I suspect the plan with Reid, given how much footy he’s missed and how highly rated he seems to be, is if he’s fit he’ll play AFL.
Irrespective of match ups etc. He just needs to play.
Sometimes that may burn us, but if we are really trying to develop the next generation, that’s the cost.
I’m still genuinely shocked the Umps gave Cripps 2 Votes against us last year.
I thought Stringer & Perkins did well to quell his influence on that game.
I may have to re-watch that game, which won’t be a fun activity 
Is 2025 the year bombers actually, click?
premature, sure but didn’t we actually control the game.
Can’t recall a Bombers team doing that since well early 2000’s…
Much more useless when it is to Wright though. Hope he can get it back but he’s a mile off it currently……
Yep still the biggest priority for me too.
The forward line has needed re-inventing for years.
Caddy & Kako are absolutely critical chess pieces but we need one more marquee small who is capable of kicking 30 goals in a good year. Basically need a young Tippa.
The rest of the forward line you can fill with the likes of Langford, Guelfi, Draper, Jones, ADJ, Perkins and other resting mids.
So whilst we were almost at full strength and, considering they played finals, don’t know how far advanced the teams are in their training, the two practice games have shown me that we can clearly play. We seem to have a pretty good balance across the field and the tools to advance to who knows where. Once again it will come down to injuries, getting their heads right (particularly when things go against us) and making the most of opportunities. Then again, this may just be déjà vu or Groundhog Day….
I’m not entirely convinced Geelong were going at full throttle for large chunks of the game.
They know they stack up. They don’t need to show anything in pre-season.
Guess we’ll find out over the next few weeks, but I’m still expecting Essendon to be bottom part of the ladder (13-15) in 2025.
I hope so because we seriously need it.
If our forward efficiency was excellent in terms of i50 to goals and conversions.
And Nate Caddy kicked more goals than Jeremy Cameron.
I’m a bit bemused at there being an online opinion there is a concern the boys don’t find their targets .
Seem to be travelling well?
Note I have to go back and watch the replay. I tuned into the radio for most of yesterdays game.
The concern is with our midfielders disposal efficiency. Our half forwards were awesome. Our mids including wingers were terrible for the most part.
It’s the first real hitout, so I’m not “The sky is falling” yet.
You put part of it down to the narrow ground. It wasn’t just Duursma kicking it out on the full.
Duursma had a game to forget.
I have faith in him, he will be ok. Probably blowing the cobwebs out.
He is a magnificent stamp of a footballer. I’m desperate to see him get a season of football. It will break my heart if he goes down with something again.
He was so poor, we should consider leaving him out of Rd.0
Have to play better than that.
Best 23 or not, his ball use was putrid.
He plays Round 0. Or at least he should, he is the preferred wing in our best 22 and you run with what you’re happy with to start the season. You can’t get culled because of a preseason game in Geelong.
He won’t be culled because we have little options for Wing.
I’m concerned that he is too rusty to play well in 10 days.
I wonder if a VFL practice match or 2 might be more beneficial.
Don’t know if you watched the game but he was effin awful.
It’s a shame that games like this count for nothing. At least in the Ansett cup days you could brag about winning “the night premiership”. I wouldn’t mind seeing a three week start-of-season comp , where you play for 1 premiership point per game. (to fit it in: get rid of round zero and the “unofficial” practise match)
