And last year. I think they need to play on instinct a little more. They can definitely over complicate the systems.
or maybe similar to our year last year, what if as the two posters above mention that it’s the circuit breaker they needed to get the right balance ?
It does make you wonder what “going out and play more freely” actually means.
and why it couldn’t be achieved with previous coaches.
Because going out and playing more freely will work for a couple of weeks and then the opposition (good ones) will work it out.
We are apparently playing more freely at the moment and we are 5-6
Au contraire, Knights had players achieving it on an almost weekly basis. I’m pretty sure he was thiiiis close to taking us to a Grand Final.
I wonder whether the increased player churn these days (with free agency, more mature age pickups, more cheap trades etc) has forced clubs into somewhat simpler game plans.
And whether Carlton (and us and maybe Dogs) have been caught out with this.
This is when look like a “rabble”
When that happens, my guess is that darkknightphoenix will come slinking back to EFC.
I suppose this is a good a place as any to post this seeming there is some relevance to what has been said here.
Just finished watching the 1993 GF.
We actually monstered Fark Carlton and squashed them like cockroaches. They had no answers for our dominating style of football. Silvagni became a second class player that day as did Williams and many of their team mates. The only Fark Carlton player to stand up was Kernahan with 7 goals but even that did not seem like much.
Long was on fire all day toying with the opposition and fully deserved the NS medal.
What I noticed most was the ferocity that we used to play with. The spinning out of trouble, the intelligent taps to advantage…etc
We have lost this and even though we can argue the game has changed, it seems so apparent how the skill level has dropped dramatically and we do not use this type of play to our advantage anymore.
The hunger for the ball was enormous and the second and third tries by individual players to win the ball and sometimes succeed was a joy to watch. The tenacity was outstanding.
I really wonder whether any team nowadays could really beat that Essendon team of 1993 the way they played that GF day.
I reckon they would outplay almost any team of the modern era and probably do it convincingly too. They may not be as fit but they were a hell of a lot stronger and would be so far in front that it wouldn’t matter if they came out in the last quarter and still win the game - they would all be at the bar having a beer and watching the last quarter on their i-phones. I wonder how many opposition players would be left to go out in the last quarter anyway because surely quite a large number of them would have been so battered that they would have stayed in their rooms after half time too scared to come out.
Go Bombers and may we see us play with such power and domination again.
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Yep.
And herein lies the rub. People by virtue of 15 years of hope without reward won’t wait any longer to see that balance found.
Very richmondy
When you give away 3 first round picks for ready made players, not making the finals isn’t an option.
Putting down 2 first round picks for Shiel, is the first time in a long time the club has gone ‘all in’ on a season.
And we have crumbled to pieces under that expectation.
If we don’t make the finals at seasons end… most of the coaching and fitness team will be sacked. You can’t justify it any other way.
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Fixed.
While not making the finals would be a pretty cruddy (understatement) result for the year. We haven’t gone all in on the season and this season alone. The 4 players we got are all of the same age demographic and all being mid 20’s have plenty of seasons left. Where that ends up who knows, but this year wasn’t ever going to be our 1 and only tilt at it.
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I think we saw that kind of ferocity with the finals campaigns of Bulldogs 2016, Tigers 2017, even Pies in their Prelim last year.
Every GF winner is ferocious. But its hard to maintain that level of willpower for 22 rounds (There’s been a few “superteams” able to do this).
I think realistically, you need a good enough system to string wins together during the year in order to make top four, then you you need to be able to switch on manic intensity in time for finals.
We finished last year with intensity approaching September levels, but without having enough wins to feature in September. This year, we’re two wins short of where we need to be (StK & Sydney); time will tell whether we lift the intensity after the bye.
Could not agree more !
This is flagrant plagiarism of what I’ve been saying all year 
We have gone balls in and almost given up on young future talent for believing our window is now.
Anything less than finals and a finals win as a minimum is a wasted season(again). I can’t believe how we even think a finals win is a win with this list, - we should be aiming for much much more.
Unfortunately a lot of us have accepted mediocrity but given we have been a nothing team for 18 years now, it’s understandable.
Anyone who thinks otherwise really should take their red and black glasses off.
Great job on summarising our situation so succinctly.
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I wouldn’t think giving up a a couple of first round picks picks with a second round back for a 26 yr old All Aust = going all in for a season. He’s hopefully got about 7 to come.
Will one flag sometime over the next 7 years satisfy our desire for a premiership?
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The desires/expectations differ greatly in here but I’d take it in a heartbeat.
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I want 7 in a row!
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flags are hard to get - well for some teams they are. For others not so. We use to be in the latter camp.
Trying to put aside the last nearly 20 years since our previous success, then to know we’d get one in the next 7, you have to say yes and be happy with it. It fells like you have to take THE opportunity when it’s “your turn” otherwise it may be a long wait to get back to have another crack.
Geez he wasn’t giving much in the presser today and was very edgy.
Feeling the pressure I reckon.
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