Opinion Winning - It's a weird feeling.

[Call Me Cake]

I have to be honest, it's very surprising seeing the form Essendon is in at the moment.

I guess as an Essendon supporter, I've gotten so used to watching my team being s**t all the time, or winning the odd quality game and dropping games against sides we should really be beating.

When you look back, I think most of us Bomber supporters have really taken our wins for granted and haven't really realized the major change in consistency that has finally come about for our great club.

We're always expecting to build a list and keep developing, it's a thought built on instinct - because none of us would really fathom that Essendon could fast track some improvement, in any area. It's funny how you start the year like no other year in a long time and you quickly forget to appreciate it - you start wanting MORE and expecting MORE.

I guess every supporter of a rising team goes through this, but it's very new to me, and I would presume it's fresh to a lot of my fellow Essendon supporters as well. It's very difficult to come to terms with something you haven't experienced in almost over a decade, or at all.

I couldn't be happier with this form, it feels so good seeing the team you have faith in finally putting in the hard work. A proper showing in finals is something I think all of us Bomber fans want - I think we're sick to death of "just making it" in EVERY goddamn area of football. We want to earn something, for once. And I think the players finally feel the same way too. I'm a proud Essendon supporter right now, no matter what happens in the latter part of the finals.

And I think deep down, despite quickly becoming so accustomed to the expectation of winning, most of the fans are proud too... even if they forget to show it.

 

[mick7]

Being an Essendon supporter in Adelaide in 2006-07 was quite hard but 2010 for me takes the cake.

I am not too young to remember the glory years but the ones that have unfortunately stuck with me are games after 2005 which really aren't that great.

I got to see some awesome players retire (Lucas, Hirdy, Lloyd, Johnsons, Bolton, Longy etc) but always in the back of my mind never thinking we would go back to the era of 2000 or even 1993 (yes I do remember that year).

This year better than makes up for going to all those losses, sticking through thick and thin no matter what. Watching and hoping that players like Gumby, Myers, Pears, Ryder came good (still hoping on Gumby!) and seeing other players get to the top of the tier (Stants, Watson, Hurley, Crameri) it makes it so much more worthwhile.

People are jealous of Essendon supporters and rightfully so.

Our team is #1. It's just taken us a bit longer this time around to see it.

 

[Coldacre]

I've been following the Bombers since 1984, seen a lot of ups and downs. but in that time the last 12 years is the longest we've ever gone without premiership glory. getting Hird & Bomber back at the club has been instrumental in getting us back to a fiercely competitive unit that expects success.

there isn't much that separates a top for club and a club that struggles to make the 8 (take Richmond for example; we were lucky to get the win, but great clubs find a way). we can thank our lucky stars that Jimmy wanted to coach Essendon, as we would not be where we are without him.

 

[Lord Nicholson]

That I feel kinda bleh about the Dreamtime win means that the expectations have risen a whole heap.

That's good. I'm glad that the team has performed in such a way that we (or I, personally) can hold them to a higher level of performance on a consistent basis. I can feel confident tipping the Bombers now more often than not. The victories are not by chance or fluke but through actual hard work on part of the players, and it's beginning to take me back to the halcyon days.

It could all come crumbling down, but even that thought has been pushed to the back of my mind for the time being.

 

[Smokin]

I kinda expected this season next, thought 2013 was the time frame where the age and game bracket of our list would really come together, so its hasnt totally caught me off guard.

We have built a very good, balanced list. No glaring holes, and there is no doubt we are coached well, the players believe and the whole club is on one page.

I still think we little off totally coming together - look at the list, there is still upside galore from quality young talls in Hurley, TBell, Pears, Hooker, Carlisle!! heck even Ryder plus quality young mids still 20-30 games off in Zaka, Melk, Benny H and the level behind them.

2013-14 might be a special time to follow this great club of ours.

 

[Childish Gambino]

That I feel kinda bleh about the Dreamtime win means that the expectations have risen a whole heap.

That's good. I'm glad that the team has performed in such a way that we (or I, personally) can hold them to a higher level of performance on a consistent basis. I can feel confident tipping the Bombers now more often than not. The victories are not by chance or fluke but through actual hard work on part of the players, and it's beginning to take me back to the halcyon days.

It could all come crumbling down, but even that thought has been pushed to the back of my mind for the time being.

This is pretty much exactly how I feel.

Although I think the Dreamtime win was a little better than many are giving credit for.

 

[Walesy]

I always wonder when you should start believing that a team has "broken out". I mean, last year, we were great up until this point- as were West Coast.

However, as the season went on, we slipped, while they went on to break the top 4. That said, I'm sure injuries played a fair part in that- as did their older stars who had the ability to play high-end footy throughout the entire season.

Hopefully with another pre-season under our belts, we'll be able to sustain the high level we've been at, while avoiding becoming too decimated by the injury stick.

 

[Lord Nicholson]

I always wonder when you should start believing that a team has "broken out". I mean, last year, we were great up until this point- as were West Coast.

Personally, I'm waiting to see where we are in Rd 15 before any genuine lid removal on my part.

 

[Kong]

I kinda expected this season next, thought 2013 was the time frame where the age and game bracket of our list would really come together, so its hasnt totally caught me off guard.

We have built a very good, balanced list. No glaring holes, and there is no doubt we are coached well, the players believe and the whole club is on one page.

I still think we little off totally coming together - look at the list, there is still upside galore from quality young talls in Hurley, TBell, Pears, Hooker, Carlisle!! heck even Ryder plus quality young mids still 20-30 games off in Zaka, Melk, Benny H and the level behind them.

2013-14 might be a special time to follow this great club of ours.

These are pretty much my thoughts, too.

I'm on record as saying I thought that this year we'd be the equivalent of West Coast/Carlton of 2011.

I'm going to stick with that, because I think we're still a year away from really taking the competition by the balls, but it's an amazing feeling to be a supporter of the club right now.

 

[Synth]

Throughout the 90's and early 00's we didn't miss many finals.
Hopefully we are back to that.

But this long downtime has made me appreciate success a lot more.

 

[daffo]

It isn't a weird feeling although going into the Richmond game (with a tall coming in and a small going out) I was really worried about our (lack of) run. That came true in the second half.
I now expect us to win the next 3 games quite easily. (We always play well against Sydney at the dome).

 

[Walesy]

Personally, I'm waiting to see where we are in Rd 15 before any genuine lid removal on my part.

That seems pretty fair- Still, each week I'll keep wondering: "Are we there yet?!?"

 

[fishardansin]

To be honest I expected us to be 9-2 at the halfway mark, with loses to Collingwood and Carlton. I think that was a fair par. We should expect to be one better than that so well done to the whole club, if that comes to be. Also the health of the list is a pleasant surprise!!

We really can't judge where "we're at" until we go through a sustained period of tough games.

Last 7 rounds will be interesting!! We need to rest as many players as possible without risking any games between now and those games!!

 

[grugsticles]

The thing that gets me is the players that we have on the park have been at our club for a long time. Most of them are drafted by Essendon (Prismal is the exception off the top of my head) and have remained loyal to the club. Its not like the recent Collingwood or Hawthorn sides who recruit from other clubs using the 'come play for us because were awesome' guise.
That is probably the one thing I admire most about Essendon at the moment. In a way I hope that philosophy stays because to me theres nothing better than a bunch of 'useless muppets' or however else the so called experts described our list a couple of years ago.

But yeah, winning is a great feeling.

 

[Zephyr Effekt]

Although I think the Dreamtime win was a little better than many are giving credit for.

This. Just watched the replay, after Richmond hit the front, Essendon had 8 scores to 2, after hardly giving a yelp for the best part of 2 quarters.

I'm looking forward to the last 7 rounds, will show were Essendon are truly at.

I love the club, & I am so proud the in our darkest hour, we never took the easy way out.

 

[Vtorians]

This is pretty much exactly how I feel.

Although I think the Dreamtime win was a little better than many are giving credit for.

Yeah when you consider we had just played a month of frenetic high quality footy before the dreamtime game, a slight let down was on the cards. We never really looked "on" and were only running at 75% output in the 1st half & 50% in the 2nd half, so its only slightly disappointing if nothing else.
The tigers will be in for a rude awakening if they get us somewhere closer to our best next time.

 

[pepsi]

The big change this year and last, compared to 2007-2010, is how nervous I feel in the lead up to games and watching games. With winning comes expectation, which means I feel a lot more nervous.

But I am enjoying this year a hell of a lot so far and not taking any win for granted.

 

[fishardansin]

[/B]


Yeah when you consider we had just played a month of frenetic high quality footy before the dreamtime game, a slight let down was on the cards. We never really looked "on" and were only running at 75% output in the 1st half & 50% in the 2nd half, so its only slightly disappointing if nothing else.
The tigers will be in for a rude awakening if they get us somewhere closer to our best next time.

Really? I think we may be in for a rude awakening if they control the middle, like they did through the 2nd half, for a whole game. Not to mention the wasted chances up forward.

Don't be like a Carlton supporter. We played as well as our player's bodies would allow and Richmond would allow.

 

[The Dustbin]

The best feeling in the world is Essendon winning, and at the moment I am ****ing loving it.

Weird, maybe, luckily I am older enough to use and call upon my experience from 2000.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

It's not a "weird" feeling for me. For me, it just feels right. It feels like I've come home. It feels like the world has righted itself.

I was too young to really appreciate the back-to-back glory of the mid-eighties; but I was at the '93 GF, I was at the '99 prelim, I lived every moment of the 2000 triumph season (despite being wasted on bikkies for all of it and the surrounding years), when Essendon was a byword for success.

For me, being an Essendon supporter is an honour. Very few clubs over my lifetime, probably none in fact, have given such value for both the financial and emotional investment you could make. I've seen multiple Premierships, I've seen finals more often than not, I've seen superstars like Hird, Watson Snr, Thompson, Van de Haar, Madden, Fletcher, Mercuri, Wanganeen, the Johnson's, and now the next batch in Watson Jnr, Stanton and Hurley. I've experienced unbelievable coaches like Sheedy, and now Hird and Thompson, TRUE Essendon men who bleed red and black, the colours of pride, the sash, the armour we wear into battle.

For me, as an Essendon supporter, winning and success is my birthright, and it's one I pass on with pride to my new son, only 5 days old and already a member of this truly magnificent club.

Winning isn't weird. Winning is who we are. We ARE Essendon.

 

[Lord Nicholson]

It feels like I've come home.

A great way to describe it. Seeing Hird coming down onto the ground against WC amid a sea of red and black took me right back to being a kid and having that expectation, demand, and delivery week in, week out that you wanted from the club. That it is a nostalgic feeling is unfortunate, but it's welcome.

 

[Duckworth]

2000. It was damn Awesome!

You get used to winning and raise your expectations. After a while you'd leave a game feeling disappointed that you only beat a team by 50 points.

Enjoy it while it lasts.

 

[kennerado]

Only after the last couple of rounds I have started to get the feeling that success is coming back to us. I was too young to fully enjoy 1993 but in 2000 I attended every home game and final. It was so amazing and I am so glad I got to witness that season.

Hopefully our next flag is not too far away.

 

[Grey Smith Bar]

I'm 35 now, I got to the age of 24 never having had to wait more than 8 years for a flag.

That's what being an Essendon supporter is about.

 

[Zacka11]

I have to be honest, it's very surprising seeing the form Essendon is in at the moment.

I guess as an Essendon supporter, I've gotten so used to watching my team being s**t all the time, or winning the odd quality game and dropping games against sides we should really be beating.

When you look back, I think most of us Bomber supporters have really taken our wins for granted and haven't really realized the major change in consistency that has finally come about for our great club.

We're always expecting to build a list and keep developing, it's a thought built on instinct - because none of us would really fathom that Essendon could fast track some improvement, in any area. It's funny how you start the year like no other year in a long time and you quickly forget to appreciate it - you start wanting MORE and expecting MORE.

I guess every supporter of a rising team goes through this, but it's very new to me, and I would presume it's fresh to a lot of my fellow Essendon supporters as well. It's very difficult to come to terms with something you haven't experienced in almost over a decade, or at all.

I couldn't be happier with this form, it feels so good seeing the team you have faith in finally putting in the hard work. A proper showing in finals is something I think all of us Bomber fans want - I think we're sick to death of "just making it" in EVERY goddamn area of football. We want to earn something, for once. And I think the players finally feel the same way too. I'm a proud Essendon supporter right now, no matter what happens in the latter part of the finals.

And I think deep down, despite quickly becoming so accustomed to the expectation of winning, most of the fans are proud too... even if they forget to show it.

I've always been proud to bleed black and red!!!!!

32 years,.....
And now that Hird & Bomber are back, Pride once again turns to Expectation