Will Essendon win the Flag ?

[DVD Player]

Are you ****ing kidding?

This year's flag is absolutely there for the taking. Essendon can win it and should be going for it, all guns blazing.

The prospect of winning a flag scares me. It's too big to comprehend... We've been shit for so long.

Essendon will finish anywhere between 12-5th.

 

[hank31]

Are you ****ing kidding?

This year's flag is absolutely there for the taking. Essendon can win it and should be going for it, all guns blazing.

At the risk of sounding over confident based on early season form, this post is spot on.

The Flag this year is anyones. I'm sure the players are starting to gain that mindset. As they absoloutley should IMO.

 

[bombermick]

Every flag since '06 has had a stellar midfield, so it's hard to imagine them doing it this year. Watson and now Stanton are A-grade, but other recent premiers had at least double that. It's possible to do a Swans '05, but not getting my hopes up.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

I'm impressed with Essendon but not convinced they are the real deal. they have played three teams that are better than middle of the road. Collingwood are middle of the road and beat them and should have beaten them much easier. They played WCE's who produced a half senior half seconds side and also should have lost to Richmond and nearly to the Roos. They played Carlton and won but almost immediatly had a three player handicap with three players going down in the game, that would undo even the best side against any middle of the road side. To be honest I recon Richmond will push them and maybe even beat them. I would like to see them beat a good team where injuries are not a factor for me to be convinced. I've seen teams to what Essendon have done many times where they are a decent side, have a good run and happen to have luck with injuries to the opposition when they play better sides. Carlton have done it, especially when we came up against geelong a few years back and beat them. Sure we beat Geelong, but we did not beat their best outfit.

I'm not convinced in your analysis given the bolded...

Also, you might like to see us beat teams that don't have injuries, but you can only beat who you play. I'd quite like to see us play teams without injuries of our own, too, but that's footy innit

Not sure that the result of Saturday's game will decide this, but at 7-1 they'd be perfectly set up to rest and rotate players leading into finals. That's a luxury few others will have.

At their best, they are simply scintillating. Looking forward to watching them close up this weekend.

I'd expect to beat us, but they have been "up" for some time now. If we could win, that would logically demand a reconsideration of how we are tracking and turn finals from an aspiration into a pass mark

Agree with this

 

[Astro Bomber]

Are you ****ing kidding?

This year's flag is absolutely there for the taking. Essendon can win it and should be going for it, all guns blazing.

Spot on. The chance for a team to fluke a premiership this year is wide open. Any of the top 8 teams this year has to like their chances.

 

[Smyth94]

A.Selwood is as fringe as players from our best 22 get.

Ill Give you Dalziell and add these two.

West Coast
Nic Naitanui (hamstring tightness) test
Mark Le Cras (knee) season
Mark Nicoski (hamstring) 6 weeks
Josh Kennedy (ankle) 10 weeks
Andrew Embley (shoulder) 8 weeks
Adam Selwood (hand) test
Matt Priddis (concussion) test
Ashley Smith (Hamstring) 1-2 weeks
Will Schofield (Suspension) 1 week.

That's nine players from 22. Sub LeCras for Hams given he's out for the season.

Answer to the OP, Essendon are a chance. Just like another five or six clubs at the moment.

Last year (when we played you guys at Subi) we were without Hurley, Hooker, Pears, Lonergan, Dempsey, Hille, Prismall, Winderlich and we lost Welsh, Watson and Crameri over the course of the game but half way through the 3rd quarter we were within a kick.

Swings and roundabouts

 

[Jesse Custer]

Are you ****ing kidding?

This year's flag is absolutely there for the taking. Essendon can win it and should be going for it, all guns blazing.

I appreciate your post. But im a firm believer that teams need to earn the flag first. Finish in the top 4 a couple of times then win it. Wouldn't say no to a flag now of course.

In all honesty, can't believe that Essendon and win the flag are in the same sentence. There is a long way to go in this season and people tend to get carried away. For me this saturday is the big game.

 

[UpTheGuts]

Agree with this

Have a good one Lance

 

[The Speaker]

The prospect of winning a flag scares me. It's too big to comprehend... We've been shit for so long.

Yep, that's the boat I'm in.

 

[macdaddio]

It's actually quite amazing to see the change in the Bombers since Hirdy took over. Maybe "the weapon" has something to do with it, but they seem a lot more confident in their strength and abilities.

I'd love to see a good old fashion Hawks V Bombers final!

Betty

Please, please let this happen please......

 

[Ancient Tiger]

Will people's view change if we beat them this Saturday?

I know it's a big if, but it is certainly possible.

 

[Wernumberone]

Just feel as though the forward line can be contained by the better sides. Hurley is going to be a gun but hardly plays close to goal, Crameri is getting more and more attention every week, I do like the speedsters in Jetta, Reimers, Davey but like Carlton...finals footy demands more contested footy than ever and those little blokes get put under more pressure in finals footy than the bigger bodies.

I know the emphasis was to bulk up over pre-season but it doesn't mean instant results and I think Essendon will hit a brick wall very shortly. The good part is that they have won the games many didn't expect them too (apart from the Bomber fans) so that means when that mini-form slump does eventuate, you are still a couple up on the big guns of the comp.

Hocking, Lovett-Murray are two of the most underrated players in that team along with Howlett but teams know that if you can contain Stanton and Jobe, who are the two best users of the pill then the forward line is impacted which causes Hurley, Davey & Jetta upto the wings.
Ryder is huge though.....if he fires, you guys look a completely different unit.
Unfortunately his best is as sporadic as it gets and it's going to be a real test for Essendon with some of those injuries to try and stop the Richmond midfield which have Essendon covered for pace.

More holes in your argument than a brothel.

You say Finals demands more contested footy, which it does, well we are one of the best, if not the best, teams for contested possessions and we also lead the league in Scores from stoppages and effective kicks and are high up in others as well.We have been smashing teams in CP.

Contain Stanton and Jobe?

Contain Ablett and Swallow
Contain Judd and Murphy
Contain Bartel and Selwood
Contain Priddis and Kerr
Contain Mitchell and Lewis
Contain Hayes and DelSanto

You can say that about every team in the league and it's easy to say, not as easy to execute.

We won't win the flag but not because of your reasoning.

 

[Dwight Schrute]

Will people's view change if we beat them this Saturday?

I know it's a big if, but it is certainly possible.

Obviously, it was Carlton then Sydney and now us,it wont last.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

Will people's view change if we beat them this Saturday?

of course they will. We are all goldfish.

 

[emblurr]

Yep everyone gets a turn at being premiership favourite this year. If you hadn't had a turn yet it'll be soon.

 

[Knight Ryders]

Will people's view change if we beat them this Saturday?

I know it's a big if, but it is certainly possible.

It's definitely possible. I'm not sure how we cope with being the hunted yet - there's definitely going to be a larger than normal focus on our players and game plan than what we've been used to in the recent past.

Your fantastic form in some way might count against you - it will ensure that the players are in the right frame of mind.

 

[The Dice Man]

Tigers are a huge chance this week. Will have to be at our best but I give us a 40% chance at an upset... Opening up the ladder even more.

 

[theboxmike]

Tigers are a huge chance this week. Will have to be at our best but I give us a 40% chance at an upset... Opening up the ladder even more.

So if we end up beating the tigers in good fashion will people start to finally give us some recognition on BF?

Or will every week be a test for us? i suppose it is if you wanna be a good side.

 

[The Dice Man]

So if we end up beating the tigers in good fashion will people start to finally give us some recognition on BF?

Or will every week be a test for us? i suppose it is if you wanna be a good side.

So far this season you are a good side getting the results. If you lose to us it will start doubts, but I don't think there would be any shame in a small loss to us. We're 3-4 with 106% and have had good form all year.

I'd have collingwood as flag favorites for now, but just.

 

[Godzke]

14 wins, 8 losses, 5th on the ladder, lose a semi final to collingwood, west coast, hawthorn or carlton.

Rohan Connolly had Freo finishing on 14 wins .... and by his calculations, that was 9th.

 

[4evablues]

I reckon the bombers will be in the mix for sure! They are really playing some good footy but it is a long season!

Go back a couple of week...Blues were favs to take it out...look at them now!

 

[The King!]

I just want to see some consistency around the traps.

Hypothetically if Essendon drop 2-3 games in the next 5 or 6 I hope the people lauding them now stay on. Teams lose games.

 

[Jesse Custer]

I just want to see some consistency around the traps.

Hypothetically if Essendon drop 2-3 games in the next 5 or 6 I hope the people lauding them now stay on. Teams lose games.

It's never gonna happen. Also in regards to Essendon we haven't really proven anything yet so the fall on here will be even more dramatic....

 

[Jade]

All those should have a question mark except Winderlich. Winderlich is your fastest player, and you don't just drop him. If he is 100% he is still ahead of at least a few players who played on the weekend.

Such as?

The only player that played on the weekend that would likely NOT have played if Winderlich was ready for selection would probably be Colyer. And Colyer was amongst the best performed players of the preseason; had he not got injured himself he'd likely be a best 22 lock himself.

Make no mistake, on current form (and things will obviously change between now and when Winders is fit), Winderlich will start through the VFL and will have to display form for selection.

Hurley obviously is there but the question would be up forward or centre half-back.

No question at all - he's a forward.

Hibberd has a question mark.

Completely wrong. Hibberd is best 22, and will be named as soon as fit.

My point obviously stands. The injuries have forced your match committee to make changes which in turn have turned to be a positive. I don't think you would have improved as much if those injured players were still in the team.

No one knows that for fact. Perhaps with a fully fit squad the players that are currently playing well in the seniors (Lonergan, Dyson, Davey etc) might have forced their way into the side.

MY POINT stands. Essendon's current depth of talent is the equal to any in the league.

 

[Lord Nicholson]

So if we end up beating the tigers in good fashion will people start to finally give us some recognition on BF?

Or will every week be a test for us? i suppose it is if you wanna be a good side.

If we can do something totally unprecedented for Essendon, that might do it. Like beating Melbourne. Or winning at Subiaco.

If we can win at Subiaco, then...

Look out, man!