Preview Round 15: Essendon Bombers vs West Coast Eagles - Marvel Stadium - Sunday 23rd June - 1:00pm

[wichidi]

Redman, Hobbs, Draper and Duursma all potentially available this week.

Do you bring them straight back or play it safe and wait another week?

I imagine it probably depends on their time out and recent (if any) VFL form.
For example, Draper may struggle with fitness, and hasn't had any VFL work after lengthy time away?
Redman on the other hand, I reckon could slot right back in.
Duursma is a running machine, and although out for quite some time, could probably slot in pretty quickly too.

I also it reckon it depends on team balance/needs, and also, wouldn't bring them all back at once (too risky).

My bet: Redman and Duursma come back in. Draper an outside chance, but would be subbed out if he did.

 

[DallasCrane316]

Baldwin has had a setback - but a lot of options this week for team selection

 

[cAsEy_18]

Redman is a straight in, was only 1 game he missed.
Duursma is probably the other one I want straight back, although it was a long layoff.

Hobbs can have a vfl run for a week. Draper I’d say definitely needs one. I’d rather space out the changes than bring them all back at once anyway.

 

[HirdsTheWord]

Because he generates a lot of their on-field energy and excitement? And he is impactful both with and without the ball.

West Coast can be decent when they’re motivated, but the gap between their best and their worst is ridiculously big. Without Reid fending off, kicking goals from outside 50 and taking hangers, they’ll fall flat very quickly

i think you are massively over selling Reid's importance to WC..........he is a great first year player.........but acting like WCE are a some massively different team without him is stretching it...........alot.....

Now Tim Kelly is a big out IMO.

 

[eth-dog]

Redman, Hobbs, Draper and Duursma all potentially available this week.

Do you bring them straight back or play it safe and wait another week?

Redman, Draper and Duursma in for me. Hobbs VFL.

 

[Call Me Cake]

if we run out of steam in the next 10 games, I'm going to be extremely flat.

We were predicted to be bottom 2 by almost everyone in the off-season.

Screenshot of a AFL youtuber's preseason predictions 7 weeks in as an example:



If you're going to be flat if we drop games/dip in form while clearly being a club trying to develop then you've gone into this the wrong way.

 

[ghostdog]

i think you are massively over selling Reid's importance to WC..........he is a great first year player.........but acting like WCE are a some massively different team without him is stretching it...........alot.....

Now Tim Kelly is a big out IMO.

Nah. He's an impact player and a barometer already. When he's up and about they all are.

 

[MiguelM]

i think you are massively over selling Reid's importance to WC..........he is a great first year player.........but acting like WCE are a some massively different team without him is stretching it...........alot.....

Now Tim Kelly is a big out IMO.

Kelly always rips us apart

 

[Keystone agony]

The only query will be Draper

Duursma and Redman straight in

Hobbs VFL or sub at best

Draper id imagine only plays if Setterfield isnt right, cant see them dropping HJ or 2MP

 

[DallasCrane316]

Eagles injury report out.

Allen, Duggan and Hunt likely to play.

Sheed and Kelly ruled out.

 

[bombreys]

We were predicted to be bottom 2 by almost everyone in the off-season.

View attachment 2023349

If you're going to be flat if we drop games/dip in form while clearly being a club trying to develop then you've gone into this the wrong way.

Nah, this isn’t a development year any more.

We’ve been older than our opponent more than 85% of the time this year - and we’ve had no one break into the side.

Given we’ve gone older/the win-now approach - people absolutely have the right to be flat if we drop our bundle.

 

[Keystone agony]

Nah, this isn’t a development year any more.

We’ve been older than our opponent more than 85% of the time this year - and we’ve had no one break into the side.

Given we’ve gone older/the win-now approach - people absolutely have the right to be flat if we drop our bundle.

We arent good enough/ready to win the premiership this year or make a prelim imo

 

[footyfanatic111]

We were predicted to be bottom 2 by almost everyone in the off-season.

View attachment 2023349

If you're going to be flat if we drop games/dip in form while clearly being a club trying to develop then you've gone into this the wrong way.

I don’t really agree with that.

They’ve shown the minimum level of effort required to be competitive to date.
It’s really irrelevant what the “experts” said before the season.
The onus is on the players and coaches to continue the second half the season the same way the first has gone. Doesn’t mean we win every game but how many years can we just fade out towards the back in and then put it down to the fact that we’re developing.
We’ve shown enough, time to change expectations. Not expecting a premiership but we’re good enough to match it with the best when on and focused.

I for one would also be flat, if we just fade out again this season. Learn from your mistakes


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[Pweter]

We’ve been older than our opponent more than 85% of the time this year - and we’ve had no one break into the side.

By any chance were we younger when Bryan replaced Goldstein?

 

[bombreys]

By any chance were we younger when Bryan replaced Goldstein?

Nah that was the Suns game - they’re crazy young, we were still just shy of 2 years older per player

 

[bombreys]

We arent good enough/ready to win the premiership this year or make a prelim imo

I agree - definitely not the flag

 

[Keystone agony]

I agree - definitely not the flag

So every year is developing to a flag contention year

 

[ant555]

Scott saying Draper available

Also said it all depends on when they pull the trigger .

 

[ant555]

I think they may play Bryan and Godly this week.

 

[Keystone agony]

I think they may play Bryan and Godly this week.

Whys that

 

[ant555]

Whys that

Just something that Scott said on SEN about playing two rucks and deciding when to pull the trigger on playing Sam. I could be reading more into it than what was there.

 

[Keystone agony]

Just something that Scott said on SEN about playing two rucks and deciding when to pull the trigger on playing Sam. I could be reading more into it than what was there.

I have a feeling were too healthy for that

If all of Redman, Duursma and Setterfield are good

And not really required vs eagles

And dont think it will be the worse to see 2MP have a run up the field again either

 

[ant555]

I have a feeling were too healthy for that

If all of Redman, Duursma and Setterfield are good

And not really required vs eagles

And dont think it will be the worse to see 2MP have a run up the field again

Do not disagree. I have no issue with 2MP as second ruck.

 

[Milanista28]

We were predicted to be bottom 2 by almost everyone in the off-season.

View attachment 2023349

If you're going to be flat if we drop games/dip in form while clearly being a club trying to develop then you've gone into this the wrong way.

So you'll be ok with running out of steam again? Would be pretty embarrassing to fall off a cliff again.

Again I'm not talking win/loss I'm talking fighting the season out.

 

[Call Me Cake]

Nah, this isn’t a development year any more.

Yes it is, we are year 2 into what we expected to be a 4 year pathway upon Scott's appointment.

Short memories seem to forget the shape in which the club was when Rutten was sacked and from where we were coming from. That wasn't just the demographic of the list, but everything from the top to the bottom, personnel and how the club was run. We were in absolute shambles. Last year was probably the first year where it was just about performance.

We’ve been older than our opponent more than 85% of the time this year - and we’ve had no one break into the side.

The teams we played against, and beat, were expected to finish above us before the season. We are above them currently due to the fact that we were able to get the job done and added to their loss tallies while adding them to our wins. The only real one that trumped us when it came to age were the Suns, and even then we didn't play that bad in what many pinned down as a due loss and almost pinched it on a ground in which they've been undefeated in.

Secondly, this idea that we are somehow on "par" with other teams of older to mid demographics is a common misconception. When you take a look at other lists, what do most of their overall lists have in common in regards to the older/experienced players? They are usually elite and the bulk of the side's competitiveness, ability to stay in/win games is attributed to them.

Who are ours? Hepp is not elite, Goldy is a band-aid, Shiel can't get a game. Neither of these players are absolute keys to us being competitive and neither of them are expected to be with us after this year or when people expect us to challenge for the top 4/flag.

With their exclusion, and while not accounting for our recent draftees bar Caddy, the entire list is 22.3 yrs on average and 70.2 on games played. That is the core of what we're aiming to work with. The vast majority of the push in terms of our efforts so far have not come from players like Hepp, they've come from the improvements/efforts of players like Durham, Caldwell, Martin, McGrath, McKay, etc;

Take for example the sheer inexperience/scope of improvement in our main engine;

Sam Durham - 22 yrs, 61 games
Jye Caldwell - 23 yrs, 67 games
Nic Martin - 23 yrs, 57 games

If they've done what they've been able to do, then what are they going to be like when they're 25/26 and 100+ games in? That is where our main expectations should be. It's conceivable that they're not always going to be firing and as much as they've improved, they're going to have lapses while they learn to deal with the stressors of the game.

Given we’ve gone older/the win-now approach

False. We saw opportunities to plug holes with mid-age players that fit the demographic without giving up draft capital and took it. We didn't sell a farm to win a flag. If that's what you got out of it, you're being ridiculous. Either you're trolling or your perspective is that narrow. Goldy was initially meant to be insurance with the opportunity to coach thereafter.

people absolutely have the right to be flat if we drop our bundle.

No they don't. Just because you're happy to shift the goalposts off the back of recency bias doesn't mean the overall trajectory of our initial improvement changes. We went from creating a stable environment, to establishing professionalism, to now trying to earn consistency, and none of it was ever going to be linear.

but how many years can we just fade out towards the back in

In years prior we fell away to finish in the bottom 4. This year we may fall away, but it will be off the back of a much better start, much more stability, cohesion, a clearer vision from a coach who looks like he has a clue and with hopefully more competitiveness. In the absolute worst case scenario we may even still be in contention for finals. And, we are in a better position to keep plugging more holes and bringing experience in.

Apples and oranges to compare us to previous years.