Lid on 2018 - have we gone to soon? Nervously hanging out for Friday

Now Gleeson 12-14 weeks.

We’re ■■■■■■

Yep, blokes aren’t getting niggles… they are copping long term injuries.

Colyer
Mutch
Laverde
Gleeson

Add to that Fantasia, who should hopefully not be off for too long. Plus the unknown goings on with Francis.

It’s starting to be a fair list.

None of those injuries will make a huge difference. I just think our midfield and defense are way off. I hope I’m wrong, but I think we will struggle this year. Bottom 6 or 8.

Reckon we should hold off re-signing Worsfold escpically with Caracella avaible.

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Using the Wallace methodology, I predict that he is a shoe in to be in a nursing home with dementia before 2020 with a 50% chance of a colostomy bag and bed sores.

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Wow that’s harsh lols

I can understand your concerns but I think despite those concerns, we’ll be a better team than last year. Are you expecting other teams to improve more?

Doesn’t necessarily require a lot of teams to improve a lot for us to drop 3-4 spots. One less win and a lower percentage would push us from 7th to 11th. We could improve this year and still win less games if things break against us.

Let’s assume the eagles get worse, as seems inevitable. The saints, melbourne and dogs getting better is likely if not a sure thing. The hawks and freo maybe. Plus our draw is harder this year just because of ladder position. Plus we had a good run with injuries last year which doesn’t look like it’s going to be repeated this year.

(this is the lid on thread)

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For me Melbourne and Essendon are the 2 that will improve from last year.

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.

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I’ve always been lid off, but for the first time, I think I’m starting lid on.

Our midfield is ordinary. Zach Merrett, Parish and Andy McGrath aside, there is just no quality. Hepp must return to his very best IMV.

SSS coming in as players who “run through the midfield” is rubbish and that line is not fooling anybody. For mine, Devon Smith is an upgrade on Green, Stringer has the potential to be spectacular but needs discipline and Saad could be good, however we need a small defender to play on the dangerous small forwards and he is not it. If we mould him to become this then goodbye to his dash down the ground.

At the end of the year we must draft a young midfield gun and lure a elite midfielder from another club.

I think we’ll finish 7 - 10 without any finals win.

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Our forward line is definitely quality.

If we can spare Hooker down back when a gorrilla is on the loose, maybe send Brown forward, then we may have a chance of a decent back line.

Mids: Zerrett, Heppell, McGrath, Parish, Zaka, Smith, Stringer, Raz, Walla, Myers, Goddard, Langford, Begley. There is some quality there and if we can spread the load with possessions without a certified midfield bull, making do with cameo’s from Stringer, Goddard and maybe Begley but most likely relying on Myers to find some form.

A lot really depends on if we can get the chemistry working in the middle.

Until it happens though, in a convincing manner, I can understand the lid on mentality.

Agree, our mids arent up to it. Injuries are starting to bite and a tougher draw… means well miss the 8 this year. I say go hard after Slone at years end. Move on players that arent going to get better

We could be 0-4 at the end of round 4 . Imagine this forum. All the naming and blaming. Forming the line for the chopping block. argh.

Apparently David King is tipping us as potential contenders.

Lid well and truly on.

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Came in this thread to post the exact same thing!

Two major areas that concern me, and combined could really hurt us this year.

The midfield - specifically our ground ball winning ability, I don’t have the stats (can’t find ground ball numbers) but to my eye last year, Jobe was still our best ground ball clearance player. Without him I really fear for us in there, and the knock on effect is we give away free kicks for being second to the ball like we did on Sunday.

The defence - whilst good on paper, I’m continually staggered by the scores we manage to concede. Forwards have days out against us (watch out Tabenar rd 2) and with McGrath moving into the middle to help out with problem one, I fear we’ll revisit the bad old days of multiple goals from smalls as well.

That said - I think the competition is relatively weak at the moment, I think most teams have lost deficiencies or mental issues that mean nothing is certain (beyond Richmond and Sydney making the finals imo)

Ive never seen a start of a season that could flip as much one way or the other. I can see us being as much 4-0 as 0-4 also. So hard to read.

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We’ll never be a consistent side until we have a better ball winning capacity.

The most consistent sides have many inside midfielders. The old saying, “get your hands on the football first”. It’s so important for consistent performances.

My worry is we will be relying on the opposition to turn the ball over, to get our hands on the football. It makes for exciting matches, but it is infuriating 50% of the time.

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How the ■■■■ can King think we are contenders???