Why wouldn’t we have a fantastic year and get the double chance, or at worst consolidate a spot in the lower half of the 8, to springboard into the top 4 in 2023?
Was 2021 a false dawn?
Well, we have a great midfield. Don’t they always say the team that wins in the midfield will win?
No they don’t because you need to kick goals and stop your opponents from kicking goals.
So our issues are not just a carry over from last year, where our defence leaked, but our forward line kicked plenty of goals.
Heres the thing. Between them Hooker and Tippa kicked 67 goals. It looks like we will have to find 67 goals from someone else. Who are they ? We do not have a dominant key forward.
Our defence leaked goals. We do not have a dominant key defender…
Lets get real, as a team, we will play really well, but a great midfield will not get us the chocolates in 2022. Just ask Bucks how Collingwood’s great midfield era delivered them to the promised land without a great key forward and key defender.
Not to mention to the difficult fixture we have - I really believe it’s a factor - not as significant as injury/depth but almost. If we have a good run with injury, we should finish between 7-10. If not, we’ll finish bottom 4 for sure. And that’s okay considering our age demographic.
Last season, we were all a bit down; expectations were low. We over performed.
So now we have to deal with the hangover of a year in which we did well and becasue we will have a great midfield, we are going to “go great”
Just wait until the Anzac Day game when we are 1 and 5 or maybe 2 and 4. If at that stage we are 6 and none, OK, I will personally gurge this thread. ( with a bit of help from those in high Blitz places)
Nonetheless, this threads going to be a lonely place during the preseason, but just wait for the folk knocking pretzels off tables as they enter during the first 6 rounds.
I’m not sold on Dodoros recruitment of Cox/Perkins and Reid yet. The whole could be anything hype for me is settled down with these boys.
Cox has something true, concerned Perkins is too one sided and it’s impossible to get a gauge on Reid other than I didn’t think recruiting his type fulfilled a need we didn’t already have covered.
Finally Essendon have drafted man child’s who are ready to impact at senior level straight away (Hobbs, Baldwin)
We don’t have a outstanding key forward so the opposition don’t know who to double team each week, every player will be a threat. And we will spread the load.
Harrison Jones will out run and out work his opponents, plus no defender will be able to spoil when he marks at the highest point.
Caldwell is surely due a injury free year, like LAV last year playing every game, this year its Caldwell’s turn and we will worship our fitness and conditioning department.
Parish is just easing into the preseason like a rolls royce
Reid wasn’t going to play much last year, more about developing his body to play a KPP role in the future.
Draper is great in the ruck, and contested marking around the ground, add in some goal kicking practice and he will be a threat forward as well.
Truck has been working on the fundamentals of the A plan and rarely changed things in the heat of battle, this year in close matches he now has the opportunity to show some more flair and move the magnet pieces and show he is also a good game day coach
Ridley has taken it upon himself to be the number 1 key defender, We now may have a answer to the gorilla forward if Laverde (Glove) matchup doesn’t work.
Tippas injury may be a blessing in disguise as might uncover a new small forward while he is recovering.
last year Stringer went beast mode, and he has added another preseason and is in the best shape of his career, the only thing stopping him from winning the brownlow is Parish and Merrett stealing votes