Review THE WIN vs GWS - 2026 round 19 - the kids did it for the kids

Only if we win often. If this is our last win for the year (most likely) then it does nothing.

Like in the gameday thread, North beat GC in final game of the year in 2023 and missed out on Reid. That hasn’t helped them be a better team this year

Whether there is a generational talent at pick #1 this year, we don’t know yet.

Also by not getting pick #1 and not selecting HVH, it gives Richmond the clear option of taking him, thus filling one of those desperate needs. Had we taken him (mind you, we aren’t guaranteed 17th just yet) then it helps us fill a void and still keeps them with a void.

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Essendon v Greater Western Sydney

9 Sam Durham (ESS)
8 Zach Merrett (ESS)
7 Nick Bryan (ESS)
2 Finn Callaghan (GWS)
2 Connor Idun (GWS)
1 Dyson Sharp (ESS)
1 Archie Roberts (ESS)

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Who would have thought playing a small forward line and dropping players who don’t defend would make us harder to play against and put other players on notice. It’s almost as if it was a statement at selection……

This reflects really really really poorly on the coaches. We’ve wasted a season letting blokes like parish and perkins (and many others) run around unaccountably, with no intensity not defending for an entire year, when we should have made statement droppings in round 2 for the Port game after we embarrassed ourselves against the Hawks.

Disgusting and a wasted season in many ways.

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I understand the concern about losing the first pick but the boost to the young players, Solly, the supporters and the club in general by this win is immeasurable. As well, for those players out of contract at other clubs that Essendon have contacted, I’d be now having a second look rather than viewing the club as a total basket case. I’m hoping the pros outweigh the cons of probably our last win for the year.

Aren’t most of the better players already tied up in academy bullshit anyway?

Pleased to see Sharp get a vote. Can almost guarantee it came from Solomon.

Thank you. Sometimes you just set them up and hope someone else can kick the goal.

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This club’s whole mantra has been “we don’t make statements at Selection”.

We finally make a statement with dropping Parish and Perkins….. they finally get a response from the players.

Enough is Enough. the ‘nicely, nicely’ approach doesn’t work. 20 years of trying not to offend the players….. has been a disaster.

You need to be tough on accountability. That is a non-negotiable.

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In my opinion Briggs has been better than Draper clearly. but obviously not ahead of that top 4 and English.

Not that he should come back in to the seniors, but it may have got a response from Parish too. Kudos to him for the 9 tackles in the VFL.

Parish has only had more than 5 tackles in a game once since the start of 2024.

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You are right but Id like to know the stats on ruckmen drafted top 3 though. Someone like Jackson.

If we weren’t going to pick the ruck player at number 1 anyway, then may not matter.

Thilthorpe was AA last year and was the number one pick in the open pool.

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imagine if the kids got us in a position to win, and merrett has a shot after the siren and snags it. Theere’d be 2 sets of supporters have nfi what to do haha

That was all you, mate

*points

We nearly didn’t get there, and I didn’t want to go, my eyes are playing up and watching a footy game wouldn’t help.

We had been to a Labor fundraiser and Mrs Fox said that we were going to win and how would I feel missing it. Which actually meant, we are going so toughen up. So she drove, I booked parking on the way in and the car park was so empty anyway. We got to our seats just as it started and at halftime, I kept telling her that we were going to get smashed in the last half when GWS started kicking straight. She went and got me a beer and told me to toughen up again.

The rest is history, she sang the song louder than me. It was a poor game but glad we got there.

Reckon there were a little less than 127,432.

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I think this is the wrong way. Practicing good habits leads to winning. Just as practice makes better and perfect practice makes perfect.

A number of teams built premeirship teams from a base where they lost most games in the season. Hawks and Melbourne are two. But what they did was instil the right habits even when they were losing. As the kids got better those habits became winning habits.

Win or lose yesterday, it was how we went about it which was far more critical than the result.

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Interesting. One coach had a top three of Durham, Bryan and then Merrett and the other had Merrett, Durham and then Bryan.

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Some fight the good fight…

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I’m really confused by your line of thinking.

It seems you’re arguing that Robey and Sharp winning contested balls under a dominant Nic Bryan is a bad habit and not a good way of winning? That Farrow drifting forward off the wing and kicking 2 goals rather than kicking across defensive 50 is a poor outcome? Or that the forward presure provided by Hus, Kako and ADW is a bad blueprint and one that will set us back in our development?

Weitering has a few AAs doesn’t he? Rowell would, Ashcroft, Daicos (if they’d been selected right, but JHF has been a squad member), Walsh has. Rayner has.

Reid and Duursma surely will.

That’s just about every #1 pick other than JUH, McGrath and Cadman since 2015. And many rated Sheezel (AA squad) ahead of Cadman, but GWS needed the tall. Obviously a few Blitzers rated McCluggage ahead of McGrath as well.

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