I seriously think had we kicked those goals the game would have been much different. As it would have if Sydney hadn’t been gifted their first two goals from frees. It doesn’t matter though, because the point is we crumbled at the first sign of real pressure.
Everyone mocked me when I said, months out, that 12 wins plus percentage would be enough to make finals. Some even said you’d need 15 wins to make it.
Life ain’t like that. Everyone, not just us, farks up sometimes.
If we miss/finish 11th, it’ll be 99% because we regress, not because magically everyone else improved.
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You said
Correct.
We lost to Carlton by 15, lions by 8, Sydney by 1 and tigers by 15.
So this is also true.
And you are arguing with the blinkers on.
We finished where we deserved to finish.
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12 wins shouldn’t be enough, shows how much of a basket case the bottom 14 teams were.
unbelievable how little aerial contest we provided, just let them mark it over and over and over again, not surprised a few posters are suffering depression, such ■■■■■■■ horse ■■■■ from our players, how can you not ■■■■■■■ even jump?
Glad I’m not the only one questioning Dyson Heppell as captain. Love him but form this year was merely good, not great. Was too hit and miss and went awol too often.
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Do you know who I felt sorry for last night? Those that had to get back on those buses for a 10 hour trip back to Windy Hill.
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I’m not surprised that we lost the way that we did. We were playing the current #1 team in the AFL (based on form) at their home ground (which is basically a circle and not an oval). Sydney had way more motivation than us, having lost last years GF. We finished the season on the same number of wins and close to the same % as the team that finished 9th.
Overall, I give the season a B. That was a bad way to finish. However, we made a big profit, we made the finals and we developed a forward line around Joe and Hooker. Yes our midfield isn’t where we want it to be. However, it is harder to recruit good key forwards than midfielders.
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I still don’t think it was the desire not to go out there and win.
We just didn’t cope with the pressure and what happened out there. Shock and paralized we were. We got scared to make mistakes which impeded decision making, it impeded execution.
To use an old term, shell shocked.
I’m sitting at Darling Harbour with Wob, mrs dingus and sister dingus. Top day.
So, for the next few months, ■■■■ essendon.
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Pretty much how I’m feeling today. Time to take a rest from footy, and Essendon. I’ve spent all the energy I have.
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I feel like Claude from Arsenal Fan TV. “I’m tired, Robbie.”
First things first before I start you need to at once abort your Blitz membership if you are talking about “we went from wooden spooners to 7th!” That’s honestly the most idiotic logic I have EVER seen. We were a mid table nothing club/side before the bans and we are once again a mid table nothing/club side.
And that’s precisely the problem. We are a ■■■■■■■ loser of a club with loser personnel. It’s sad. But it’s true. Sure we played the form side of the comp on their home patch but we got turned over by TEN goals. We were totally insipid. This was not a match that gave us “finals experience.” You don’t get finals experience by just totally bottling it the way we did. You just get a hiding. That helps no-one.
Which is a symbol for this whole season - the season that helps NO ONE. No coach got anything out of this season. McKenna looks like he’s moving on so we now have another midfield coach coaching a D grade midfield. What about Woosha? Does Woosha know any more about his side for 2018 for having had 2017? Did ANY player who we wouldn’t expect to come on/develop get anything out of this season? No. McGrath came on and Joe continued his improvement. We gave Begley 4 games about 3 months too late. What happened to Redman/Long/Langford/Lav/Mutch/Francis? Who did we uncover?
As for the older brigade - who enjoyed that season? Did Stants love running around for his 5/6 games? Did Hocking and Howlett enjoy the whole pre season and year in the VFL only to get their tokenistic half dozen games and see their side get rolled like we did yesterday? Geez Jobe must be so happy he came back only to limp around for a year and get made ■■■■ in a final.
Which sane supporter enjoyed that season other than for the novel, now foreign feeling of playing games uninhibited by drama and having a couple of neat wins?
But as I said, the problem is we are a LOSER club. I lol at the Essington meme because it’s a bit of fun but it’s just so ■■■■■■■ true. We are a loser club. I feel bad singling him out because I’m sure he’s a cracking guy but Myers, Colyer and co. are the epitome of Essington. Perennially underdone/almost there as players. Have a look at how we went in the game - who were our best players who continually cracked in? Parish Joe and Gleeson - all young kids who only by virtue of their own naivete have an ability to play unencumbered by the malaise that is our club’s culture. Zach was down but I would add he, Orazio (who actually worked harder on one fucking leg than half the rest of the side) and McGrath to that list and literally look long and hard at trading or moving on literally every other player on the list that’s been here for more than 3 years. Cultural issues ingrain themselves over extended periods of time like our 13 years without a victory in a final. We need to torch the list and build it again from scratch with a group of kids who will band together and take us forward.
I just cannot believe the handball from the footballing Gods we were given last year - it was almost like the universe was telling us to ■■■■■■■ rebuild. So we did a half of a rebuild and then turned around and ran a squillion miles in the other direction this year.
We are going nowhere, fast.
Rant over.
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We drive past those buses on our way back down to the southern highlands last night
Was a real empty way to end the season
The most frustrating thing is that we blooded all these kids and new players last season seemed to give us a pass to rinse and repeat the previous 4 years. If we continued to blood some kids and have a shaping best 15-18 younger players with experienced players making up the rest i’d be happier about the year, even if we missed finals. but the continual playing of the players peedo mentioned just shat me to no end.
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How about McKenna, Gleeson, Stewart, Langford?
Development of players isn’t going to be linear and doesn’t stop after their first season or two in the seniors.
Look at Gleeson. He’s been a regular in the side for 2-3 years, but definitely improved in the latter half this year and was one of our best yesterday.
Two years ago Tippa wasn’t drafted, McKenna had never played AFL football, Hartley was VFL, Ambrose was the Blitz poster child of spuds we keep on the list too long, Stewart had barely any top level experience. It’s rubbish to suggest there is no potential for improvement next year.
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Dell,
This is like a Trump rant.
The sentiment and “feel” of what you are saying I kind of get.
The exaggerated and outlandish emotive statements that support your general sentiment are diabolical lol.
But I hear your pain and frsutration and I feel it to, even if I don’t agree with the crazy eyes examples lol.
*Note- I’m not a Trump guy.
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It’s hard to take the club seriously when they say they aren’t just making up the numbers and then produce an eleventy second quarter like that.
Helped the club build respect amongst the wider AFL in the way we handled the returning players.
Helped the club from a financial situation, delivering needed profits given issues in previous years.
Helped players like Hurley and Hooker restablish themselves as quality AFL Footballers.
Helped the fans have a chance to see Jobe play another year on his terms.
Helped players like McKenna, Tippa, Stewart, Fantasia play meaningful contributions in a winning side.
Helped Joe Daniher and Hooker with the chance to establish a functional forward line for the first time in a decade
Helped get more games into Ambrose, Hartley and Hurley - how many have they played together as a defensive unit?
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Blitzers at the 10 minute mark of the second term.
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Blitzers at full time.
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