2024 Mid Season Review Thread

Football Discussion Dustin Fletcher Hangar
41

Ok. So we’ve travelled 5 times already and are currently third on the ladder, with key injuries to:

Draper
Redman
Parish
Duursma
Hobbs
Reid

…which I reckon about 95% of Blitz had in their best 23 at the start of the year. So that’s a quarter of our best side out atm.

We also missed Ridley for the first 10 weeks, Setterfield similar, Baldwin & Reid have been non-factors, Wright copped his 4 week ban, with others like Guelfi, Perkins, Menzie, Caddy & yes even Shiel all missing footy as well.

Looking back at people’s pre-season predictions, and then factoring in that sort of player unavailability, the amount of travel we’ve had, the revenge performances against sides like GWS & Collingwood, the consistency of effort (bar one game), it’s clear that we’ve improved - whether people are capable of seeing that fresh after a loss to FC is another thing.

IMO this side (or something close enough to it) is a very solid team that is absolutely capable of winning in finals:

B: Ridley McKay McGrath
HB: Redman Reid Martin
C: Duursma Merrett Cox
HF: Perkins Langford Gresham
F: Guelfi Wright Stringer
R: Draper Durham Parish
I/C: Goldstein Caldwell Setterfield Heppell
Sub: Hobbs

Emg/depth from: Laverde Hind Jones Kelly Menzie Caddy Bryan Shiel Tsatas Baldwin A.Davey etc

IMO, the biggest thing holding us back (outside of a terrible VFL program) is once again our inability to keep our players on the park. Yes, I know that injuries are up competition-wide atm, but this has been an ongoing issue for us for years and years now.

We’re clearly still in need of some more top end talent, particularly forward of centre (hi @stengle), and our ball use going I50 continues to be an area that needs work, so no I’m not at all saying that we’re suddenly a top 4 quality side.

But opposition teams have to play really well in order to beat us, which hasn’t been the case for a long while.

We also still have a truckload of cash in our cap, along with all of our top end draft picks for this year, so we’ve still got the main assets we need to keep improving the list.

If we’re still missing a quarter of our best team - along with much of our depth - in the second half of the season, then yeah we’ll struggle to keep winning games against stronger opposition. So it could very well all still come crashing down, given the lack of faith I have in our medical team.

Keep more of our key players on the park, maintain the pressure & intensity that we’ve brought in the first half of the year, and tidy up our ball movement forward of centre. If we can tick those boxes, we may just win our first final in forever.

Ultimately, like most other clubs, our fortunes will come down to the health of the list - the comp is wildly even atm, it’s not so much who you play, it’s when you play them.

14 Likes
42

Sydney have no injuries. Their time will come. Thats why they are winning every week.

1 Like
43

June / July / August have been lean months for us for two decades. Need to judge the team on how we go in the second half of the year because that’s when the big boys start rolling.

7 Likes
44

It’s happening again. What a surprise.

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45

Scott is getting the most out of these guys, ill give him that. The effort is good. Its just the lack of quality and class that will eventually see us slide down the ladder and lose to the better teams.

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46

Our list is still average and lacks so much quality.

We need an A-grade inside mid
Star KF
2 gun SF’s
Damaging HBF with elite foot skills

And the fitness / medical team can all fire themselves into the ■■■■■■■ sun for not being able to keep our most important players on the park.

Thats what will undo us in the 2nd half of the season.

47

Who’s back immediately after the break?
Draper, Dursmma, presumably Redman. Who else. Those 3 will make a difference straight away.

1 Like
48

What is happening?

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49

I’m happy we are, for the most part, competitive. I don’t question intent.

We lack quality - decision-making, skills and class.

Probably most enjoyable start to a season in a long time. We aren’t reliant on single player performance.

8 Likes
50

Our premature decent down the ladder.

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51

I agree that we don’t have A grade stars at the moment, other than Zac. I don’t think we have seen the best of Durham and Perkins. Caddy looks promising couldn’t say if he is going to be bang average or a star. I would bring in Saad, already shown to me he can move and kick it extremely well. I’d also bring in Baldwin, he is very strong in the contest and kicks very well. I feel the team has improvement in the second half. If Parish can get going he was also showing great signs. I am glass half full now that we are consistently putting in effort.

1 Like
52

Fark me each to their own I suppose. If we were getting smashed I’d be concerned. Considering the outs and adjustment to our game style which has improved markedly from round 1. I just see upside. We look like a proper football team now that has a harder underbelly. Anyway you lose to Fark Carlton and the world ends I get it, they were melting last year. Anyway maybe I’m a happy clapper and don’t realise it.

2 Likes
53

Yes I do want a midfielder being offensive, look what happened when they finally put Martin on ball. He has got himself fit and played Vfl and such for the last month.

The coaches play Menzie over Davey, Goldstien over Bryan, Jones over Caddy, Kelly on the wing, Martin not in the midfield I don’t trust anything these coaches think.

54

An away elimination final is looking likely. So is losing said final. But we won’t get blown away.

That’s progress.

55

I think we have exceed expectations so far.

maybe draw easier than it was thought to be.

We are more trust worthy and stay in games longer.

Our brand of footy has generally stood up.

Losing Parish and Draper turned the centre square dominance into being out classed by the bottom clubs.

And losing Duursma hindered our ability to get back and defend and run out games.

Durham has been a find in the midfield.
Martin mixed responses from fans but some have him as AA HBF so cant be going too bad.

Caldwell has veen good in the middle but tiring. Ball use has been very good.
Merrett had lots of good games and hitting the score board.

Langford generally been good but quiet last few weeks, needs the break.

As much as people complain about Davey we seem to play better with him in the side providing pressure.

injury list has been annoying but not the worst.

Positive is we could have a few important players filtering back into the side.

Ridley has been good since return.

Draper, Parish, Redman, Duursma

will be all handy returns.

Hobbs will be handy depth too.

Dodoro or RFK done well in picking up Saad and hope he gets a chance soon.

Jayden and Tex wanganeen are actually getting some match fitness in the VFL and hopefully get a game at the back end of the year.

6 Likes
56

I’m with you on this one Crazy_Bomber. I know it’s entitled and somewhat unrealistic, but I’m tired of waiting for success.

The idea that we’ll need to wait years until we’re in a position to contend is a tough ask, particularly given the two decades of garbage we’ve been forced to endure. You just wonder, when will the penny drop at Essendon. When is it going to be our time.

4 Likes
57

If we end up with pick 6 again, that could be the straw that breaks the camels red and black back.

2 Likes
58

I’ve flipped my opinion of him after listening to Paul Cousins on the lunchtime catch-up podcast. He really does go up the ground a lot to provide that option out of D50. Runs hard and his efforts have been at the higher end relative to peers.

I’m changing my expectations of him now I can see his role more clearly and hard to say he’s not playing that role well.

3 Likes
59

If the lions season is done in the last round, and there’s a very good chance of that, then that should be plenty winnable

1 Like
60

We’ll beat Sydney at Docklands.

1 Like