Yes that’s probably true. Concern being, like in other areas, we over correct the other way?
From the afl website - experience rather than age though:
Also a riser in terms of age, Essendon enters 2024 as the seventh most experienced list, having been 15th a year ago.
The Bombers welcomed the likes of Todd Goldstein, Ben McKay, Jade Gresham and Xavier Duursma to the club during the off-season.
I asked Chat AI what game plan Brad Scott should employ with the current Essendon list. This is what it came up with. Nothing too ingenious but a bit of fun.
To devise an effective game plan for the Essendon Football Club based on their current playing list, we need to consider their strengths and weaknesses, typical player roles, and the overall style of play that suits their roster. While I don’t have access to the most recent data or player evaluations, I can provide general strategies that can be adapted based on the players’ attributes. Here are some key components for a winning game plan:
1. High-Pressure Defensive Strategy
- Pressing: Implement a high press to force turnovers in the opposition’s defensive half. This can capitalize on opponents’ mistakes and create scoring opportunities.
- Defensive Structure: Ensure a solid defensive structure with quick transition from defense to offense. Utilize tall defenders to intercept long balls and create rebound opportunities.
2. Fast Ball Movement
- Quick Transitions: Encourage quick ball movement from defense to attack, taking advantage of the team’s pace. Use handball chains to move the ball faster and create space.
- Wings and Flanks: Utilize the width of the ground by spreading play and using the wings. This allows for isolating defenders and creating one-on-one opportunities.
3. Midfield Dominance
- Clearances: Focus on winning clearances and contested ball situations. Deploy your best midfielders in center bounces to gain first possession.
- Dynamic Midfield Roles: Use a mix of inside and outside midfielders to create balance. Players with good running capacity should be positioned to link between defense and attack.
4. Flexible Forward Structure
- Mobility in the Forward Line: Use a mobile forward line that can create mismatches against opposing defenders. Having versatile forwards who can play multiple roles (leading, crumbing, and tackling) can keep the defense guessing.
- Targeting Key Forwards: Identify and utilize key forwards as focal points in attack. Create plays that lead to one-on-one contests, allowing your best marksmen to score.
5. Defensive Accountability
- Matchups: Prioritize defensive matchups against key opposition players. Ensure that players are accountable and have clear roles to limit the impact of the opposition’s best players.
- Zone Defense: Implement a zone defense in the back half to protect against fast breaks and to cover space effectively, especially if the team is facing a high-scoring opponent.
6. Set Plays and Ruck Utilization
- Set Pieces: Develop set plays for boundary throw-ins and stoppages. This can create scoring opportunities from structured plays.
- Ruck Strategy: If the team has a strong ruckman, utilize them to gain clearances and tap the ball to advantageous positions for midfielders.
7. Fitness and Conditioning
- Endurance Training: Ensure players are fit enough to maintain a high work rate throughout the game. This is crucial for executing a high-pressure game style and quick transitions.
- Rotation Management: Manage player rotations effectively to maintain intensity and energy levels, allowing key players to impact crucial moments of the game.
8. Adapting to Opponents
- Game Plan Flexibility: Be prepared to adapt the game plan based on the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition. Analyze match footage to identify potential areas to exploit.
Conclusion
The best game plan for Essendon would leverage their unique player strengths while maintaining flexibility to adapt to different match situations. Regular video analysis and feedback will be essential for refining strategies throughout the season. By focusing on a high-pressure, fast-paced style of play and ensuring solid defensive structures, the team can enhance their chances of success on the field.
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The question was about age, that is the age profile.
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Ask it what those alleged strengths are supposed to be.
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When we decided to replace Truck, which I thought was the right decision, I was hopeful that we’d bring in a fantastic new coach with fresh ideas and who knew how the game was trending.
There were two things that I really didn’t want in our new coach. The first, is that his name would be Ross Lyon and the second, is that his name would be Brad Scott. Two long-term coaches who not only didn’t quite reach the pinnacle of coaching success (an AFL premiership), but two men who left their previous clubs in worse shape than when they started there.
Now don’t get me wrong, I want Scott to succeed. I want more than anything for him to be our next premiership coach. I want to look back on this post one day with egg all over my stupid face. But that’s wishful thinking.
When you consider recent history, our desire to land ourselves a tried, experienced coach made little sense. 14 of the last 16 premiership coaches hadn’t previously held the position of senior AFL coach. The other two (Mick Malthouse and Leigh Matthews) had coached previously and won premierships in their first senior coaching stints.
Since Scott’s departure from North, they’ve finished bottom 2 in 5 consecutive seasons. Does that tell you Brad was a genius who overachieved at a rubbish club, or does it indicate that he left North in an absolute shambles? I’m thinking the latter.
My list of grievances for Scott include the idiotic positioning of players, questionable selection decisions and two identical seasons where we’ve capitulated in the exact same way.
When Scott accepted the job as Essendon’s new coach, he promoted himself as being passionate about developing young footballers. What he’s delivered are players who have either regressed or stagnated, with a couple of notable exceptions such as Durham and Caldwell.
Scott also promised to build a world class football program, which is something we haven’t seen any real evidence of. What we have seen evidence of is that he has no idea how to get the most out of this playing group across a full season or how to shift the horrid culture of this footy club where the tail continues to wag the dog. For a start, maybe set some standards and stop rewarding the players that keep letting you down.
Revisit any of Scott’s annoyingly repetitive press conferences where he laments our skill errors and inability to convert inside 50s into scoreboard pressure. Any idiot can identify these issues, but identifying solutions is Brad’s job and so far, he hasn’t delivered.
We were introduced to the Essendon “Edge”, but instead of having a hard working and combative group of warriors representing the jumper, we saw a team that continued to play an uncontested brand of footy without the skill level to execute it properly.
One thing Scott never mentioned is the horror show that was our backline in 2024 or the fact that our $1.3m free agent can’t handball. He should seriously make McKay handball till his hands bleed in the offseason, or maybe tough love on glaring skill deficiencies only applies to Elijah Tsatas?
Unfortunately, we’re stuck with Scott for at least the 2025 season, and I fear the incompetent leadership of our club will be stubborn enough to see this misery continue on into 2026 as well. There’s very little to look forward to and “somewhat perversely”, I get the feeling Brad is excited about it.
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I must have missed the flag mick won at footescray.
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Nice pick up. But the main point was 14/16.
With our recruiting, I’m not confident that bottoming out would make one iota of difference.
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I’m sure Dodo would have found us more praying mantis type project players, and undersized mids with questionable footskills.
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Well, when you put it like that……
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The club is looking for stability which is clear as day. Scott will be here for another 2 or 3 years minimum, rain, hail or shine.
Spinning the coach wheel every 2 or so years over the last how ever many years has clearly done us well hasn’t it? How many different coaching candidates did we give a short look to try and fix a broken club? Isn’t that just a sugar hit that so many on here detest?
Half the posts in this thread advocate for another spin of the wheel with barely any suggestions of who actually could to the job (no, not ■■■■■■■ Hirdy). Just look at Richmond and Hardwick for what it takes length of tenure wise.
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For Geelong, four coaches ago is Malcolm Blight
For Sydney, four coaches ago is Ron Barassi.
For us, it’s James Hird.
Our problems run much deeper than the coach.
We will keep Scott for stability’s sake, rightly or wrongly.
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although this is better than anything blitz comes up with, you can see where our season went wrong - chatbot didn’t tell us not to kick or handball direct to the opposition.
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If Bomber T was coaching Essendon like he was Geelong in the early 2000s, he would have been sacked twice before he had the opportunity to win his couple of flags.
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I agree, and it would be likewise with Dimma
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Problem is, we’ve already seen what a Brad Scott 10 year tenure looks like. I don’t know who the best untried coach is, but I would’ve rathered we went down that path. Stability is great, unless we continue to sit in the middle of nowhere simultaneously missing out on finals and top end draft picks.
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Yze was the only other option who was seriously considered.
Does it matter tho? Essendon is a club of messiahs. How many actual premiership coaches have we had? We just need to keep sacking coaches until we get the next messiah
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According to the media. But I don’t think anyone else was seriously considered. Job was Scott’s as soon as he showed any interest. Maybe letting Robbie Walls hand pick our new coach wasn’t a great idea.
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