Over the past 2 years we have added Caldwell(pick 12), Wright(pick 8) Reid(pick 8), Cox(pick 6) ,Perkins( pick 7) ,Hobbs(pick 13).
Six first rounders in two years.
And we have recruited a bloke who belonged in the National draft in top 5 contention the way he has started in Martin.
Hobbs is #8, but he was pick 13.
Ah thanks. Still first round.
Yeah, doesn’t change your point.
The McDonagh pick gets weirder and weirder each week.
What the f*ck were we thinking??
Don’t care what we do, but keep losing whilst I’m earning coin from the rabble
This is the way.
But if we are going to play the kids, people have to accept there are likely to be more bad game results than not.
From what i can see from the Anzac Day review thread though, it doesn’t look like people are ready for that yet. Lots of people still want wins. I’ve reached acceptance and couldn’t give a ■■■■ about the rest of the season. I just want to see the kids play well and we ■■■■ off the under performing seniors.
I’m not impressed by Rutten but we just have to try something different by not getting rid of the coach yet. Let’s try shaking up the team first.
Let’s finish bottom 4, get more draft picks and turn over the list some more. The board and club need to realize that our list is ■■■■ and needs a lot of work.
Accepting the bottom of the ladder for at least 3 years (secure 3 good early top 10 picks and second round picks),
trade out or delist older players (hopefully net a respectable second round, maybe two)
consider a bombshell trade of a mid aged star (2 first round picks),
don’t match an FA bid on a mid tier player(2nd or 3rd round pick).
Aim for 4 to 5 top 10 selections inside 3 years. Aim for 5 to 6 second round selections inside of 3 years.
We’ve never done a rebuild like that in the modern national draft era.
We should have done it after the salary cap fiasco in 2001. Instead we spent 4 years topping and never even made a prelim. We thought we were a chance in 2005 but finished 13th and then second last in 06 before Sheedy again pushed for finals in 07 to save his job and we finished 12.
We could have reset then but Knights didn’t think the list was too bad and finished 12th in 08 and 8th in 09. He crashed and burned in 2010 (14th) and was sacked because we were expected to play finals and because Hird and put his hand up.
Honestly had hird come in 2011 and said we’re rebuilding give us 3 years you wouldn’t have heard to many complaints. Instead we pushed for finals, made them, and got embarassed by Carlton. We know what happened next.
As close as we’ve come to a full rebuild was 2015 and 2016 and that was basically imposed on us as a self inflicted injury but we then pushed immediately for finals as a last hurrah for several of the saga players.
We probably should have invited our best saga players to seek trades at the end of 2016. It might have given them a chance at success they never got with us and we me might have got another couple of late first rounders.
It probably also would have meant early first round picks for the next 3 years instead of the middling picks we traded away for talent that ultimately has only served to keep us middle of the pack.
Yep - we won 1 single solitary game against a good opposition last year & even then it took a game out of the bag from Wright to get there.
This is what angers me. We traded our future away so saga will players and fans had some hope which was very misplaced.
17-19 drafts had Brayshaw, Walsh, Smith, Rowell, Anderson and the Kings. Imagine 2 of those mids and a Kinh starting to mature alongside Parish, Merret and Draper.
Instead we’ve got Sheil, Smith and Stringer.
It was nearly as damaging as the saga to persue that stupid strategy. We put our selves back ten years. Probably can’t build a list quick enough now to complement Parish and Merret.
20 years since we’ve finished above 7th.
20 ■■■■■■■ years.
I don’t think I’ve been more flat about this club than I have this year, and that’s including the saga years.
When is the penny going to ■■■■■■■ drop for this club??
I’m sick and tired of watching my club look like the only team in the comp without a gameplan.
I’m sick and tired of getting more joy from footy by watching other teams play.
I’m sick and tired of the constant excuses, we’ve had 2 decades of players come through this club for zero ■■■■■■■ success. It’s pitiful. Absolutely pitiful.
Most of all, I’m sick and tired of being a crap team.
This is, without a doubt, the worst perioid our club has endured, and it pains me to see the same ■■■■ over and over and over again.
Well over half my life they have been dreadful, I don’t even know what a succesful Essendon team looks like.
We can play as many kids as we like but until we get a good system in place, this disgusting cycle will continue.
So ■■■■■■■ fed up with being a dud team.
In fairness to Jimmy, he said it would be a four year rebuild when he arrived.
I know, I’m just being that guy. Your broader point is bang on.
Wait until next week when the Doggies have driven us into the turf… that will be the low point
I thought we’d drift down the ladder this year… young team, tough draw, good midfield and backline but no forward line. Didn’t think we’d drift this far though!
Our midfield has gone backwards, our backline has gone miles backwards (we’ve got former AA backmen playing like EDFL hacks) and our forward line is still no good.
I think we will turn it around and win about 50% of our games starting from around round 9… which will leave us at 8-14 for the year and in that horrible 11-14th position on the ladder.
Next year I think we will be on the way. I’m optimistic about what we are building, I think we’ve got the bones of a good list and for the first time in 20 years I think we’ve got a competitive midfield brigade.
Hobbs, Reid, Perkins, Jones, Martin, Caldwell & Durham play as many games as possible. They get preferential selection over other players. The rest of the young guys can fight for their spot. We need a core team that has played more football together. We wont be cohesive until at least the back end of 2024, but we can at least try to fast track it. Drop older players based on form, but don’t just drop them because they’re old, we still need experience on the field. We’re going to have a pick somewhere from 3-8 in the draft, I hope we already have a shortlist of players. If we trade, only use second rounders if young players like Hill are available.
I expected us to fall again this year too, but we don’t look very competitive which is disappointing. I think our system needs a lot of work.
Make Merrett captain.
Do we really need another thread to go through this stuff again?
Maybe we should make a thread to discuss that?
Yes
The worst thing about 2022 is I would genuinely spend time in a thread like that
“Blitz won’t get better until we send Hepp to the VFL, get a gameplan, sack Dudoro, show Xav to the curb etc.”