Based on the current status, your assessment is in line with my own. Given the backline weakness, whether it be for lack of experience playing together, or a slight lack of talent and or or strength in endeavour ala Stewart, Francis and Zerk-Thatcher, I would love to have your assessment on potential replacements currently on the list eg Brand and McBride. What are the chances of their making a realistic difference? Do we need to recruit for a large, tough CHB or is the development of the above listed players sufficient to give hope for 2022? I sense that time has passed on Gleeson and Ambrose and that they don’t offer any advancement for us. I agree that Reid could be an exciting addition but still needs to develop his body to be a major player. What about Eyre, is that a possibility, or is it vital to recruit from outside to fix this glaring inadequacy to become a serious finals contender?

The experiment with Cahill down back didn’t work and has played well in the VFL after returning to the mid-forward role. He needs a chance in the AFL. With the current smalls being injured he should get another opportunity to show why he’s on the list – or maybe why he shouldn’t be.

Stewart is 50/50 at the moment. We need a tall to go with opposition talls but he’s not quite there yet. He needs the 2nd half of the season to make or break it in the backline.

Guelfi seems all at sea down back. Maybe some midfield time could bring him out. It’s worked for Parish so why not try Guelfi. He’s walking the fine line at the moment and it would be good to find out where he’s headed before the season ends.

Agree with your McGrath comments. Taranto is more flashy, and McCluggage is doing brilliantly, and the three will be stars for many years to come. McGrath has been very consistent and is more and more an inside bull that the Bombers need and not just an outside run player.

This is not Essendon’s year to contend for the 8 due to 3 losses by less than a goal. How things would look different if they won those 3 games. They would have been in the 8, but alas, they are not good finishers. Possibly their youthful body size, or lack of experience, but they do have exciting talent that has surpassed the pre-season expectations. With Hurley and Hooker close to the end, something greatly feared 1-2 years ago, it seems to no longer be an issue. Excellent replacements are arriving and competing for their spots. With the injection of another 2-3 good players and that added weight and experience factor, expect Essendon to be real serious final 8 contenders in 2022.

Hey Chuckakhan, why did my comments disappear?

Enjoyed your analysis again and agree with the assessments. The fighting spirit to come back 3 times was amazing but too many turn over mistakes and some poor kicking is still a major problem. More game time and experience should lessen that problem plus a few players returning, like Shiel, Caldwell and Draper, could make the Bombers a bit more formidable at the end of the season. With that development, and possibly a healthy Baldwin, Mosquito, Cox, Brand, Eyre, and McBride along with a quality Free Agent and a top 5 pick could thrust Essendon into a seriously strong and competitive team for 2022. This year is about laying down the strategy, gaining experience, sorting out the bloopers, and Saturday’s game showed that it’s close, but still just out of reach for 2021.

Thanks Chuckakhan for another informative analysis of how the Bombers played.
I like the idea of Draper and Bryan in the same team swapping at FF but would that knock 2MP out of the 22? I don’t see a role for Ambrose in the team as other more attacking type defenders have passed him. Stewart only came in to cover the loss of Francis and should have a few weeks to build form and confidence in the VFL then come back and be a solid contributor. I think next year will see the Bombers rise up the ladder and maybe even get back into the Top 8.
Thanks mate!

Well expressed Justin. Bomber fans did feel disappointed in Joe’s abandoning them, but yes his OFF days, which were more than his ON days, were so frustrating. Missing from 15=30 meters consistently. Refusing to listen to kicking experts wanting to help straighten his goal kicking. Losing a “Daniher” hurt, but losing the frustration doesn’t, especially when we see the same pattern emerging in Brisbane. So sad, but in the long run Essendon’s gain.

Thanks Chuckakhan for the analysis but I feel there is one important aspect of the game that you, like most other commentators, have overlooked, i.e. that the devastating impact of Jake Stringer in the 1st Quarter broke the Saints resistance. His 3 goals plus 1 assist to Cox pushed aside the Saints and opened the pathway for everything else that followed. This is where the game was won.

Yes, it was awesome to see the young guys rise up, inspired by Stringer’s example, to make it the Don’s best win for a decade. Next the Swans. What mysteries will that game hold? Another Hawthorn? Port? or the Saints? Can’t wait to find out.

For once I agree with you Don. He should be free to play AFL until his WAFL suspension period arrives. If it’s 2 weeks he should only miss 2 games. Don, you should approach the AFL to get some consistency and clarity on this issue so that Freo players (and others) don’t suffer double jeopardy!

Fair assessment Stirling but I think the result could be a lot closer. The Pies will be determined. The Dogs could struggle with an overloaded frustrated midfield. You can’t give them all the minutes they want. English down forward? Great time to send McNaughton back to backline otherwise an overcrowded frustrated forward line competing with each other. Just a possible scenario, but if the Dogs are to really succeed there will have to be a growing selflessness and team-first mentality. The problem with that is that good players could end up out of the team because they didn’t show enough flair. I’ll be interested to see how the Doggies work through that as they are super loaded with talent. Prediction: Doggies by 7.

The new man on the mark rule eliminates two blights on the game.

1. The man on the mark over the years has increasingly moved 10 meters infield, instead of staying on the mark. It was used to cut down angles, prevent infield passing etc and conflicts with the original intention to be where the offence or mark took place. I’m glad that has been restored, although I think the player, so long as not moving sideways, or forward or back, should be allowed to jump vertically.

2. The 2nd blight has been the increasing harassment of the man on the mark as another player comes in to block said player or to provide a shepherd so that the kicker can get past him. It always has had a terrible look and I’m glad it’s gone.

All tis will add up to better ball movement and a more attractive brand of footy.

After the Community series games – a very small sample – plus the previous weeks “practice” games, it is not hard to assume that the Top 8 may stay unchanged. None of the bottom 10 really showed enough to push their way into the 8. Some teams did better than expected eg Hawthorn and Essendon and others did worse eg Melbourne and Gold Coast but not enough to create a huge shift.
A few weeks of the “real” games could change views significantly but I think we will find, unusually, that the Top 8 stays the same with a few positional adjustments.

I can’t see the Bombers anywhere near the finals. 16th seems a real possibility. Nevertheless with more game time with their younger players there will be a thinning of excess backs. Francis and Zerk-Thatcher must shape up or be shipped out as there is plenty of other young backs to step in. You had Stewart at FF but he’s training down back, as are a few other “forwards”. Add Heppell to that and it seems might crowded down there.

Maybe that’s their game 18 in the backline so the opposition can’t score!!! The best the Bombers can do in 2021 is position themselves for a good draft night at the end of the season!

Sure they have less media attention in Melbourne being in the west but that doesn’t make them a dark horse. With their home ground advantage they would seem to be a lock in for the finals but there’s some spark missing to see them as premiers. Maybe it’s their system. Maybe it’s injuries or even the age of some key players, but I still see them a rung below Richmond, Brisbane, Port and Geelong.

Fair assessment Ari. It’s difficult seeing this group pushing for the cup beyond this year. Even so, there is still a question whether this group can survive a full season as the aging process continues and the older players find the strain of a full season too much. I would give them a 50/50 chance this year with question marks over their season’s stamina but for next year the inevitable tumble down the ladder is about 90/10 with a rebuild to follow.

Thom, Collingwood? Surely you’re joking. They’ll be lucky to make the 8. Brisbane are a much better alternative!

Excellent insights Thom.

Perhaps which twin is assessed as best will be influenced by which team delivers best into the forward line. Will be interesting to watch and reassess over the next 3-5 years.

Losing Merrett and gaining 2 extra first round draft picks would benefit the Bombers 3-5 year plan to make it to the top and then stay there for another 5-10 years. If he wants to go, get the deal done. If he wants to stay, that’s ok too for the Bombers, but in the end you want committed heart and soul players who will go the extra mile.

An extremely tough over the top penalty. 50m would be enough but not a suspension. Not even 1 week. 3 weeks? Ludicrous!!!!

Melbourne has too many teams and Tassie has none. I don’t like the idea of a 19th team and even 18 is too many. For it’s long term security, the Kangaroos need to relocate permanently to Tassie and become “The Devil Kangaroos”. Tassie too small to host 2 teams, but give them one, and reduce Victoria by one will make for a healthier national competition.

Collingwood supporters are so sensitive to the exposure of weaknesses and failures, but then again so am I when it comes to my club. I hate the negatives and love the positives, but then again we do need some reality. Collingwood, like other “top tier” clubs that have lost recent bragging rights suffer the same embarrassing commentary. Richmond and Hawthorn don’t get the same commentary as they can point to the scoreboard and the rest of us hang our heads in shame because we can’t do it.

Les maybe overly negative, but perhaps he is just a hurting supporter like so many others. The article had some interesting points and does show that Collingwood had a list management and coaching problem. Graham Wright may help but he’s not a magician. Or, if he is, how long will it take to find out.

At this stage of the off-season I prefer to focus on the positives and the possibilities of new champions emerging rather than the failures of the past. Those should have been dealt with at the immediate end of the season and for some that is the case. Maybe this is true of Collingwood. It won’t take too much longer for us to find out.

Bring it on!

As a keeper-opening bat myself, I found keeping for a full innings and then coming in to bat was fantastic. My eye was in, I could read the pace better and generally performed very well. Nevertheless, my preference would be to use Wade as the opener as he is a more like-for-like replacement for Warner, and if Pucovsky is not fully recovered, Wade could partner Warner until he is fit and ready. Burns? Please, never again!

Thanks Josh, I appreciate your honest assessment of the difficulties in selecting this years draft. With the NAB not playing there could be some real unknown jewels that will shock us all, yet maybe some smart recruiter has spotted them and all of a sudden a shock early selection creates a boom or bust scenario. The Bombers interviewing Rioli – a ploy or intrigue? Could they jump the gun and select him with pick 8? Could the Tigers even match that bid or just let a Rioli go?
Well, only a few hours to go and many of the mysteries solved, but maybe the best is yet to come with many jewels being compressed into the Draft in 2021 and a new bumper crop forming?

None of your reasons are sufficient to stop Adelaide picking Ugle-Hagan. Sure the Bulldogs will match and lose 3 picks to secure him. In the long run that helps Adelaide get access lower down the list to a higher pick that they otherwise would have had. That seems a better way to go than letting Ugle-Hagan just slip through.