Poorly prepared and unable to get things going at any point, Essendon’s third loss of the AFL season was their worst.
“No gags tonight,” Bombers coach Mark Thompson muttered shortly before his media conference started after a shock 16-point loss to St Kilda on Saturday.
Thompson’s deadpan dealings with the media this season have earned plenty of admirers, but at Etihad Stadium there was nothing but bitter disappointment for the two-time premiership coach.
“What the good sides do when they play sides they should beat, and everyone probably thought we should have beaten St Kilda – I certainly did, is they finish the job and just do it,” Thompson said.
“You just find a way to win … it just didn’t happen.
“For a couple of years now, sometimes we just don’t take it up to our opposition early. We certainly didn’t do it tonight, our start was just not acceptable.”
The Bombers still managed to take an 18-point lead into quarter-time, only to lose the momentum soon after and never regain it.
Some pundits would point to a six-day turnaround from a game in scorching Perth heat, the same agent that in part triggered the Saints’ woeful showing against Adelaide last weekend.
Thompson was more worried about his players’ application, rather than the fixture itself.
“As a club, we weren’t ready,” Thompson said.
“I’m not sure how much recovery sessions our boys have done (in the past week).
“I know that the good players I’ve had experience with over the years would have done twice as much.
“They would have got more massage and they would have eaten right and slept well, just done everything right.
“So they could find something to get the team over the line.”
Thompson’s charges face another six-day break before clashing with in-form Collingwood on Anzac Day, and he expects improvement.
“They’ll be in a state of mind and body to play,” he said.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.
For all the pomp and circumstance that surrounds the now-traditional Anzac Day clash at the MCG, there has been one thing conspicuously lacking over…
Old mate summing it up better than anyone possibly could!
