I have felt, over the last few days…we could get stuck in mid-table limbo for a few years.
Firstly, I think it is where we will end up this year, basically due to all the same reasons given above by @El_Don. Over summer I thought we were borderline to make the 8, but my expectations are drifting lower with the games I have seen thus far, and with the injuries.
Looking beyond 2018…as time goes by, I become more pessimistic about those players that we drafted off the back of the trades of Ryder, Melksham, Carlisle, Hibberd. Some are already basically done…the saga is still a visible scar on our list quality.
So I don’t think we have an outstanding group of youngsters. A few, yes, but not enough of a cohort to really stand out in this competition.
Therefore, I think we could find ourselves mid-table…and mid-table breeds mid-table.
The only possibility to escape, IMO, is another aggressive trade period, where we benefit from players nominating us…And we need to make some use of free agency, targeting players who still have as many years as possible left on the clock (because we won’t be challenging for a while).
I think as Essendon fans we are generally biased towards being optimistic…but the older I become, the more I realise that a small dose of pessimism, or perhaps cynicism is a better word, is needed to pull me in line with what is actually realistic.
I’m shocked when I read things on Blitz like “we need to do this and that to make top 4 this year”. It seems delusional to me. If this thread is right, those people are going to fall hard as the season unfolds.