I feel like some times players should just tap the ball forward to advantage when it’s tight and contested on the ground.
Too many time I see players trying to pick up the ball in tight so they can hand ball which causes fumbles
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So you’re saying going 4-0 wouldn’t mean anything if we didn’t beat the Pies? Take a deep breath and try to enjoy the win.
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I’ll be very happy if we are at 4-0 but people would question Essendons credentials if we can’t beat the Pies
That will be the question in the lead up to Pies if we are 4-0 can they beat a good side.
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Nino, if we’re 4-1 after the Collingwood game, we’re flying
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Nope. Last year we beat GWS and they played in the Grand Final. The year before we beat WC and they won it. We weren’t a credible side in either of those years. Going 4-0 into the season is far more important than getting a win against the Pies.
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Looking forward from yesterday. Most of us would take 2-0 at the start of a shortened season no matter who we were playing.
Cobwebs? Yes. Elements of fatigue? Yes. However, that seemed to be the standard for most teams in this round. The challenge comes in the next 3 weeks, to lift the quality and consistency of our game more than opposition Clubs.
The other major challenge is how quickly to pull the trigger to replace players who are under performing during a time when those not selected are getting inadequate game time to condition their bodies to match fitness?
So what are the KPI’s for players such as Zaharakis, Belly, Snelling, Cutler and Guelfi?Selection decisions each week become increasingly important in maintaining momentum in this shortened season.
Good luck to the Selection Committee!!
PS: Hams, McKenna, Ambrose, Fantasia, Phillips, Laverde, Joey D, Stewart and Zerk-Thatcher say hi!!! 
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Fair enough I’m just sick of losing to the pies haha
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Not sure about not beating the pies means squat.
I actually have the pies as flag favorites, so losing to a team which I consider to be flag favourites won’t mean squat it’s how we lose is what I’ll measure, but hey let’s aim for a win against every team
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Me too mate.
I’m not even talking about going 4-0 just yet.
One game at a time. Beating Melbourne and going 3-0 would be fantastic.
And we’re clearly going to be facing a Carlton side that’s 0-3 and most likely coming off a belting too. That one is not a certainty for us by any stretch.
Unless we have turned ourselves around as a footy club, and bank the expected wins (I hope so!).
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Saving their best for us Carlton always do the fcking ■■■■■■
If we cant beat them then nothing has changed
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Including not having a ruck at all.
Difficult to put a team to the sword though - when every time we start to pull away, umpires pull out equalising free kicks that halt any momentum and give the opposition a sniff.
Happens every game.
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I’m hesitant to look ahead but we’re allowed to right? As long as the players and match committee aren’t!! 4-0 would be HUGE.
We’ve got a real opportunity to capitalise on a dream opening 4 matches that are on paper about as soft as you could hope for this year, bar throwing Adelaide in the mix. Gold Coast look solid and no pushover.
4-0 in a 17 round reason would present an opportunity to only require 6 wins in our next 13 matches to play finals.
Let’s get this done in the next fortnight against two ordinary sides in Melbourne and Carlton whilst we have almost full list availability and set us up for the season.
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No single player really stood out.
The old Essendon would drop one of these games against Melbourne and Carlton, so we will see how far we’ve come as a team. Can’t wait to see how we respond to the challenge.
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Thoughts…
- The reason DP3 didn’t spend more time on the ball is because the blueprint to beating Sydney (which most teams worked out last year) is to put fresh legs in the middle in the last quarter because Parker and Kennedy can’t run out games at full pace any more. Having Parish dominate in the midfield in the last 1/4 was a strategic decision. There’s no way he’d have had close to the same output if he spent the whole game in there.
- Can spot the stat-watchers in here by their thoughts on Snelling’s game. Yeah he didn’t get many Supercoach points, but he either neutralised or outright won a number of 1-on-2 or 2-on-3 or even 1-on-3 ground ball contests with body use and knock-ons rather than clean pickup and disposal.
- I liked Francis’ game. Yeah he was undisciplined at a few crucial points but they were exceptions, not the rule.
- Townsend offers more than Lav purely on his willingness to throw his weight around. I feel like he’s a Caracella favourite so I reckon he’ll stay in.
- I reckon our F50 entry strategy is still built around Daniher, so obviously it looks like sht without him there. We shouldn’t be afraid of chaos ball and back Stringer, AMT, et al with the ball on the deck. Either than or bring in Stewart if he’s ready.
- Bellchambers is a good ruck in scrappy games because of his tap work, but he’ll get toasted by a mobile ball-winning opponent. Need to have Phillips in vs Gawn next week.
- Someone brought up earlier the possibility that Zaka was tagged. Hard to see if that was the case on TV alone but it makes sense. That being said he’s not offering us much but I can’t think of anything directly gunning for his role unless we want to have McKenna up forward (which I think should happen).
- We’re starting to look better pushing goal-ward through stoppages than going out back and around. More of that please.
- Radio BT >>>>>>>>>>> TV BT. And yeah, Channel 7 commentators definitely speak to fairweather viewers to try and keep them watching. Watch enough non-Essendon games and it’s obvious.
- Hooker and Hurley are still a great 1-2 punch in the backline. However they’re going to get exposed by teams with small mobile forward lines a la Collingwood and Bulldogs. They’ll tear the sht out of Melbourne and Carlton but I don’t think it’s worth having both playing in round five.
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Do you think Redmond will get a week or a fine for that poke in the head of Kennedy on the ground ?
Breaking News
Essendon young guns face suspension for breaking social distancing rules during game at SCG yesterday.
AFL have come out and condemned the actions of Andrew McGrath and Darcy Parish after they blatantly disregarded social distancing laws on national television. AFL boss Gillon McLachlan has called for a thorough investigation of the hugging incident as evidence suggests that Essendon players were running around trying to hug Sydney players throughout the match. Gillon specifically referenced Anthony McDonald-Tipunwuti’s hug on Callum Mills in the first quarter. “I was in shock…I couldn’t believe the blatant hugging going on”.
- Picture taken during the first quarter of the match.
When Mills was interviewed after the match, he stated “I couldn’t believe it, Anthony was like a man possessed, he simply had to hug me. I’m not sure I can continue playing under these conditions”.
Essendon officials have refused to comment apart from this short statement by Football Manager Dan Richardson “We self reported once we realized what had happened”.
The AFL have indicated that due to these discretions, All Essendon players and staff will need to be quarantined for 14 days, meaning that they effectively forfeit the next two games against Melbourne and Carlton, and will be stripped of the existing points.
Joe Daniher is also under investigation for historical hugging incidents.
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You got me for a second you bastard
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