I don’t think it’s realistic to expect coaches not to pick the best 22 each week. Rather, these rebuild decisions happen in the off-season.
It’s frustrating that they didn’t move Shiel on in 2022 when he had value. As now we are stuck playing him because right now he is better than Tsatas
last 2 wins we had younger side,
we are playing with a 32 year old (Shiel) and 29 year old (Merrett)
then 27 - Gresham, Redman, mcKay, Setterfield
26 - McGrath, Draper, Ridley
The rest is likely the nucleus of our team going forward.
24 Duursma, Jones, Martin (caldwell inj)
23 Durham, El-Hawli, Prior, Reid, Perkins (Bryan, inj)
22 Menzie
21 Hobbs
19 Caddy, Kako, Roberts - these guys all look like 150+ players
Shiel is really not a need but great depth. Merrett in career best form, crazy at 29 at Essendon your usually cooked.
The next oldest after Merrett - Laverde, Wright, Langford, Parish, Guelfi are all injured/unavailable or not best 22 and outside side which has created opportunites.
Ladder positions over the last 20 years:
07th - 2
08th - 4
09th - 1* (Kicked out of finals)
10th - 0
11th - 4
12th - 2
13th - 2
14th - 1
15th - 3
16th - 0
17th - 0
18th - 1* (Players suspended)
Impressive in sliding into top eight, 7 out of 20 seasons when we have been so poor as a club, including terrible culture.
12 seasons, we have finished between 11th and 15th. Lol. 11th is the ultimate spot.
Great interview with Scott talking about rebuilds and how to avoid them.
Scott acknowledges that GWS and GC came in at the right time for the Cats, as teams couldn’t rebuild via the draft for years.
Also said it’s hard to attract very good players to your club when you’re rebuilding. Players don’t want to be sold on “we’ll be good in 3 years”.
Relevant to Essendon, Scott says you can’t copy others and you have to have your own identity and brand. Cats embrace the beach coast lifestyle and have built their program around that.
Essendon has probably not had an identity for years, and has spent a lot of effort trying to copy others
Besides Essendon providing you some special games and a large fan base what else is the sell?
How do you separate yourself from other Melbourne clubs from a lifestyle perspective? Do you consider trying to bring together similar personalities? Hobby based? Set up a cult commune?
Even if Geelong dip there will always be players looking for that beach, non major city lifestyle.
Access to networks and opportunities.
All clubs offer that. If we’re selling a lucrative life after football is that in turn selling complacency and lack drive for success?
I don’t think Essendon has had too many issues attracting free agents.
There is always going to be challenges to attracting players to a club, when there’s 7 other clubs in Melbourne.
The problem with our rebuild over the last 20 years is we rarely get access to the top end of the draft. That hurts.
September in Ibiza
You can’t sell success if you haven’t been successful for close to 3 decades.
So like every club you work with what you’ve got.
And no, the off field stuff is not the same across all clubs.
Not even remotely.
I was thinking about why this season feels kinda hollow to me. I think I’ve got a theory.
The club has tried to avoid using the word rebuild. Most people will say that we are ‘rebuilding’.
But there are 2 schools of thought regarding our ‘rebuild’.
‘the talent is there. We just need to develop them’
‘the talent isn’t good enough, we need to turn the list over’.
Anyone looking through the lens of the first point can watch a match and focus on the winning. When the team wins, players will develop.
If you’re looking at the list through the second lens, you’re genuinely wondering what is the point of finishing 12th again this season. Meanwhile we’re wasting our time ‘being competitive’, with players who are not part of our future and missing out on elite talent in the draft.
The concern is that the club are looking at number one…. which is deeply concerning for me.
What if there are 5 schools of thought?
back in the old days when salary cap was low and players were working jobs this was great.
now players get a great wage mostly.
lifestyle aspect of Geelong is great, beach, less media attention,
Ties in with small community, works with uni, also being out at tullamarine doesn’t help rather than windy hill. as closer to main essendon suburb.
the talent is potentially there.
but we ain’t going anywhere with the likes of draper, parish, redman and mcgrath as our “senior” and leader types.
it’s a concern that no one, by default at the club could look at this game and go hey, there’s a pattern of not taking these games seriously, rocking up thinking going through the motions and getting a win is a recipe for improved output from the club.
you come into a game against the bottom club, having won 1 qrt of football for the season, and allow them to win the first quarter kicking 5 goals.
that shows an ignorance and blindess at the club, how the ■■■■ you can allow that ■■■■ is totally and utterly unacceptable if you want to be a good professional football club.
we are just treading water, not improving, not necessarily going down the ladder, just continuing to think things will improve cos we are essendon, and ■■■■ just happens.
One day other clubs will cotton on to what they do out in Geelong.
Why would Scott, Rosa and Vozzo think that?
Funny what came of the article about them being investigated for salary cap issues
Or like has been posted on here to death…
WE ARE JUST NOT MUCH GOOD.
The result tonight changes nothing. We are a bottom 4 team. Everything else is pure fluff.
We will win some junk games, get smashed by good teams and finish where we should around 13-16.
Just sit back and enjoy the ride because nothing we say or do as supporters has 1 gram of ■■■■ all affect on the club or it’s direction.
I think it’s worse than that.
We’re a bottom 4 talent team, which over performs every year.
