Better than an elimination final against West Coast or Port interstate
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3 of the AFL team of the week players were all prior bombers that left for
Judas-a late first rounder
Pig- second rounder
Houli- nothing 
.
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This week is basically practice for finals if we donāt win this than itās game over for this season. I would go as far as to say that this is our most important game since Round 1.
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Five weeks of consistent form. Reckon Essendonās got that in them? I donāt reckon it matters who we play for the rest of the year.
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WOULD YOU SAY ITāS LIKE A FINAL?
A MINI FINAL?
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I donāt know about that but itās the definition of 8 point game
Having already smashed the suitcase out of those sides and knowing weād go in with a bye Iām not so sure about that.
Also losing interstate wouldnāt be as soul destroying as losing another prelim in Melbourne.
Richmond scares me more.
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MOre to the point 3 of our losses have had a pretty similar blue print, deny us space in the corridor.
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If the meme fits 
But that is the same with most teams. Bulldogs: stop the ball coming off half-back and crowd the stoppages. Hawthorn: keep the ball out of their hands and move it quickly.
The issue isnāt that they attempt to stop our game plan, the issue is whether we can overcome it. At this early stage of the development of this side there have been times where teams could stop it and other times where they couldnāt. If our development continues to grow then it should become harder to stop the side.
People knew how to defeat Hawthorn, it was another thing completely to actually do it consistently.
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They are the only times teams have really tried to clog it up, or did Brisbane do it a little bit?
Which I think says weāre not very good at overcoming it, yet.
Our best is good enough to beat anyone and our worst is bad enough to lose to anyone. And weāve produced equal quantities of both so far.
In other words, our principal problem is inconsistency. We surrender abjectly to Carlton, Melbourne and Richmond, but trample all over Port and West Coast and (mostly) Geelong.
I donāt know what produces consistency. Certainly it helps to have the team structure settled and players who are all properly fit, but most of it is mental. And the coach who has the ability to get all players up and aggressive and on their games week after week would have a job for life.
This week against Sydney is an acid test. If we play as we did against Port, itāll still be hard to win at the SCG, but we can do it. But we donāt travel well and we usually play badly at the SCG so Iām not confident.
Hopefully the attitude will change and weāll be up and firing. If we are, then the rest of the season should be pretty good
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No, some of the others tried - Geelong certainly did, and the Weagles, but when weāre nailing our disposal and run one doesnāt tend to notice the opposition clogging - knife through butter/witches hats etc
Also if weāve shot to a fast lead it forces the other mob to try and open up to counterattack and score heavily - Port in particular, so they canāt maintain a defensive crowding in midfield
Our disposal was ā ā ā ā against Richmond and Carlton - the knife kept hitting rocks in the butter, and our run and confidence dried up as a result.
So clogging the centre isnāt a guarantee of success against us.
Iād argue weāre still more vulnerable to a team that attacks off half back with their mids running hard forward - basically the GWS and Crows losses
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AFL 2017: Essendon mid-season report card
Sam McClure
Published: June 14 2017 - 6:25PM
Essendon mid season review: B
PRE-SEASON EXPECTATIONS
Without being flippant, absolutely no idea. Nobody did, did they? Not even Essendon people knew how they would go. With a raft of stars returning from suspension, the Bombers were the great unknown. But any team in the competition that can bring in Dyson Heppell, Jobe Watson, Michael Hurley and Cale Hooker and add it to their team from the previous year is going to be dangerous.
Record: 6-6
WHATāS GONE RIGHT?
The forward line. Who would want to be a defender coming up against Essendon? No one. The multi-faceted attack that features Joe Daniher, Hooker, James Stewart and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti has and will continue to cause headaches for opposition coaches.
In the first 12 games of the year the Bombers have kicked 169 goals. This time last year theyād kicked 98 after the exact same amount of games. Theyāre a six-goal better side, which proves just to what extent they were suffering last season. Daniher ā arguably the most exciting young forward in the game - and Hooker have 57 goals between. Orazio Fantasia has been eye-catching with 25 goals while McDonald-Tipungwuti and Josh Green have combined for a further 31.
At the other end of the ground, two other players have stood out. Michael Hurley and No.1 draft pick Andrew McGrath. Hurley has had a superb season, not failing once in his 12 games to gather at least 20 disposals and averaging seven marks a game. Reads the ball beautifully and helps set up transitional attacks from defence. McGrath has looked every bit as comfortable in his first year of AFL football as fellow No.1 draft pick Jacob Weitering did last year for Carlton. Has one hand on the Rising Star award.
WHATāS GONE WRONG?
The midfield, who up until the recent upset win over Port Adelaide, have been terribly inconsistent. Saturday nightās victory was only the second time this year that the Bombers have won the inside 50 count, which makes their forward-line numbers even more impressive. Those at Essendon have been pushing to see more defensive pressure, which was finally delivered against Port. If the Bombers are seriously going to strive for finals football this year they need to stop leaking inside 50s, which is putting immense pressure on their back six. Winning the ball at the coalface is a cliche, but itās a pertinent one at Bomberland.
STANDOUT STAR
Zach Merrett turns 22 three days after this yearās grand final, and he looks a player built for the biggest stage of all. Only one player in the competition has had more of the football this year and thatās Tom Mitchell, whoās having a stellar season. Merrett doesnāt just win the ball, but he runs and spreads and creates. The remarkable thing is, his year so far may actually fall just short of his form last year; thatās how high his standards are. Heās averaging 32 disposals ā the same as Gary Ablett ā and is equal ninth in the Coaches Association votes with Josh Kelly.
PLAYERS UNDER THE PUMP
Brent Stanton. Only seven games this year and dropped after the loss to Greater Western Sydney. Heās a 31 year-old down on form and out of contract. Heath Hocking has only played six games in two-and-a-half years. He missed most of 2015 with a groin injury and one of the 12 listed players who was suspended for all of last year. Has only played once this season ā in the round three loss to arch-rivals Carlton. Ben Howlett has played the last two weeks, but has managed only four games for the season.
THE RUN HOME
Despite a tough game coming out of the bye (Sydney at the SCG), Essendon fans will be pleasantly surprised when they look at the remainder of their fixture. The Bombers only play two more current top-eight sides: the Bulldogs in round 19 and a home game against Adelaide in round 21. They also play three of the bottom-six sides. Having said that, given how even the competition is this year, no game will be a walkover as the Bombers strive for September action.
pretty spot on IMO.
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Sam McClure says ā¦
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I feel the same way when Iām constipated.
The indignity of losing to either of them would be unbearable
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At the mid way point kudos has to go to Crowy and the S&C team.
Presently only three players out of being able to play this week are LAV who should be right for following week, Ambrose who still ran 7km today so just following process on the quad & McNeice whose had a minor issue and back next week too.
We will be at full strength for back half of season and only play 1 more currently top 8 side.
Hereās hoping we demolish some more teams like we did to Port who sits inside top4 with solid %
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If we can win 3 games in a row, I will be f*cking lid off.
We donāt have the mental capacity to just get the job done, regardless of the opposition, location, atmosphere, time and weather.
Once we can overcome all of those factors, then weāre the real deal.
Even when we were sh*t under Sheedy in mid 2000ās, then the Knights eraā¦ we were beating the best teams as well as the reigning premiers. āNothing to loseā wins, it means nothing especially when you get beaten by Carlton the following week.
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