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Essendon and Richmond made brave runs in the 2014 AFL season, and they did well to make the finals.
The Tigers had nine elimination-final dress rehearsals in a row before the real one against Port, while Essendon again had to deal with issues surrounding the controversial supplements scandal, which has lasted more than 18 months.
The fact that the Bombers, despite not playing all that well, managed to make it to September indicates how tough mentally they were during the season. The Tigers blew it in the first half of the year, but showed their best in a barnstorming run home in the second half to make the finals.
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However, at this stage it doesn’t seem good enough to win a knockout game, and they have to go back to first semifinal day in 2001 when they last won a finals match.
Looking at the first quarter blitz by Port Adelaide on the weekend, it appeared they had expended all their energy just getting to the final eight. Port produced a clinic performance and the end couldn’t come soon enough for the Tigers. A lack of speed in the midfield was a real concern as the Power’s pace cut them up.
Trent Cotchin was criticised for winning the toss and kicking against the breeze, but it’s debatable whether it would have made a difference if he had have kicked with the wind. A very switched on Port slammed on six goals against it.
Alex Rance has had a season where he might be All Australian for what he’s done defensively, but under pressure his and Stephen Morris’ skills let them down and there was plenty of pressure applied early by Port.
They were not the only ones whose skill level was poor, and that has been a criticism of the Tigers over the years. It’s an area that needs to be addressed in the off season. They need another key forward, if Jack Reiwoldt is closed down, as Ben Griffiths continues to develop and Ty Vickery endeavours to work on his consistency.
It was a mighty effort to make the finals by the Tigers, but the season starts in late March not June and they were eventually going to run out of petrol.
As far as Essendon is concerned they just lacked concentration. There were many matches this season, including Saturday’s elimination final, where they played well in patches and dominated only to be overhauled after establishing healthy leads.
Their forward line has been a concern all season, as it hasn’t fired consistently. They may need another ruckman if Patrick Ryder leaves, although the Bombers have been very strong with their views that he’s going nowhere.
Joe Daniher will be a big part of that forward line in the future and the Dons would love to have another year like they got from veteran Paul Chapman, but they need to be aggressive in the trade period and more cooperative.
They have to realise you need to give up something to get something. They have always had a reputation of being very difficult to deal with when it comes to the trade situation. There is also the substance scandal yet to be resolved and whether players may be penalised, especially during the preseason, which surely will disrupt their preparations for 2015.
As usual they have plenty to deal with but did a good job to hold their nerve and play in September, but when you are 33 points up early in the second half, you would want to be able to win from there.
With James Hird coming back as senior coach, what happens to Mark Thompson, who did a great job to return them to the finals? There are no senior jobs available at the moment if he doesn’t return to his previous role with the Bombers.
It would be a pity if he isn’t involved somewhere, because the game is better when Bomber has a prominent role.
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