While I agree, I don’t think it’s something to take off the table completely. You got to give something to get something and if the midfield is still lacking cohesion in a couple of years time, he might be the key to a trade, that gets someone in that complements us better.
If this happened, it would be hard to swallow as a supporter, watching him potentially go on to become a star at another club with a midfield mix that complements him better, but that’s all part of it.
Ah yep.
Because you simulate an in season match.
And you simulated ■■■■
And played ■■■■ in our last 2 games last year
So yeah, you are right Zac, we match ■■■■ and we match sim ■■■■
Lemme guess, and you’re an alpha Chad?
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One of our weaknesses is having too much of the same and being unwilling to trade out those players for extra currency. I mentioned previously, shiel should have been traded after his first good patch ever at the end of 2022, now he is stuck on the list, no spot in the team and no currency. We play it too safe.
Hobbs has star potential in my opinion, you keep him as he has good movement in traffic, Caldwell is an ok player but i don’t think he has much more upside than we’ve already seen. He’d be handy if he was 5cm taller, but i don’t see what he adds to our midfield and he is in fact an inside mid, if he isn’t playing there we should ship him out for a second rounder.
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Yep. We’d have better list balance right now if we’d have traded either of those guys for a second rounder to a team and then on-traded that to Melbourne for Toby Bedford when he was looking for a new home.
curious how setting expectations would work for this club.
cos anythings possible and ceiling and floor dont matter haven’t worked.
Was only match sim though
Much bigger squad of players, many on restricted minutes. Some only played a half
In some of other match sims teams chose to alter scores to have scenarios of chasing win / defending lead
There would have been no emphasis on winning, but rather having some time up against opposition and getting some match fitness up. Try some things out, some worked some didn’t.
Our intensity and execution clearly wasn’t as it needed to be comparatively to Saints
Versus Cats will be a smaller squad and an actual practice match in readiness for rd1, here’s hoping we do put on a much better showing. At the end of they day though there still isn’t 4pts on the line, so players aren’t going to be pushing themselves to the max though
What about Saints they didn’t take it as match sim.
Sorry but that’s just excuses for a poor performance.
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Broken record but Dunkley would have fixed that problem
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Here is another thing that’s been an issue at Essendon for too long though. They rely on personnel over system. It’s why our seasons often fall apart when a few players go down or if stringer doesn’t have a great season etc. Collingwood had a heap of injuries last year even pre and during the gf, had some absolute spuds in the team, but still won coz their system was solid.
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Zach Merrett is talking SH-T
Unless ofcourse we beat Geelong on the weekend
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Some of you ■■■■■ are hilarious.
Bloke puts his head over the ball every week for a decade and you’re taking one sentence that you probably didn’t even hear in context as a basis for his character as a leader.
Finish your sentences and ■■■■ off.
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Don’t get me wrong, I love Zach and he is the only person worthy of captaining Essendon…but he needs to just keep his mouth shut on this one.
For years we’ve craved consistency of effort. Last week was putrid…no excuses are valid for performances like that. We want to see an Essendon that gives the same effort each and every week, no matter the opposition or match.
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Maybe this is Zacs way of putting heat on his team mates to perform? Zac has put his head on the chopping bloke his team mates better not let down the captain.
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They’re dumb comments, but it leaves him and the team no wriggle room. I like that. If it’s not a good showing, he deserves to cop heat.
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And Zac would take it on the chin too I reckon.
Heppel would be like “she’ll be right” 
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We seriously have some of the most idiotic supporters in the AFL.
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You’re not that bad mate