Or… Maybe they use it as another chance for some last minute fine tuning of our modified game plan? Believe it or not, there could be some value in that.
If we had an easy run into the season playing the Suns at Etihad first up, yes, we could experiment some more But we have had over 3 months to work things out and we play GWS away. We need to be ready to play at the get go.
I’m torn between two possibilities.
The first says we don’t know what the club is really doing. We don’t know what is being said behind closed doors and what the plan is to be ready for round 1 and the rest of the season. So we are just guessing and have to wait and see how we bring it together. And let’s face it we the supporter have very little influence on what happens out there other than being vocal and the club saying they feel our pain (and joy).
Scenario two (and in spite of option one) says given our flighty form over way too many years the club needs to build a winning culture. And the JLT games, even as practice matches, is a good place to do that. For way too many years in the home and away season we have no idea (confidence) who is going to turn up in the Essendon jumper. I think we don’t have the foundation like those successful clubs who can tinker through the pre-season and know they will turn up on game day. We don’t have that make up… yet. But yeah – see the first possibility.
The Carlton game hasn’t shaken my faith, personally.
But I think posters jumping all over those who watched that game and said, ‘this all looks eerily, crappily familiar’ are being very unfair.
Sure.
Maybe ‘we got everything we wanted’ from that game.
But there is another very real possibility that has a fair bit of evidence to back it up.
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yep - I think as supporters we have had to deal with a club that has really drifted for such a long time that it has undermined our faith in what the team can/will do. Th players and coaches may now be all good and confident, but they may have felt that way last year too. We just won’t know until the season starts. And even then it doesn’t mean that’s how it will end.
We need a premiership to put things right for Essendon.
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Premierships are hard.
Finishing in the top third of teams for three years in a row would go some way to soothing supporter jitters.
I hate to mention the ‘haven’t won a final stuff’ because it really has no impact on what we do this year, but we haven’t finished the home and away in the top third since 2002.
We really don’t deserve the amount of faith that we actually have right now.
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Agreed. You can make an argument that apart from GCS, every other club deserves more faith than we do.
Reasons… I know… but results have been consistently poor.
Desperately hoping that we blow that away in 2019.
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Sidenote:
The gall of this club to run a membership drive with ‘We’ve Heard All The Excuses.’
JFC…
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Yes i don’t think it’s right to jump all over somebody because they’re concerned. People are entitled to be either optimistic or pessimistic about the season ahead. But it’s fine to reply with a differing opinion. The results from the JLT don’t bother me too much. I think the boys will give 110% against GWS in round 1. I just hope that’s good enough.
We are so going to be fined for playing 24 players.
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Agree.
So have the fans
We were very lack lustre vs blues.
But im not sure even flogging the cats is going to mean anything for round 1, I would probably be concerned we spent too much energy on a praccy match.
I will just be looking for little bits like last week we had McGrath, TIppa Stringer, mckenna all play well.
This week there will be more coming back from injury but also more minutes from our key mids. Merrett, Smith, Heppell and our first choice ruckman in bellchambers.
Hartley will be back in the reserves and Hooker should clunk anything in the backline.
More minutes from Mckenna who was also very impressive last week in the half.
Round 1 will be the gauge, hopefully we get off to a good start to the year with a win.
Will be a emotional match for Shiel against his old club for the first time. He will be hoping to play well along with Smith. Im confident we will get the job done.
We pretty much have a full list to choose from bar Redman, Dea and Gleeson if all the other guys who missed play in JLT 2
How will we beat giants - well will need a lot better output from midifeld and better defensive pressure so dont let opposition get cheapies like gibbons did last week.
Forwardline will be easier for one out contests for Fantasia, Stringer and Daniher, plus Tippa at their feet with the new 6-6-6 rule.
So against the cats would like better output - clearances and disposals from midfield, and more pressure on the ball carrier if opposition has it.
And a better team defence with out first choice defenders.
A win would be nice, but a even contest would suffice.
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This post is way too balanced and level-headed for this thread.
Carlton game showed how poor we were in defense, and now no Hooker, going to be a long year…
Hawkins on the lead with Hurley having a look of disgust because the rest of his team mates up the field are not applying pressure.
He’s a terrible tackler.
He’s great at being tackled though. Especially at really crucial times when he has the ball and a simple handball would do the trick.
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He’s actually not. If you watch how the good mids get tackled, there’s a measure of calmness, and a plan of action to dump off a handball or kick. Even someone like Langford knows what he should do, he just doesn’t execute through lack of body strength or skill.
Long is surprised every single time.
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You can find a way to argue anything can’t you?
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Ha.
My post was to your choice of words, which maybe was not what you actually meant.
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