Bombers !!!!! Where are they heading?

[Daytripper]

I'm not wrong that you really havent beaten anybody apart from us in the past two months, and offsetting that win was a loss to Richmond.

Mate - don't flatter yourself. Collingwood are part of the crap teams we beat as well.

Looking at the draw Essendon could finish above Collingwood.
Wouldn't that make this thread ironic ?

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Mate - don't flatter yourself. Collingwood are part of the crap teams we beat as well.

Looking at the draw Essendon could finish above Collingwood.
Wouldn't that make this thread ironic ?

Dont make the thread about Collingwood. You know the rules. Read the thread, I admit I'm not sure how good we are. We could end up back with you and we could end up with the double chance. We have the same problem as Essendon, albeit a year or two more advanced. A lot of faith invested in youth, faith that could easily become unstuck if the senior players dont carry their weight.

 

[Thrust]

Without watching any of the games I looked at Essendons draft numbers and saw they only had 1 top 5 pick in the last decade and that guy's injured (soft spud). I mean I go for them and all but I'm really worried because of how essendon has been held up by it's senior players who will retire soon. If you don't believe me fellow essendon fans look at this extensive list.

GAMES WON BY LLOYD, LUCAS, FLETCHER, MICHAEL, JASON JOHNSON AND DAMIEN PEVERILL - THE SHOCKING TRUTH

Round 17 Essendon Versus Melbourne
Lloyd kicks 8 goals

tough times ahead.

 

[Longy413]

Cant see why Bombers fans keep getting hung up on the "past two months".

In the past eight weeks they have played teams placed 16th, 15th (twice), 13th, 11th (and lost), 10th, 9th and 7th.

How selective of you.

If you want to use form as your guide, then please tell us where Carlton, Brisbane, Collingwood were placed when we played them.

Although I expect you to ignore me again, it's easier that way.

 

[Windas_Magic]

I'm expecting we'll finish between 6th-10th next year, depending on injuries and how our younger players can peform.
We do have some decent talent coming through, and we're not relying on Lloyd, Lucas, Michael and Fletcher as much as we have been in the last few years.
Our drafting has been extrememly good in the past three or so years and i think we're building a good list for the future.
This being said, we're still at least 3 years away from challenging for a premiership.

 

[South of the Yarra]

Thanks to those that made great contributions to this thread. Please be reminded that this is not a thread to compare Collingwood and Essendon. Stick to the Bombers and your thoughts on them for 2009.

 

[Red Black and Blue]

So much of Essendon's future relies on a good run with injuries next year. Especially those of Scott Lucas and Scott Gumbleton.

A lot of Knights game plan revolves around having a marking target outside 50, this year we have only won 2 games (Melbourne and Carlton) out of our 8 wins without a genuine CHF. For Essendon's success next year and beyond, one of Lucas or Gumbleton will have to be fit constantly and playing well.

With such a large bunch of kids at the club our main priority is to get game time into them. It is of the utmost importance Dempsey, Gumbleton, Myers, Houli, Reimers, Jetta, Neagle, Lonergan, Pears, Monfries, Hislop and Hocking all get close to 22 games each into them, if they don't we could be dwelling no man's land for another 2-3 years.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

for those that hate, it's going to be a tough time.

Essendon are on the up, big time.

Some of the best youngsters in the league, a dynamic young coach, a core of older champions to show the youngsters how it's done; and just as importantly, a culture of success. We don't tank at Napier Street.

We'll get another top 5-7 draft pick this year to continue the march.

We can't possibly have the same luck with injuries next year, so expect a fired up, lightning quick, skillful Essendon to storm into the top 8 next year.

I can't wait. Give it 2-4 years when this current young crop mature, and we'll be challenging for the flag.

I predict another Essendon/Carlton GF within the next 3-5 years

 

[Jaymin]

We can't win. At the start of the season, most people on here thought we were going to finish bottom 2 with a few wins. We have won 8 and now we are costing ourselves priority picks?

Considering the availability of our list this season i am rapt with what we have done. With a fit list next season, i reckon we could have a very good crack at the top 8.

BTW, love your work South of the Yarra! You are the ultimate puppetmaster. Put up threads that you know your little Collingwood trolls won't be able to help themselves with.

 

[South of the Yarra]

We can't win. At the start of the season, most people on here thought we were going to finish bottom 2 with a few wins. We have won 8 and now we are costing ourselves priority picks?

Considering the availability of our list this season i am rapt with what we have done. With a fit list next season, i reckon we could have a very good crack at the top 8.

BTW, love your work South of the Yarra! You are the ultimate puppetmaster. Put up threads that you know your little Collingwood trolls won't be able to help themselves with.

Thanks for the compliment but off the mark. I actually put forward an opinion where I admitted that I had read the Bombers wrong this year. Hey, you just can't win.

 

[Big Blow Hard]

Thanks for the compliment but off the mark. I actually put forward an opinion where I admitted that I had read the Bombers wrong this year. Hey, you just can't win.

SOTY, Thanks for the attempt to start a reasonable thread. I respect where you are coming from. It's a pity, as usual, that these threads are always hijacked . BTW, The next ANZAC day clash is ours.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

Cant see why Bombers fans keep getting hung up on the "past two months".

In the past eight weeks they have played teams placed 16th, 15th (twice), 13th, 11th (and lost), 10th, 9th and 7th. So of the bottom sides Port is the only team they have not faced in the past two months. Its been an ideal draw for youngsters to go out and get a kick against weak opposition, some of whom are patently tanking.

So they have only beaten one "good team" - Collingwood - and its arguable about how good our team is. Next three weeks they face three top eight teams.

Their overall performance is that they are placed 13th and most unlikely to go any higher. They have a far worse percentage than some of their peers on the ladder. Most pundits had them bottom four a the start of the year - as it turns out they are bottom five. So they placed not much higher than predicted.

Really?

Are Melbourne, who busted a gut all day against us, tanking?
West Coast who beat us?
Fremantle, who have won enough games recently, despite there being nothing to play for, to avoid the priority pick?
Carlton who are on the cusp of the eight?
Richmond ditto?
Brisbane ditto?
Collingwood who are in the eight?

They are the teams we have played since we started winning again? Which ones are tanking?

You can try to undermine our wins all you like, but the fact remains that we have won six of our last eight, with a good chunk of out first team out, and on the back of kids like Lonergan, Jetta, Reimers, Ryder, Stanton, Monfries.

You're really struggling in this thread mate.

 

[Nathan Q Brown]

essendon have been spirited and promising of late - however their effort in the first half when a finals place was on offer was simply lamentable and shows that when the game gets serious they have a way to go.for all the noise over the last few weeks I expect that they will have improved marginally on last year and have a long way still to go. progress will take a set back when the old fogies shuffle off in the next year or so

 

[Tambu]

essendon have been spirited and promising of late - however their effort in the first half when a finals place was on offer was simply lamentable and shows that when the game gets serious they have a way to go.for all the noise over the last few weeks I expect that they will have improved marginally on last year and have a long way still to go.

Just like Collingwood against us and North when a top 4 spot was up for grabs. Or like St.Kilda against your mob. Our team is a very young one, we had 3 players come in yesterday with 12 games experience between them. Inconsistency is expected with young teams.

progress will take a set back when the old fogies shuffle off in the next year or so

So our young guys won't get better in that time?

 

[Jesse Custer]

for those that hate, it's going to be a tough time.

Essendon are on the up, big time.

Some of the best youngsters in the league, a dynamic young coach, a core of older champions to show the youngsters how it's done; and just as importantly, a culture of success. We don't tank at Napier Street.

We'll get another top 5-7 draft pick this year to continue the march.

We can't possibly have the same luck with injuries next year, so expect a fired up, lightning quick, skillful Essendon to storm into the top 8 next year.

I can't wait. Give it 2-4 years when this current young crop mature, and we'll be challenging for the flag.

I predict another Essendon/Carlton GF within the next 3-5 years

That was a great post Lance

but we haven't bottomed out yet.

 

[shoe]

Sorry to take that feeling away from you but we were never going to make it anyway.

Probably.. but we killed the hope

 

[Bestbird]

They have had an ordinary run with injuries so it is a little hard to judge them against some other clubs on the fringe of the 8 in terms of where they are heading

They certainly have addressed the pace problem with the drafting in recent years and Paddy Ryder looks to be a very promising KPP in the defensive area.

The downside in regards to pushing for a regular finals birth in the coming years is the oft mentioned age of the key position players in Lloyd, Fletcher, Lucas and Michael.

Gumbleton could be a star if he can overcome injuries but outside of Ryder, the only developing players 192 cm or taller on the list are Hooker and Lee

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

How selective of you.

If you want to use form as your guide, then please tell us where Carlton, Brisbane, Collingwood were placed when we played them.

Although I expect you to ignore me again, it's easier that way.

Ladder positon is a cumulative thing over the whole season. Current ladder position is the best indication of the quality of teams you have beaten over the past eight weeks.

 

[Big Blow Hard]

Ladder positon is a cumulative thing over the whole season. Current ladder position is the best indication of the quality of teams you have beaten over the past eight weeks.

Depends where you were on the ladder 8 weeks ago.

 

[Animosity1989]

I don't get that. Its like saying its not a good sign that Franklin kicked 8 goals because nobody else kicked a bag either.

If Lloyd has taken 10 marks up until 3/4 time is Knights supposed to take him off the ground and say "Thats enough mate. Time to let the younger ones take charge now."

Besides which Lonergan, Stanton, Monfries, Ryder, Reimers have all consistently been in our best players for probably the last two months now.

Franklin is only 21 and the future of the club, he is complimented by Roughead who is also 21 and the future of the club. We are not in a re-building faze and these are not old players that will be gone by the time we are ready to challenge for a premiership. So your example is completely out of context to my point.

Of course knights doesn't say that and it's not a bad thing if Matthew Lloyd boots 8. My point was that no one else at Essendon looks like they have any potential to do that sort of thing later on in there careers.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

Franklin is only 21 and the future of the club, he is complimented by Roughead who is also 21 and the future of the club. We are not in a re-building faze and these are not old players that will be gone by the time we are ready to challenge for a premiership. So your example is completely out of context to my point.

Of course knights doesn't say that and it's not a bad thing if Matthew Lloyd boots 8. My point was that no one else at Essendon looks like they have any potential to do that sort of thing later on in there careers.

Then you haven't watched enough games. Neagle and Gumbleton both have the potential to be elite key forwards.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Depends where you were on the ladder 8 weeks ago.

So back in Round 2 did ladder position of your opponent mean anything? Or Round 3? At what point in the season does it mean anything?

The current ladder which represents the entire season to date, tells us Essendon played weak teams during the past eight weeks. Thats unequivocal and I cant understand why everybody seems to be arguing the point.

 

[The Dustbin]

So back in Round 2 did ladder position of your opponent mean anything? Or Round 3? At what point in the season does it mean anything?

The current ladder which represents the entire season to date, tells us Essendon played weak teams during the past eight weeks. Thats unequivocal and I cant understand why everybody seems to be arguing the point.

So you've finally admitted that Collingwood are a weak team. Bravo.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

So you've finally admitted that Collingwood are a weak team. Bravo.

Read the thread, Wally, and stick to the topic.

 

[Thrust]

Gumbleton could be a star if he can overcome injuries but outside of Ryder, the only developing players 192 cm or taller on the list are Hooker and Lee

Pears, Daniher, Neagle