Where has it all gone wrong for the Dons?
Roar Rookie By nsfwafl18531, 21 Aug 2012 nsfwafl18531 is a Roar Rookie
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- AFL, Essendon Bombers, james hird
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It pains me to say this, but from my perspective this has been our worst year since 2006. After starting the year with a great chance to make top four and even challenge for the premiership, my beloved Bombers have stumbled.
They then tumbled, and basically nosedived its aircraft into the ground. To go from 11-4 to 11-9 rankles with me as it does every other Essendon person.
So where did it all go wrong? Losing key players across the year hasn’t helped but that’s no excuse. Clubs have dealt with those issues all year. Look at Carlton.
They had a VFL team running out there for a good three week period yet still kept winning. Why can’t our club do the same? Does our team rely on all our best players to be out there to function?
Has the loss of key personnel like Zaharakis, Hurley and Ryder thrown our structures out?
Losing to Melbourne didn’t help. At that stage of the year we were sitting second and looking good for another two wins before the bye.
Our team that night mentally switched off to me, and now they have struggled to get back that momentum again.
A week later against Sydney we looked lethargic and disinterested early on. When we had our chances we blew them. But the last quarter masked a problem that has become a feature of the second half of our year: confidence in the game plan.
In that last quarter when the chips were down, we took risks. Sometimes they work other times they don’t.
If you have all 22 blokes out there doing their bit for the team and you believe in yourselves, nothing will stop you.
The team has to stop thinking of the players that are missing and start worrying about how they can contribute to the team. Collingwood have become the masters of having a consistent effort over the past several years now.
Essendon fluctuates too much. Our players build themselves up for a huge game and win one week, and then lose to a basket case the next.
What we need is to try and give players specific roles and get them to stick to them. If not, they can walk out of our great club.
We don’t need people who pull on the Essendon jumper and don’t try their hardest each week.
We don’t need players who stage for free kicks either. The amount of times I’ve seen Monfries, Jetta and Davey stage this year has been disgraceful.
None of them deserve to stay on our list for next year just for that. Play in the right spirit boys, or you will be replaced and we will give someone else a go.
It’s time the Essendon Football Club stood for something again. Get rid of the players who won’t carry us forward next year, and find a few from other clubs who have some ticker.
Because right now we lack heart and fight in our list. We all love our club but now is the time for action. No mucking around.
Decision making time is upon us. Injuries or not, I’m hurting.
Fix up a few things and we can be a powerhouse. Do nothing and we might never see the Bombers fly up up.
The Crowd Says (5) | Page 1 of Comments
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August 21st 2012 @ 9:33am
Todd McKenna said | August 21st 2012 @ 9:33am | Report comment
I couldnt agree more. I live and breath the efc and to watch that on Saturday I was horrified. I’ve never been so disappointed with an essendon side in my life. I thought a fair effort over the past two weeks had given us some hope and considering the stakes I expected a little more than fifteen minutes of spirit. They played with no heart no fight no passion no care no nothing it was painful to see. We all need to see more than that from our bombers
August 21st 2012 @ 9:49am
Nathan of Perth said | August 21st 2012 @ 9:49am | Report comment
The fall has been absolutely staggering. I’m sure everyone is most interested in the results of their review.
Makes things difficult to predict – were Carlton that good or were Essendon that bad?
August 21st 2012 @ 11:18am
Macca said | August 21st 2012 @ 11:18am | Report comment
Natahn – “Makes things difficult to predict – were Carlton that good or were Essendon that bad?” Both. You have to remember that that was the first time since round 3 that the blues had Judd, Murphy, Carrazzo & Simpson in the same team.
August 21st 2012 @ 10:32am
Camshaft said | August 21st 2012 @ 10:32am | Report comment
They were looking good in the first half of the season, so you can look at that as a positive for the next couple of seasons. Can’t see them winning big finals with Monfries, Davey and Jetta in the team. They can’t really rotate through the midfield with any great success and they don’t get enough of the ball up forward. I’d off load the other two before Jetta though.
Obviously they need midfielders from somewhere. Boak and Caddy might be on the market. Neither are quick though. Caddy is clean and strong, with Boak being an inside player without elite finishing skills, so I’m not convinced that they are the right players for Essendon. To get a gun midfielder, they might have to put Ryder up for trade. He has been a disappointing player imo. One good game, followed by 3 or 4 ordinary ones. The problem is that they might need him as backup to Bellchambers.
If Joe Daniher can make an impact in his first season, then that could make a massive difference. It could release Hurley to the backline if need be.
August 21st 2012 @ 11:23am
Macca said | August 21st 2012 @ 11:23am | Report comment
Essendon should of learnt years ago, Jetta, Davey, Dempsey & Lovett-Murray just aren’t consistent footballers. If you compare them with Eddie Betts the contrast is staggering, even when Bett’s isn’t scoring golas he is tackling and creating pressure – Essendon should ask themselves if Davey or Jetta would of tapped the ball to Walker like Bett’s did in the second quarter or would they have gone for persoanl glory?
The bombers ohter issue is who has emerged and made an impact this year, while the injuries to the blues list has seen them uncover Casboult, Bell, McInnes & the re-emgergence of McLean the Bombers haven’t “found” anyone, just hte same players who have let them down for the past couple of years. When your best defender is 37 you have trouble.