SA Footy

Honestly they think they are doing well this year. Realistically each win they have takes them that bit further away from being a premiership threat in years to come.

Sheedy knows he needs to get Essendon to the finals to keep his job. The only way to do that is to rely on blokes like Hird, Lucas and Lloyd who are at the end of their careers. The best players in the Essendon side are just about finished and once they go that side has the potential to be a rabble.

So what are you suggesting they should do r_r?
Not play to their best? Throw a few games? Finish bottom and get some priority picks?

I think now that Big Mal is FB it leaves Fletcher to do more floating around.

The Bombers have surprised me, like everyone else, getting to 8-5 after round 13. Maybe they are relying on some veteran stars but there's also some useful young talent coming through. Better to have the juniors learn off the old-guys playing in a competitive side rather than have to go through a 1-3 win season or two like Carlton.

Surprising Essendon

Winning against the top four teams from last year.
Finding some youngsters with real pace.

Unsurprising Essendon

Again topping with older players. Having said that the selection of Michael has proven to be a winner freeing up Fletcher.
Getting kissed on the dick with umpires at crucial times. Yeah, it all evens out but fair dinkum just how lucky can Arsendon be this year?


Summation

An improved effort on last year but again this is unsurprising as last season was the worst at Bomberland in seven decades. Look at the best players and it is still Lloyd, Fletcher, Lucas, Hird. Laycock has come on a treat though but the midfield still doesn't look that scary to me. Playing some good footy but 8-5 is severely flattering.

regards,

REB

Would be interested in peoples thoughts but I believe Lucas has gone past Lloyd as the better forward, who would have thought???

Dutchy wrote:Would be interested in peoples thoughts but I believe Lucas has gone past Lloyd as the better forward, who would have thought???

Lucas is at worst Lloyd's equal now, and could probably lay claim to being Essendon's #1 key forward now. Lucas is possibly helped by having Lloyd drag at least 1 good defender away from Lucas.

Ian wrote:

Dutchy wrote:Would be interested in peoples thoughts but I believe Lucas has gone past Lloyd as the better forward, who would have thought???

Lucas is at worst Lloyd's equal now, and could probably lay claim to being Essendon's #1 key forward now. Lucas is possibly helped by having Lloyd drag at least 1 good defender away from Lucas.

Lloyd is coming off a year out of the game too.

pafc1870 wrote:Lloyd is coming off a year out of the game too.

True,but it's now 13 weeks into the season. Lloyd is doing alright, but I think Lucas has been better.

rod_rooster wrote:Honestly they think they are doing well this year. Realistically each win they have takes them that bit further away from being a premiership threat in years to come.

Sheedy knows he needs to get Essendon to the finals to keep his job. The only way to do that is to rely on blokes like Hird, Lucas and Lloyd who are at the end of their careers. The best players in the Essendon side are just about finished and once they go that side has the potential to be a rabble.

I would say 8-5 is doing well considering where they were last year...Maybe every team bar Geelong and West Coast should start thinking about losing the rest of their games and play for draft picks rather than give their younger players valuable experience of winning against some of the better sides and winning tight games and maybe even play finals... yeah im LMAO too...

Ian wrote:

Dutchy wrote:Lucas is possibly helped by having Lloyd drag at least 1 good defender away from Lucas.

Fair point, but Lucas had a similarly good season last year when the Bombers were pretty much Lloydless.

8-5 is doing well but keep in mind they have won 4 games by 2 points or less. I would say they are slightly lucky not to be 4-9 but at the end of the year the ladder says they won the games.

Lucas> lloyd imo, based purely on this season anway.

Armytank wrote:8-5 is doing well but keep in mind they have won 4 games by 2 points or less. I would say they are slightly lucky not to be 4-9 but at the end of the year the ladder says they won the games.

than again if they had lost those games by 2 points or less I would say they would've been unlucky not to be 8-5

Given that they are sitting at 8-5 above both Port and Kangaroos on percentage, I think it's a fair reward that they are where they are.
I mean if they were 4-9 and with a percentage of 101% who could honestly say that they deserved to be sitting at 14th on the ladder????...
Coming from a Demons supporter, this is hard to admit.... our 4 losses of less than 10 points are extremely disappointing (unlucky???), but if we were 6-7 instead of 2-11 with a percentage of 79% it would be hard to suggest we were a real threat....

Tonight against the cats, Hird tore his calf, depending on the grade of the tare, and given his age, this can be a 6 weeks injury, Davey also broke his arm, 2 huge losses and a tough month in front of the bombers

I can already hear the club blaming injuries and Sheeds gets another year

From here, Essendon will find it tough to make the 8

It's a tough month ahead, the Bombers have to play the Bulldogs, Collingwood, Adelaide and Hawthorn, with two trips to Perth in the final run home

Those close wins may still see them through gees they should be down with the saints and freo. Two games Richmond and sydney were handed to them on a platter by umpys. Their wheels fell off when they were flayed by port.