Jim HIRD! Crichton Medal Winner!

[DapperDon]

The rest of ur post was waffle.

Thread is about Essendon's B&F, acknowledged that Hird was a deserving winner and a champion. But the make up of the top must be slightly worrying for even the most optimistic bombers fan......it was the same old names that have been getting the job done at the dons since the early 00s.....hardly a changing of the gaurd like most clubs are seeing, and yet with all of the senior champions putting in solid seasons, the dons still finished 12th.

If that isn't a worrying sign moving forward i dont know what is?

If for instance the pies finished 12th and our best players were Buckley, Clement, Wakelin, Rocca, Licca, Burns, Presti id be filthy and genuinely concerned about the future prospects of the club!

we'll be crap next year, that's for sure. But if you honestly think that we'll be down for 15 years because we didn't draft well from 00-03 then you really need to get an understanding of the game. This year is the first time for a while I don't feel anxious for the future, we are cutting loose ties with the part time players in Heff, Campo and Bolts and i'm sure there will be more to come, it's a fresh start but is what needs to be done. Essendon need to go down the Hawthorn line and just start all over, we got some great potential in last years draft and have a few others from previous drafts.

But just because we have these "kids", shouldn't also mean we stop playing Lloyd, Luas and Fletcher just because they are over 30 these guys are in the perfect position to teach the youngsters the ropes of FB, CHB, CHF and FF. Just ask Ryder what he thinks of having Mal and Dustin next to him in the back line or ask Gumby what it's like to learn the ropes off Scotty and Lloyd, perhaps if Trav had somebody who could kick straight he'd too learn how, then again he is a Cloke.

 

[doppleganger]

we'll be crap next year, that's for sure. But if you honestly think that we'll be down for 15 years because we didn't draft well from 00-03 then you really need to get an understanding of the game. This year is the first time for a while I don't feel anxious for the future, we are cutting loose ties with the part time players in Heff, Campo and Bolts and i'm sure there will be more to come, it's a fresh start but is what needs to be done. Essendon need to go down the Hawthorn line and just start all over, we got some great potential in last years draft and have a few others from previous drafts.

But just because we have these "kids", shouldn't also mean we stop playing Lloyd, Luas and Fletcher just because they are over 30 these guys are in the perfect position to teach the youngsters the ropes of FB, CHB, CHF and FF. Just ask Ryder what he thinks of having Mal and Dustin next to him in the back line or ask Gumby what it's like to learn the ropes off Scotty and Lloyd, perhaps if Trav had somebody who could kick straight he'd too learn how, then again he is a Cloke.

So it seems we share the same thinking?

Who can look further ahead than 08, cant see the dons doing much next year, and u agree.

And i also agree that having quality senior players around the club helps the young kids develop much quicker, certainly been the case at the pies anyway! and may be a reason why our kids look further developed than the likes of Carlton and Richmond.

Not sure y u got ur knickers in a twist when u also dont see the dons doing much in 08?

 

[DapperDon]

So it seems we share the same thinking?

Who can look further ahead than 08, cant see the dons doing much next year, and u agree.

And i also agree that having quality senior players around the club helps the young kids develop much quicker, certainly been the case at the pies anyway! and may be a reason why our kids look further developed than the likes of Carlton and Richmond.

Not sure y u got ur knickers in a twist when u also dont see the dons doing much in 08?

you were babbling on about how our kids are no good, not that they'll be no good next year then become good just straight out no good.

that's all i was argueing. then yourself and the Collingwood brigade seemed to turn it into an Us vs Them thread (as per usual)

 

[GoDons]

It astounds me as to why it's such a bad sign that Hird won.

He had a very good year, he was unlucky not to make the All-Australian 40, and he would've been around about the top 5 in any other club's B&F witht the exception of Geelong.

The way some of you are going on, it's as though Scott Gumbleton should've been expected to take it out.

The thing is, most B&Fs are contested by older players.

Adelaide's will most likely be won by McLeod (31) with Goodwin (31) and Edwards (31) being around the mark.
Simon Black (28) and Nigel Lappin (31) will feature stringly for Brisbane.
Tarkyn Lockyer (28) will start favourite for Collingwood.
Peter Bell (31) will be one of Pavlich's major rivals.
Shane Crawford (33) will get up there Hawthorn.
Brent Harvey (29) and Adam Simpson (31) would be the favourites for the Kangaroos.
James McDonald (31) easily won for Melbourne.
Chad Cornes (28), Peter Burgoyne (29) and Brendan Lade (31) will faeture for Port.
Richo (32) won Richmond's award and Joel Bowden (29) wasn't too far away.
Robert Harvey (36) will be prominent at St. Kilda.
Brett Kirk (31) would be very close to Sydney's best.
Brad Johnson (31) and Scott West (33) were both top 3 for the Bulldogs.

Yep, Hird won't be there next year. But a number of those names aren't too far from retirement.

Whilst Essendon shouldn't be expected to do big things next year as it will be the first year for a few of our youngsters in the best 22, as they grow as a unit, we'll be just fine.

It should not be forgotten that half the top 10 was 26 or younger and should be around as our next generation come through. Matthew Lloyd will probably play for another 4 or so seasons as well.

 

[Giggidy Giggidy]

At Collingwood we move on. We dont have seventeen consecutive farewell games and ticker tape parades and standing ovations.

Why would you? They didn't win you any flags.

 

[superstar]

Surprised Sheedy didn't come equal first.

What a load of sentimental horse shit. Essendon are going nowhere and will spend the next decade reflecting on Hird and Sheedy.

Lucas was robbed.

 

[DapperDon]

Surprised Sheedy didn't come equal first.

What a load of sentimental horse shit. Essendon are going nowhere and will spend the next decade reflecting on Hird and Sheedy.

Lucas was robbed.

why do you feel Lucas was robbed? which games did he get robbed in and which games did Hird get sentimental votes?

 

[doppleganger]

you were babbling on about how our kids are no good, not that they'll be no good next year then become good just straight out no good.

I just mentioned that having so many of the same names in the top 10 cant be good for the future, means that the kids aren't stepping up into important roles within the team.

Surely it would have been better to see Ryder, Davey, Slattery, Monfries, Bradley etc in the top 10 instead of blokes like Peverill.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

It astounds me as to why it's such a bad sign that Hird won..

Its not. Good on him.

But it IS a bad sign that along with Hird winning, the other nine high vote getters included seven or eight players who are never going to get any better.

 

[nomad]

Hird winning at this age is comparable to Wayne Campbell winning seven b&f's at Richmond. Great result, but against weak opposition.

Where do you rate Buckleys 6 (?) Copelands then.

 

[GoDons]

Hird winning at this age is comparable to Wayne Campbell winning seven b&f's at Richmond. Great result, but against weak opposition.

Arguably tougher competition than Collingwood.

He had an All-Australian team member and another player nominated for the All-Australian team to compete with.

 

[jacko57]

Good to see a champion bow out on a high note.

 

[Chewy]

Gee sorry, Chewy, I didn't realise we had to be 100% precise in our posts. Hell, for a guy with Campbell Brown as his avatar I'd be suprised if anything you say is accurate or honest!?!?!

Hird was 152 games into a 253 game career.

So he was 60.08% of his way through his career when the Champions of Essendon rocess commenced.

And yes, when considering his subsequent 6 seasons I beleive he would now be voted as #1 if they updated it today.

Well, he was 11 years into his 16 year career and he'd probably peaked when he hoisted the cup and won the Norm Smith in 2000.

I'm just surprised that some Essendon fans rate him as their club's best ever.
I suppose he's the best in recent memory so that counts for a lot. He certainly didn't decline too much in later years - he played great footy to the end.

It's all subjective, each to their own, but he's definitely been a great champion and let me reiterate, it's an amazing feat for him to miss five games and win the Chrichton in his final season, aged 34.

I'm sick of the sight of him with all his farewells and the media love-fest, but he's been a true ornament to the game.
He'd be up there with Simon Madden and Terry Daniher as the Essendon footballers I've had the greatest admiration for.

 

[Chambo]

another award just for showing up!

Who is this Co(k head!!!!!! You wouldnt know a superstar if you were having kick to kick with him!!! Until he got injured, he was dominating!!! The previous six games were just as good as any of his career!

 

[Chambo]

it might concern me if we didnt win the flag but since we did who cares what you think cause none of us do!

Great, we will hear about 2007 like collingwood nuff nuff's refer to 1990!!!! Oh well they have been pretty quiet for 44 years!

 

[Jono B]

We've got 8 of them in our starting 22 already
Shaw
Pendlebury
Thomas
O'Brien
Goldsack
Cloke
Rusling
Clarke

Plus
Reid
Brown
Dawes
Dick
Stanley

And some others with pretty good potential
Egan
Anthony
Cook
Iles

We have 9 in our senior team already:
Stanton
Watson
Winderlich
Nash
Laycock
Monfries
Davey
Ryder
Slattery

Plus:
Dempsey
Neagle
Hocking
Gumbleton
Jetta
Hislop
Houli
Reimers
Bradley

 

[Darealrath]

The bloke is amazing. I am so lucky to have seen this bloke play for my team week in week out (well, when he's not been injured - which has cost him at least 2 brownlows - in 2000 and '03) and god knows how many B&Fs. There is no player remotely like him on the footy field.

 

[whirl]

Re: Hird win Essendon B & F

Sh1t, I need my eyes checked
Apologies...my bad

That's all right, I'd thought I'd made a massive goof there myself for a moment.

On a different note it's of course wrong to feed the trolls that hunt in the wake of anything Hird does (not that the phenomenon is unique to Hird or Essendon) however I'll say my piece in regards to the argument of a few that he was gifted it. Hird was sensational this year, by mid-year most were assuming that he'd have to go on next season because he seemed as good as ever.

 

[pazza]

Re: Hird win Essendon B & F

Amazing.

Just on Buttsworth, he was Essendon's CHB during the Second World War and the immediate years after that, where Essendon would play off in many grand finals- they called it Essendon's golden era. Shows how good he was, when he had the likes of Reynolds and Hutchison around him!

 

[SodaPop]

Re: Hird win Essendon B & F

That's all right, I'd thought I'd made a massive goof there myself for a moment.

On a different note it's of course wrong to feed the trolls that hunt in the wake of anything Hird does (not that the phenomenon is unique to Hird or Essendon) however I'll say my piece in regards to the argument of a few that he was gifted it. Hird was sensational this year, by mid-year most were assuming that he'd have to go on next season because he seemed as good as ever.

I was so adamant Lucas would win it I assumed he came 2nd instead of rubber man...I thought Lucas was your best performer but Hirdy's a champ and deserved winner

I would've thought Hird could play on easily, moreso than bucks

 

[GoDons]

Re: Hird win Essendon B & F

I would've thought Hird could play on easily, moreso than bucks

Hird could play on easily, in fact, he probably could do that for several more seasons. He would decline, but he'd still be good enough.

However, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath could've gone on easily. It is the mark of a champion to go out on top, and Hird has followed those two in doing so.

 

[BlackDiamondKing]

what a joke