I made the most I could do the year, and I do love watching the kids get better… but sadly I find it difficult to enjoy football. I cannot get away from the belief that the entire comp is an orchestrated sham.
Hell, even yesterday I was supporting the swans because I thought that would put more pressure on the AFL, whereas normally I’d support the underdog. I’m just completely farked in the head.
I think I just clung to hope for the future. Every good play, every young guy who progressed right before our eyes I just kept thinking, well this could bode well for the future. I didn’t enjoy 2016 per se, I just wanted to believe it meant things are gonna be ok going ahead. I watched every minute of every game and not once lost my ■■■■.
Three words:
Zach ****** Merrett.
We this season have found a guy who, as a 20 year old in an undermanned team, pretty much each week put the team on his shoulders and had the most disposals of anyone to have ever put on an Essendon jumper in a season. 19 votes in a 3 win season.
Did I enjoy watching us get belted most weeks? No. Did I enjoy seeing a guy develop into someone who may become one of the best to have played at this club. ■■■■■■ oath I did.
I'm sorry, last post on this thread.And Fark you for asking.
You’re welcome.
I'm sorry, last post on this thread.Did I farking ENJOY this year!
Are you farking kidding me?
Did Tippa and Hartley and…farking…Dea…somehow make up for what happened to our club?
To Watson?
To Hird?
To Thompson?Did it make up for where Essendon now exist in public perception?
Did it make up for every condescending laugh when I answered who I support?
Did it make up for Crameri and Ryder and Carlisle?
Did it make up for that bullshit doctor’s lies in I don’t know where…friggin’ The Hague…probably.
Did it make up for Watson’s boos?
Fark no. Never. Not farking ever. I don’t know what will make up for all of that but it sure as hell wasn’t this year.
And Fark you for asking.
(OK, WADA announced their decision this year; but they decided that last year at the start of the new hearing. As far as WADA go, this year has mostly been about them being lambasted for banning an entire country in much the same way they did our 34, and for giving special exemptions to those with expensive doctors and lawyers. Beginning of the end; well, I can dream.)
I came into the year just hoping we would be competitive and win a few games. besides a few horror performances (Hawthorn, Collingwood, Port Adelaide) and the atrocious and frustrating umpiring, we got to see some exciting growth from the playing list.
Zerrett was already my favourite player after his first year as an half forward flanker with great delivery and a nose for goal. hes now turned into an elite midfield machine and was our most important player for the season. i cant wait to see him with the returning 10 around him.
Joey D had issues with converting in front of goal but this year showed hes an amazing CHF. His strength in the contest has grown and he takes godly marks. was the most exciting player to watch this year personally.
Orazio is going to be scary good next year. that 1st half he had against GWS shows just how freaking talented he is.
Tippa showed he absolutely fits in at AFL level and gets the crowd screaming. hell be such a dangerous swingman. gives us much needed pace and his kicking is insanely good.
Hartley is a ready made key defender and will improve dramatically over the next few years with more senior experience.
Parish is going to be an elite midfielder. also provided me with the years highlight with his goal in round 2. i dont think ive ever sreamed as hard as when he kicked that goal.
Gleeson had a dip in performance this year but after a stint in the VFL came back swinging and showed hes going to be an important half back flanker for us.
Franga needs to work on his fitness and getting his body right, he will and we got to see glimpses of what he can do. hes going to be scary good.
Ambrose saved his career by becoming a strong athletic defender
Jake Long has great skills and tries his absolute guts out
Matt Dea is a terrific find
James Kelly showed truckloads of leadership and composure in the backline
Aaron Heppell is going to play with his brother in the seniors next year
yes.
lol Norf!
I’ve traveled a lot this year do so found out about most results by checking online after the game was over…I remember the excitement I felt when I woke up one morning in Princeton and found out that we had beaten Melbourne.
A lot of other results made me glad I was overseas.
I’m expecting to enjoy 2017 a lot more.
No. This season was not enjoyable and the small victories did not remove everything else or what lead us to this predicament. It is still all very sickening.
The year isn’t even over yet.
We may have gotten thrashed every few weeks but the players never ever gave up. That’s more than I can say for previous years.
That aspect alone made it an enjoyable season for me. We knew each week that we were walking into a gun fight without any bullets but we still gave it our all. I’m very proud of that.
The year isn't even over yet.
Your deadpan way of bringing things back to reality just about every single time makes me LOL, it shouldn’t but it does.
I hate the comp. Only here out of principal and because yelling and screaming at matches is fun. Haven’t enjoyed the last 10 years at all whilst we’ve kidded ourselves that we were ever any good, except 2013 because we actully were, until it was taken away.
Our players unfairly banned and no one stood up for them
Our worst anzac day performance ever, complete with Grimley failing to kick a ball off the ground two meters while Collingwood supporters laugh and Dennis comnetti smugly commentates the farce
Goalless at halftime more than once
Not one interstates trip did we keep tbe margin inside ten goals
Humbled in two wooden spoon play off games
Our first wooden spoon since the 30s
We lost to Richmond twice
Games over by quarter time
We had some positive development from players but this year was horrible
Yes. Been a good year for me.
Football wise though, not really.
Enjoyed parts of it , absolutely. We played well enough to have won at least 4 or 5. Ive seen worse years from ‘full strength’ essendon and this year we had genuine talent to see.
But i was also able to divorce the saga stuff from the footy stuff so that probably helped.
NoWe got smashed week after week early on
And the fact that now cronulla have won a flag and we have had to deal with 4 years of ■■■■ resulting in our boys getting suspended, tarnished for life and us winning the spoon, makes me hate it even more.
I just think we have been crap for so long that this year was just crappier. Every year I start with a new sense of optimism, and every year am extremely disappointed.
Looking at the style of game the dogs played in the GF just makes me think we are now miles from it, and that makes me feel worse.
And I am still not convinced on Woosha.
The real test will be how the 10 will react to his coaching style.
I found the year a gruelling experience but I did get some enjoyment from watching Walla and the development of several of the younger players, especially Zerrett, Fantasia, Hartley and, later in the season, Daniher. Matt Dea’s gutsy efforts helped too.
2016 for me was “Catharsis”.
For a time in my life I hated, detested and abhorred losing. Anything.
Over the years it spoiled my enjoyment of watching Essendon play, because for years we lost about 1 in 2 games on average.
In 2016 I went to every home game expecting to lose and accepting that 100% ( all the while hoping for improvement), but wanting to take something out of the year, it became a year of watching players, and not focusing on the team winning.
In 2016 I learned how to accept losing, how to stay to the end of a game we lost by 10 goals and learning how, perversely, absorbing continual losses arguably made Essendon a stronger club
There are cycles in life and often a kick in the nuts is followed by something good, when you stand up straight, take a deep breathe and say :
2017: Bring…It…On.