I think we need to get the old ad up and running again.
Do whatever it takes lads! Fix the club!
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Hirds txt message âHawthorn I hate them more then anythingâ
Hawks and Essendon 1st vs 2nd rnd 18 then saga happened
Thanks AFL you scum bucket of an organization
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Not with 5 years of consecutive bottom 4 finishes.
Thatâs only because they nailed their later picks.
Have thought for a while about whether to and indeed how to answer this. Whilst Iâm no longer involved for some reason I still feel obligated to keep shtum publicly and not tell any negative truths - but I also donât like seeing incorrect information passed around on these sort of things.
Probably the kindest way I can put it without getting into detail it is that VFL people were not made a high priority in the key postseason signing period as the club had a fair bit of other stuff going on, and as a result many who had considered returning even after a very difficult season then chose otherwise. It was a frustrating period for those of us who were fighting to try to hold things together. The program was unfortunately always likely to struggle this year after that point - so as far back as early last October - itâs virtually impossible to bring in an entirely new playing group from scratch and be competitive straight away at that level, ideally you want to be returning 20-25 players a season particularly when youâre a young developing group as ours was. It was disappointing, some good people left feeling pretty bad. Câest la vie.
I should clarify that retaining those players wasnât Adrianâs job as I saw suggested elsewhere, and that Matt Rosa hadnât really yet started in his role at that point.
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So whoâs job was it & why was it made such a low priority?
Some were coming back from injury and held from due to being on rehab programs of recovering from surgery.
Others may not have had funds
Others likely had family commitments and children that not tending to after a season on the road and wives sick of carrying the load
They are human and do deserve down time
And cotries and others with a vested interest that does not align with Essendon success.
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I agree that Collingwood were the most connected and not the most talented and I also thought a fit Stringer could be a De Goey but I am now convinced this is not the case. Stringer has no tank, De Goey does, Stringer looks like De Goey when he is trying to burst through tackles but has none of the deft touch by hand or foot of De Goey or his vision.
I stand by my opinion that if we can become a connected side like Collingwood we could win a final but to win premierships we need to find a De Goey, a Daicos, a Moore and a Hill and even then a lot would need to go our way, like it did for Collingwood last year.
Itâs the same every year. Iâm sick of calling this out (with development) as the clubs biggest issues. It seemingly acts like itâs all just bad lack and prays for better luck next year. Itâs not bad lack. Itâs bad management. Careers are being ruined. Clubs future prospects and development stalled. Itâs an annual event!
They have a list strategy. Defensively, Ridley, Reid and Mc Kay. Itâs a terrific backline to build next 10 years around. It should be among best backline in AFL in 2-3 years. But reality, Ridley possibly done. Ruined. Ridley, they canât get him fit. Becoming real concern now. They show lack of interest in BZT, he walks and will be possibly greatly missed as result.
Ditto midfield. Parish is a watch, two years of soft tissues. Setters breaks once fit.
All so frustrating. Until this club gets to bottom of whatâs driving its fitness and conditioning shortcomings, feeding directly into its broader development program failures, Club wonât improve.
We can recruit all the talent in the world, in theory⌠But if they arrive, get on injury treadmill and not develop in EFC system, what does it matter who they recruit?
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Lol, (1) you assume we would select correctly at the draft and (2) we will develop these young players into stars. Sure.
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Wasnât this misstep the same misstep allegedly committed by Xavier / Mahoney regime after Richardson departure left vacuum in footy dept a few years ago? Iâm sure we had a similar lack of focus around this time that led to the same decimated program 2/3 years agoâŚ
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Yep.
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So, that appears on Vozzo et all. So much for âFootball focussedâ.
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Iâd like to say that Essendon is a fantastically run club in all areas other than actual footballing.
Alas, weâre not even thatâŚ
Barham is starting to look like (yet another) man of half-measures.
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So whoâs job was it to retain VFL players and why was it completely neglected? Seems like complete failure of duty and something that should have consequences. Glossing over mismanagement like this is the essence of poor culture.
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Defensively we suck balls.
Scott identified it and said it himself.
Sydney transitioned with ease.
Port - their two prime movers in Butters and Rozee average 25% more possessions against Essendon than any other side.
The club wonât be any good until it smartens up defensively.
Ironically we are led by one of the best individuals in Merrett. We just need his application and discipline as a team.
Lyon would have been a better fit than Scott on record as coach but theres nothing to suggest Brad still canât do likewise.
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Shouldnât it all fall on the Football Operations Manager?
âNot made a high priorityâ. Thereâs the first cultural issue.
Why would you want to stay with a club who treats you as ânot a high priority?â
Everyone wants to feel wanted.
Failure all round still going on, 10 years after the start of all the reviews.
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Essendonâs kryptonite is expectation.
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