Rebuilds

Football Discussion Dustin Fletcher Hangar
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19th March 2023

Essendon 19.10.124 defeated Hawthorn 9.11.65

Two seasons on (actually it took them one off season) and they have exceeded us and there is daylight between them and us.

How?

I’m doing this off a mobile phone and im not a person who studies oppositions lists. I welcome detailed studies of Hawthorn and other rebuilds by the more hard-core footy boffins of Blitz. Eg. Id love to break down the talent and age profile of our two lists in 2023 and see what happened.

To my eye the noticeable changes:

Nick Watson - is an absolute star. But he didn’t go at pick 1. He’s a dwarf also. Well done on picking him.

We just got Kako. He might not become a Watson but he was a shining light this year. Tick to Rosa.

Ginnevin - Also a gun. Cheap. ■■■■ the optics. Got him. Well done.

Gunston - a washed up hack. But wow.

Mass. Ouch.

Chol - was considered a bit of a spud and would have been laughed at by Blitz if we had recruited I suspect.

With the above (before Barrass and Battle who were 2025 additions) they went well ahead of us in one season (2024). WTF?

We could have added (kept) those five players.

If we had and we also had a good S&C program. Would we be like Hawthorn now?

We should be looking to spot and add talent from the fringes of other lists this off season too in order to refresh/build our list and not be uncompetitive.

I really hope that Rosa can spot a few lesser lights - Amons, Massimos or Ginnevins - to go after.

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14 of this 2023 Hawthorn team played in the final yesterday. Jiath, Sicily, Day, Newcombe, Amon, Hardwick, Moore, Ward, Worpel, Impey, McDonald, Meek, Nash.

13 of the 2023 Essendon side would make our best 22 if we were in finals this year. Redman, Ridley, McGrath, Martin, Durham, Langford, Jones, Perkins, Draper, Merrett, Parish, Caldwell, Settlefield.

We smacked them back then.

I’d happily take MacKenzie off their hands btw.

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I wonder where this thread will go in the next 10,000 posts?

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Brad has destroyed the club. The end.

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Can you ban Nino?
As this thread will be done by the end of the day.

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I think my take away is that the AFL is still quite equalised and good coaching, luck with fitness and confidence can turn things around quickly.

Given the guys they would have had pegged as their potential stars a couple of years ago might have included Day who has barely played due to injury, it shows that improvement can come from anywhere

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Didn’t get blamed for harmless peptides, got to develop quietly after years of sustained success based on bottoming out at the right time, stayed at the MCG, extort millions out of Tassie taxpayers to play the likes of Port and Suns on a ground only they can play well, have a real home training base instead of a windy hellhole under a flight path, um…proper coach…good development drafting and medical….

We’ll be trying to catch up on that few percent that we lost to ASAGA just like Carlton are still paying for the salary breach. The modern era doesn’t allow for that loss, the cracks just keep on appearing no matter how many you patch up.

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Has alot to do with player attitude :unamused_face:.

Hawks always play for eachother. That’s what good teams do. Yesterday when it counted Giants didn’t. Most games this season Bombers didn’t either.

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I’d like to rebuild but I don’t want to end up like North

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If I was going to The Hanger is it easy to get to?

On a walk around Melbourne City, we walked past the Pies centre, the blues training area, Norfs training centre & tiges training area. We caught a tram or 2 in-between but they seemed easily accessible places.

Establishing a training area that is difficult for fans to access seems silly.

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Good coaches bring best out of players

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Crows seem to have rebounded.

It’s high time we sorted our ■■■■ out and stopped blaming the saga for everything.

We are in this position thanks to the various boards making terrible decisions and being spineless

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It’s out near the Melbourne airport. It’s basically the Essendon airfields. You would’ve also been near Punt rd where the Tigers happily train as they rebuild next to the G where they play their home games.

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I got more in the bombers showbag back 10 years ago.

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I agree There are many elements but it’s fracture upon fracture stemming from the saga. That’s incontrovertible, it all begins there

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We were pure garbage well before the saga.

The club never handled the whole Sheedy situation well and the imbeciles running the club thought everything would just click because WE ARE ESSENDON!

We always have tried to take shortcuts and and the woeful drafting and recruitment was a key driver in the whole saga

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Hey look over there at all the premierships cups in our Cabinet.

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Fish rots from the head down……it started there and needs to change there.

Boys club for far to long

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I think since 2020 we have identified a few players that I have hopes will take us to the promise land. The rebuild has really ratcheted up the paat few years

2020: Caldwell, Durham, Reid

2021: Marto

2022: Hayes

2023: Caddy, Roberts, Duursma

2024: Kako, Clarke, Johnson

2025: Need to nail this draft

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They didn’t really pluck any amazing players out of the National Draft though.

I suspect the age profile of the two 2023 teams is similar and our team was far better than there’s in 2023.

Were the two clubs doing anything much different in 2022-2023?

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Okay but you reckon we might’ve sorted a few things out without the AFL basically administering our club into irrelevancy and all the other ongoing taints to our existence? No point to this but no way in hell do you overlook the saga or think it’s over. Generational trauma playing out here