After that horrible first half against West Coast on the weekend, there was a feeling that Essendon, after losing their previous two games, were again being weighed down by their messy off-field issues.
President Paul Little had been in court all week along with soon to be returned coach James Hird testing the legality of ASADA’s joint investigation with the AFL into the Bombers’ controversial supplements program.
Last year, even though the club was banned from the finals anyway, they fell away on the field in the last third of the season as the scandal started to have an effect on the players.
The first half against the Eagles was the sign of a tired and distracted team who gifted their opposition golden opportunities with dreadful turnovers and decision making.
At one stage they were down 34 points and you thought this could be a 10-goal or more smashing, but the Dons’ players showed enormous character to drag themselves off the canvas and scramble over the line to almost bank the finals spot that had been taken away from them in 2013.
The three-point win was a reward for persistence and for the brilliance of Dyson Heppell. He is only 21 and this phrase is used too loosely to describe sportspeople, but he is fast becoming a great.
He had 28 disposals in the second half, which would be an excellent stat in an entire match, and he willed himself into the contest after being closely tagged early.
It helped that inspirational skipper Jobe Watson returned and had 30 touches and that Jason Winderlich, after he missed the goal when playing on from a mark 10 metres out, made amends with three goals, which were significant in the comeback.
It also helped that the second tier players such as David Myers stepped up and youngsters like Zach Merrett and Ariel Steinberg played their part.
With what they have had to go through since 2012, these Essendon players have been nothing short of marvellous with their resilience to keep producing superhuman efforts when all has looked lost.
On form, they are a long way from a premiership threat and they still have to contend with the court’s decision, which is due when the finals are about to start. But they are getting pretty experienced at having to deal with all of these outside influences.
It’s hard enough coping with the heat playing in the AFL, and last year if the Dons were confronted in the third term with that 34-point deficit, it probably would have been a one-sided result. But these players are made of sterner stuff now.
They are not safe in the eight yet, but with Collingwood losing easily, their cause was helped. They have Gold Coast and Carlton to come and if they can’t beat one or both of them they don’t deserve to be there.
They have a good record in the close ones as well, but I am sure coach Mark Thompson would want four good quarters, which haven’t been forthcoming. However, stirring come-from-behind wins are often the best ones. There’s certainly never a dull moment, both on and off the field, when following Essendon. You could probably say the same for Richmond, who keep finding a way as well.
It would be good for footy if both sashes are in the finals as passion would be rife and they both would have made it the hard way.
David Rudland
Guest
Professional footballers should look the part. I am dismayed that players are allowed to maintain what is obviously uncontrollable hair floppin in front of their eyes and always needing to be brushed aside. Either cut it or pony-tail it guys. That should be the directive IF they are otherwise having to continually brush it from their eyes. Especially Joe Daniher!
GazzaW
Guest
Fighting on the field i can respect that. Fighting off the field is nothing more than a grubby attempt by a club to prevent as much harm to itself as it can for actions the were entirely their own making. They should be answering the SC notices and beating them by proving themselves as innocent as they claim they are.
Don Freo
Guest
Where did he mention West Coast? He named them as the opposition...never in the de-brief of the game. Is that a mention in your eyes? I'd still go with the 'strange unit' assessment. Dan is the ABC's version of Tony Shaw. andyl12...you're not Dan, are you? Hmmm?
Sharon Kirk
Guest
Why did jobe Watson come out and say on the couch about the substance abuse that was injected to the players and not knowing what they were injected with Hird is the one that should be held accountable for this as he knew what was going on I'm sorry the players are getting pulled into this as they are young men they should of asked what it was they signed the contract about it it's danks that should put on the stand and question seems to me he the one that's just as guilty these kids don't no what there future holds for them in yrs to come Hird should be shown the door never to coach again
Carcass
Guest
WADA should step in and disallow this farce. If need be Australian sporting teams should be banned from international competitions until appropriate punishment is dished out to the criminal parties.
Ash
Guest
This whole thing is an absolute farce. The injection of dodgy substances is just not right and shouldn't sit comfortably with anyone. But what is more of concern is the ineptitude of ASADA's investigation. I don't understand how nearly two years have elapsed and no progress has been made. My suggestion: ASADA drops the investigation and in return, Hird never sets foot near an AFL coaching gig again. As the coach, he surely at the end of the day is responsible for this mess. I know it's harsh, but it seems that this will be a timeless saga unless an extreme payoff like this is made. Love Hird the footballer, despise Hird the coach.
Casper
Guest
Good call Pete. I've heard conflicting stories on whether Asada would actually be able to do that. It would be strange if they could just reissue show clause notices.
Pete from Sydney
Guest
what they've said and what actually happens could well be two very different things...ASADA's form to date hasn't been that conclusive
andyl12
Guest
"It will be extremely interesting to see responses if the court rules in the favour of the EFC." ASADA have already said what their response would be- to reissue the Show Cause notices. What more are you expecting?
andyl12
Guest
Dan did actually mention West Coast in his article, but he focused on Essendon because the article was about Essendon. He's written plenty of articles about non-Victorain teams too, if you have a look you might find them :)
Mister Football
Roar Guru
It's interesting, isn't Jeff? McDevitt came out publicly a few weeks ago imploring the Essendon players to be "honest" and "cooperate", as if they had just lied through a series of interviews which they all went through with. In stark contrast, ASADA had to stop its interviews with Cronulla when on the very first interview, the ASADA officials were essentionall told to F@#k off. Now let me say straight out, I'd be very happy for either set of players to get off in the absence of hard evidence, but one has to question what the benefit has been for the Essendon players in cooperating, especially in light of what we have learned about a poor process from the very start, with policitical interference and bureaucratic incompetence.
Jakarta Jeff
Guest
With all the exposures in the Federal Court, many EFC critics need to have a rethink. The ASADA chairwoman, the PM and many others have exposed the inquiry to have been an inquisition and not a very neutral one. It will be extremely interesting to see responses if the court rules in the favour of the EFC. Also extremely interesting with Cronulla Sharks, who rejected ASADA advances, now seemingly getting minimal punishments as low as 1 month. Great reward for non-cooperation!
Don Freo
Guest
A conspiracy? Where? You are a strange unit. Dan talks about a game of footy without mentioning the opposition. He is as myopic as you? Precious or what?
andyl12
Guest
Oh Dear Don, OH DEAR. What will your next conspiracy theory be? A theory that anyone who bases their argument on accurate statistics must be wrong?
Don Freo
Guest
What Dan means is that one of the sides comes from Victoria and, therefore, actually exists while the other team doesn't factor in at all. I'm not sure Dan knows WCE are a footy side.
David Rudland
Guest
Essendon at their best have kept the Hawks goalless in over 30 minutes of football and outplayed the Swans albeit for just a quarter or so, and their first quarters at the MCG against all opposition this year has been record-breaking. Hawthorn and Geelong scrapped home by the barest of margins and were within 10 points of the Swans well into the last quarter. Essendon at their worst have seen them capitulate against Melbourne (despite a record number of forward 50 entries over their opponents) and St.Kilda. Such is the paradox that is Essendon. Thompson expresses anguish over his team's inconsistency with good reason. Yes, they're missing strength in their forward structure and their delivery into the forward 50 is at times cringe worthy but they're developing heart, experience and another superstar in Heppell who alongside Watson raises the teams potency while also learning to overcome and otherwise deal with the obvious shortcomings. Once they can develop a higher level of consistency as well as reward for effort, their premiership window sudden seems larger-and much nearer!
ted
Guest
I don't get it. Apparently the first half "was the sign of a tired and distracted team who gifted their opposition golden opportunities with dreadful turnovers and decision making". So in the second half were they simply no longer tired and distracted? What if they had played brilliantly in the first half and crap in the second? Would you have then said they were tired and distracted in the second half? Sometimes we read too much into footy. Perhaps they were just playing crap in the first half.....it happens.
Pete from Sydney
Guest
Dan, great review, it was a thrilling win...the off field stuff fuels the papers and TV and will continue to do so, but the fans want to forget about that and love the resolve shown after a couple of weeks of poor results and a flat looking team...Playing in the finals would be a huge win for the players and the club. it's been a tough couple of years.
Jason K
Guest
Dare I say the Essendon/Eagles game was more thrilling than the Freo/Hawks game, even with the Eagles not scoring a goal in the last quarter?