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As September nears, can Essendon sneak into the eight?

The Bombers need a win when they host the Hawks. (Photo: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
Roar Rookie
30th July, 2018
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As the race to September gets tighter as each round passes, players are pushing the barriers in training, coaches are tactically working over the whiteboards and fans are anxiously over-working the ladder predictor.

There will undoubtedly be heartbreak and ecstasy for some teams at the end of Round 23, but who will make the cut?

Will the ever-consistent Swans miss for the second time in 15 years? Can the Dees break their finals drought? Is North Melbourne going to make it after being considered as wooden spooners at the start? All these questions will be answered in what is set to be the biggest month of footy in the home-and-away season for a long time.

The Bombers are definitely still in the hunt for finals this season as they look to creep into the top eight and do some damage in September.

A top-four finish was beckoning this season, a potential deep run in the finals had the Bombers supporters excited about renewing their memberships at the start of the year. However, Essendon supporters were furious with what they were being served up after being so patient over the years of pain due to the drugs saga.

What’s the game plan? Why are we moving the ball backwards and not forward? Where’s the passion and emotion from the coach?

John Worsfold

Bombers head coach John Worsfold. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/AFL Media/Getty Images)

Surprisingly, the Bombers were shocked by the Dogs in Round 3 at Etihad Stadium this year, with a horror Anzac Day performance against Collingwood highlighting their inconsistencies.

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Things got worse with poor losses to Melbourne, Hawthorn and then to the bottom of the ladder Carlton. Calls were made for Joe Daniher and Jake Stringer to be dropped for poor form, veteran Brendon Goddard was slammed for his on-field leadership and coach, John Worsfold was under the pump.

As the murmurs grew louder and louder, ‘Woosha’ as they call him, stood firm in the face of a media storm, giving the press nothing at all, constantly blunting their questions and showing the vigour that supporters wanted to see. That combined with the stunning mid-season sacking of game performance coach Mark Neeld at the end of Round 8 had Essendon set to finish well in the bottom half of the ladder.

Astonishingly, Essendon are now clearly the form team of the competition at the moment after posting a scintillating 8-2 record in the past ten rounds. The Bombers have not looked back ever since Round 8, stunning a plethora of high quality teams including Geelong, GWS, West Coast, North Melbourne as well as Sydney.

This purple patch has not only put rival teams on notice, but has excited their passionate fans as they finally have been able to witness what they expected their team to produce this season.

Can they still make it into the eight? Mathematically definitely, realistically they are a chance!

Run Home (Currently 10-8)
Round 20: V Hawthorn (MCG)
Round 21: V St Kilda (ES)
Round 22: V Richmond (MCG)
Round 23: V Port Adelaide (AO)

How do they do it? Clearly, they need to continue winning games and simply must win at least three of the next four matches. Winning all four will guarantee a spot in the eight but that will be a mighty challenge.

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Realistically, they can beat Hawthorn, St Kilda and Port Adelaide, but Richmond at the MCG is another kettle of fish. They also need to rapidly improve their percentage and have a chance in doing so against the Saints in Round 21.

A costly loss to Carlton may be one they rue over the off-season but if they make the eight watch out for them as they have proven they can match it with quality teams. A narrow miss however, should motivate the Dons to come back stronger than ever next season as they will be looking to avoid another inconsistent start to the year.

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