Out - Ham, Guelfi, Draper
In, Waterman, Hobbs, Bryan
Guelfi Sub
Hobbs has to debut after that performance and Waterman is exactly what we are lacking up forward at the moment, a genuine forward with goal nous. Something ham and Guelfi do not have.
As much as I rate Draper as a prospect I think we have to send a message to the group that those performances aren’t good enough and Bryan performed strongly in the VFL. The other option is to drop Draper for Baldwin and let Philips ruck alone.
Who says we will limp into 8th. Maybe we will, maybe we won’t. But you don’t throw in the towel and blow everything up after round 3.
You can still play young guys and get experience into players AND try everything possible to win
You have to keep fighting and clawing to improve, we aren’t good enough to beat Brisbane,Geelong and Melbourne yet. But who knows if we could be good enough to beat them come the end of the season.
We are a young side who is lacking a bit of confidence and missing some key players. Win a few games and you can get some momentum and confidence, and when you have momentum you can really start to make improvements quite quickly.
We have been very competitive with both Brisbane and Melbourne all while fielding inexperienced, weakened teams. Surely that has to be taken as a small step forward when looking at the big picture
Cox (ankle), Jones (ankle) and Snelling (calf) were all described as “short term” on the Club website on March 29. I’d reckon on another week if not a fortnight for all of them.
Snelling and Cox should be available for selection this week dependant on fitness tests.
Jones I’d imagine will come back through the VFL given he had such an interrupted pre season.
Assuming Cox and Snelling don’t make it I’d go with:
Lav BZT Kelly
Hind Ridley Heppell
Cutler Shiel Durham
Caldwell Baldwin Martin
Stringer 2MP Tex
Phillips McG Parish
IC: Hobbs Guelfi Bryan Perkins
Medic: Smith
For me, you have to reward those banging the door down for a game and this one coming up with Crows is worth doing. Draper, Stewart, Redman all need a bit of time out to work on their game and confidence (maybe VFL). They’ll be back at some point
Don’t know where Francis is at the moment (injured, managed?) hence leaving him out of the mix. Waterman just misses
ANNOUNCE: topdon
Although I might rather be at the F1.
After seeing VFL yesterday surely Waterman has to come in - Im a little baffled as to why he hasnt played this year given the state of our forward line…CHF a gaping hole for us also - so if Cox is available I’d like to see him play there and at least compete and bring the ball to ground. It might free him up a bit rather than just running up and down a wing - just play him there until Jones is back. Hobbs has to offer more than Ham surely…?? I’d also like to see Hind played as a small pressure forward - he might do well there with his pace…
OUT: Ham, Guelfi, Redman (SUB)
IN: Hobbs, Waterman, Cox
Team;-
Laverde Stewart Kelly
Cutler Ridley McGrath
Durham Shiel Martin
Perkins Cox Stringer
Waterman 2MP Hind
Phillips Caldwell Parish
Bench: Heppell Hobbs Wanga Draper
SUB: Redman
Why is Cox an automatic in?? Out - Draper. Please lord 
. Bring in Hobbs!!
I don’t think Cox is an ‘automatic’ IN, but we need some tall timber up forward and with Jones out and Francis missing he fits the bill
As Smithy was dropped, I see you’re now down to Heppell and Stewart as players who by getting a game, represent in your head, all that is wrong with EFC.
Rutten and the A team coaching panel will really earn their money this year. After a relatively dream run last year, low expectation, lots of exciting moments, a conducive and easily recognisable game plan that the players were able to execute. It has all come tumbling back to earth in the first3 rounds. We look a hollow shell of the side that played last year, very difficult to recognise a sustainable style of play, our defence looks under siege and decision making is costing us an avalanche of goals………to be honest, Rutten looks a little shell shocked, he will need to get his feet under him real quick, cos even though I can’t see us impacting on the ladder this year, we can create the building blocks to future success and he and the A team must not miss the opportunity to do that……that is their challenge now…find the right players for the right positions, identify the holes that need filling and by round 23 this year know exactly how to fix the problem we have been suffering from for the last 20years
Because I don’t presume to speak for all Essendon supporters but I am well and truly sick to death of this roller coaster
There will be changes made this week that will only improve on Fridays performance.
apparently you do that after rd 4 ? if you lose, wow that’s one big ■■■ difference in a week.
In: Ken Hinkley
Out: Ben Rutten
If you go 0-4, you do then change your goals for the season and focus becomes more on next year
I wouldn’t expect big changes this week.
I’d still like to see zerk ahead of Stewart but it won’t happen after that game
Selection pressure is on ham (who was better), hepp and redman. They’ll give hepp at least another game to get it right.
Not sure they rush Snelling straight back in.
Would like to see Hobbs, offers a better contest than we’re getting from a few.
Don’t think Waterman should come in, we’d be sacrificing run in the form of ham or guelfi to do it.
Philips should hold his spot, the structure looked better. Draper is struggling but I don’t see a reason to drop him for Bryan at this stage.
If anything it will be redman for Hobbs or Cox I reckon.
Kelly lav Stewart
Hind Ridley Cutler
Martin parish Durham
Draper McGrath Shiel
Perkins Phillips guelfi
Tex Wright stringer
Hepp Caldwell ham Cox/Hobbs - Redman
I’d like to think though that within a few weeks the side will be this
Kelly lav zerk
Hind Ridley Redman
Martin parish Durham
Draper McGrath Shiel
Perkins Phillips snelling
Tex Wright stringer
Hepp Caldwell Cox Hobbs - Cutler
With Jones putting pressure on Phillips/Draper and Merrett/langford still a month away
Hep isn’t getting dropped anytime soon, if at all, unless he does it himself. Dropping a captain is unprecedented, dropping Conoglio was the exception, and from memory there were reports that his teammates were ■■■■■■ at the decision to drop him. Can’t kill morale like that, you gotta back him in.
Yeah ya can’t kill morale 
.
We’re going for 0-7.
Your view on the changes disappoint and deflate me.
It doesn’t matter what changes we make.
We all suck and don’t deserve nice things.