Pears (although he is going backwards), Hurley, Carlisle - become consistant, elite contributors
....snip...

While I agree with you that I cannot see them doing it this year, you do realise that those gradings are completely meaningless. Everybody loves to call players elite or A,B and C graders etc. However how have you even placed them in those categories? What is it based on? How do you measure when a player goes from B to A etc and would you know if (not saying this is happening at Essendon) seven players have moved to A this year?

Do you see my point? This is a completely pointless exercise that everyone seems to do to prove points, however the exercise is nothing more than a bit of fun without base.
 
They're as good as a chance of taking it out as Collingwood, Geelong, WCE, Hawthorn or Carlton it's wide open. If I was to pick one I'd go the Pies but it's not like they've set the world on fire this year either.
 

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On Saturday night, if both sides were full strength, Bombers would have no chance.

That's a cool story, brother.

Not sure it jives with what happened in the analogous game last year, but whatever.

The relevance is nil. Neither side will be full strength. Sides rarely ever are.
 
On Saturday night, if both sides were full strength, Bombers would have no chance.

Yeah and if the toothfairy comes I get a dollar.

We can work on theories all we like. End of the day the best available players for both teams will walk out. You have outs, we have outs. Deal with it.

I'd love to see Hurley and Crameri out there but it's not going to happen.
 
While I agree with you that I cannot see them doing it this year, you do realise that those gradings are completely meaningless. Everybody loves to call players elite or A,B and C graders etc. However how have you even placed them in those categories? What is it based on? How do you measure when a player goes from B to A etc and would you know if (not saying this is happening at Essendon) seven players have moved to A this year?

Do you see my point? This is a completely pointless exercise that everyone seems to do to prove points, however the exercise is nothing more than a bit of fun without base.

Yes, I see your point. You are correct to a point, but I would say my rankings are based on comparisons with the last handful of grand finalists who do indeed have those 3-4 elite players and then 6-8 top line players...If that is a better way of grading them.

Essendon have 1 elite player in Watson and 2-3 top line players and a plethora of mid ranged players who are either building, fading or in the peak of their career.

I'm not having a dig at you guys, as once again, I think you are building into a nice team and when those young guys start becoming top liners - that's when you must take your chance. The shit thing for you is that time could be when Gold Coast become the inevitable monster they will become.
 
Yes they will win the flag, the Eagles and Essendon are the in form teams, if Essendon beat the Eagles they will be outright favs, awesome team the Bombers are, awesome depth as well.
 
I don't think so, they tend to do this every season.

Usually fall in a hole from now until round 15.

Credit to the coaches though, have suited the plan perfectly to compliment their list. Making space across their forward half to run into, gives them so many easy shots on goal.

I have a feeling the top few teams will combat this pretty well in the second half of the season.
 
I don't think so, they tend to do this every season.

Usually fall in a hole from now until round 15.

Um... by that do you mean last season? Totally legit point, but it's not entirely the trend of years before that.

The trend of years before that is just "Essendon are shizen," see.
 

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I don't think so, they tend to do this every season.

Usually fall in a hole from now until round 15.

Credit to the coaches though, have suited the plan perfectly to compliment their list. Making space across their forward half to run into, gives them so many easy shots on goal.

I have a feeling the top few teams will combat this pretty well in the second half of the season.

You guys and Collingwood are the only teams to see that game plan. It hasn't been the case against anyone else yet.

It will be interesting in second half of the season as the game plan becomes more obvious if there are good plans to stop it. Don't forget you guys had a loose man behind the ball and that didn't stop us scoring heavily.

In the end our coaches are backing in our clearance players, it is just a matter of beating them. Carlton couldn't, Collingwood could.
 
Interesting thread.


Any negative comment from other posters about their team get's ridiculed by Essendon fans


... and yet they nearly all sign off with 'No Essendon can't win the flag - will finish 6th-8th'.

Fess up Bombers fans - you really do think you can win the flag, you just don't want the pressure ! :D
 
Interesting thread.


Any negative comment from other posters about their team get's ridiculed by Essendon fans


... and yet they nearly all sign off with 'No Essendon can't win the flag - will finish 6th-8th'.

Fess up Bombers fans - you really do think you can win the flag, you just don't want the pressure ! :D

Keeping a lid on it Andy.
 
You guys and Collingwood are the only teams to see that game plan. It hasn't been the case against anyone else yet.

It will be interesting in second half of the season as the game plan becomes more obvious if there are good plans to stop it. Don't forget you guys had a loose man behind the ball and that didn't stop us scoring heavily.

In the end our coaches are backing in our clearance players, it is just a matter of beating them. Carlton couldn't, Collingwood could.

It's probably more because those two teams are the only two you have played at the MCG, where it makes sense to play that game plan.

Loose man for us meant little in those situations because our defenders were sucked in too high, which nulled any advantage we may have had with the loose man.

Not sure that the clearances translates directly into winning and losing, from memory we had more inside 50's but as your entries were so much cleaner and more open you scored with ease. Whether teams can combat this or not will determine how far Essendon go in finals (imo)
 
Easily the Dons should be the first or second favs for 2012, smashed the Blues and destroyed the other teams they have played, should have beaten the Pies as well. I can only see the Eagles and Cats giving them a run. They have some elite players and star young kids not sure who can stop them, not trolling its just the cold hard facts.
 

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NO CHANCE. None at all.

Next year is the year they will push hard. Need to win a final first.

That's what the Hawks thought in 2008. We won the one nobody expected us to, and then haven't been able to achieve a flag from 2009-2011 which was our aim.

Don't spend too much time dreaming of the future when it could be all happening right now. I don't think Essendon will win this year, but you never know.
 
Last year you also got smashed twice (including a final) by the best part of 70 points against Carlton. Does that mean you are going to win the flag?

Last year, last year. Last year we drew first round. This year, first round we smashed you. That is all.
 
Easily the Dons should be the first or second favs for 2012, smashed the Blues and destroyed the other teams they have played, should have beaten the Pies as well. I can only see the Eagles and Cats giving them a run. They have some elite players and star young kids not sure who can stop them, not trolling its just the cold hard facts.
Yep, I fully endorse this post
Not sarcasm just cold hard facts.
 
Last year you also got smashed twice (including a final) by the best part of 70 points against Carlton. Does that mean you are going to win the flag?


injuries eventually caught up to us. we went into those games with a lot of very underdone players. it was also apparent that weren't fit enough to sustain our game over four quarters. and it was the first year of basically an entirely new coaching staff with a new an more defensive game plan that the coaches were still figuring out, and the players were still learning.
 
We have to be just about the best coached team in the competition. Even when we dont play great (Port, GC, Roos, Pies) we are still winning (or almost winning). The players show this amazing desire to win the hard ball and as Hirdy has said, success will flow on from that.

I think we have the making of a champion team, as opposed to a team of champions. Akin to Sydney almost. The important factor in that is that if we play a West Coast, Hawthorn, Geelong, Carlton, Collingwood and all their star players fire, we'll probably lose.

I'll take Richmond as an example. I have a Richmond supporting mate who puts us at the same level, if not putting the tigers a little higher. He is a bit deluded by the fact that they have more genuine class players (Cotchin, Martin, Reiwoldt, Lids), which I agree with, but are not even across the park.

If we beat the Coasters this week I think we have a genuine shot at snagging a flag. If we lose (which I think we will), we'll be put back in our place and show that we are more of a 8th-5th team.
 

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Will Essendon win the Flag ?

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