Where will Essendon finish in 2005?

[SYDNEY_EAGLE]

Could an Essendon supporter maybe volunteer what they think their best 22 will look like next season? Just so we know what we're talking about....

Here is my approximation - I'm sure Bomber fans will have different ideas....

B: McVeigh Fletcher M. Johnson
HB: McPhee Lucas Bolton
C: Murphy Peverill Ramanauskas
HF: Rioli Hille Solomon
F: Cupido Lloyd Watson

Foll: Allan Hird J. Johnson
Int: Richards Dyson Bradley Welsh

I'm sure I've excluded some Bomber favourites - does Mercuri have enough credit points left to get a game?

Anyway, I'm sure there'll be some varied opinions on this one.

 

[M29]

Mercuri has retired. Welsh wouldn't start on the bench. Bolton would.

 

[thesouthernend]

The TA B says eigth or ninth with Collingwood, so I go with the money at $1.80

 

[bOmBeR_BoY1]

31 people (so far) on here reckon we can't make the 8... I love reading these sorts of threads, absolutely no expectation for us to do well at all next year (unlike this year where there was this false hope by some people of us actually challenging the likes of the Lions, ha!). Just the sort of years we have been dangerous in the past, 1981, 1989, 1993, 1999 spring to mind when doom and gloom was predicted yet never arrived.

Keep it coming... entertaining read.

 

[HighRoller]

lock in 10th....Essendon is like just hanging onto the 8 has to fall at some stage midfield is really bad...defence has problems

 

[VANDA]

lock in 10th....Essendon is like just hanging onto the 8 has to fall at some stage midfield is really bad...defence has problems

good enough to beat your mob in their last game of 2004!

 

[HighRoller]

wow.... and then u went on to to win the flag right?? no u lost so what difference does it make??? my team is on the up yours is crumbling get over it

 

[VANDA]

wow.... and then u went on to to win the flag right?? no u lost so what difference does it make??? my team is on the up yours is crumbling get over it

no we didnt win the flag but we enjoyed whipping your butts in 2000 d-head!

besides.................its a 'down' the ladder year for Melbourne in 2005 isnt it?

Melbourne Football Club = Consistently Inconsistent Joke!

 

[pazza]

Between 4th and 8th.

There have been a lot of positive signs in the last 12 months, in terms of the development of the squad.

A lot will depend on whether the gaps left by the departure of Mercuri, Misiti and Wellman could be filled well by the likes of Richards, Bullen etc and that we can get a fit year out of Rioli.

 

[Vinnie Vegas]

If Essendon are ever going to miss the finals, this will be the year, but it's impossible to say they won't make it considering history.

 

[Longy413]

Between 4th and 8th.

There have been a lot of positive signs in the last 12 months, in terms of the development of the squad.

A lot will depend on whether the gaps left by the departure of Mercuri, Misiti and Wellman could be filled well by the likes of Richards, Bullen etc and that we can get a fit year out of Rioli.

You could argue that they have already been filled, Mercuri in particular.

Mercuri did bugger all for a couple of years.
Misiti and Wellman both missed a lot of games this season.

Whilst they will be missed, it won't be a complete shock to the system not having them there. I think we have replacements for Mercuri and Misiti, Wellman will be the tough one.

 

[SYDNEY_EAGLE]

It seems to me that Essendon have a real shortage of young talent.

McPhee had a great season, and Hille started to show signs, but no-one else under 23 has done anything.

Winderlich, Bradley, Dyson, Stanton, Haynes - are these guys going to pick up the slack when Hird and Fletcher call it a day?

Or are you pinning your hopes on poaching Chris Judd?

 

[HighRoller]

no we didnt win the flag but we enjoyed whipping your butts in 2000 d-head!

besides.................its a 'down' the ladder year for Melbourne in 2005 isnt it?

Melbourne Football Club = Consistently Inconsistent Joke!

Lol its ok to take your frustration out on me i dont mind.....what matters is you are going to have to take a tumble down the ladder....now i know all the Essendon supporters are used to being arrogant and thinking that each year they are gonna win with lloydy and hird but the fact is generally unless u bother recruiting and trying to build a pship team u aint going anywhere but down. Sorry i had to be the one to break it to you.....actually wait nah im not

 

[pazza]

Lol its ok to take your frustration out on me i dont mind.....what matters is you are going to have to take a tumble down the ladder....now i know all the Essendon supporters are used to being arrogant and thinking that each year they are gonna win with lloydy and hird but the fact is generally unless u bother recruiting and trying to build a pship team u aint going anywhere but down. Sorry i had to be the one to break it to you.....actually wait nah im not

What's to say that we aren't HR?

We rather build from a position of strength then be a yo-yo like your bunch of half-wits.

We last missed the finals in 1997. Since then we have been able to use sound recruiting techniques (like finding gems in the rookie draft - Rioli, M. Johnson, Peverill) and being able to use our draft picks more effectively than other clubs around us.

You only need to look at this year's draft. I'll back it in theat Melbourne would have never considered taking Paul Thomas..they'd rather get kids and that's it...we are fairly flexible.

In terms of our best 22, we really can't complain too much. Yeah sure, some speed would be good, but, we'd rather get the ball first than be sprinting along the wing looking for it.

 

[EssendonPride]

It seems to me that Essendon have a real shortage of young talent.

McPhee had a great season, and Hille started to show signs, but no-one else under 23 has done anything.

Winderlich, Bradley, Dyson, Stanton, Haynes - are these guys going to pick up the slack when Hird and Fletcher call it a day?

Or are you pinning your hopes on poaching Chris Judd?

Noone else under 23 has done anything? Andrew Welsh only turns 22 next year, take a look at his stats. Certainly showed alot this year.

Lovett-Murray played pretty well, Watson only played a few games but shows the signs, Bullen had a decent year when he was actually left on the ground, Stanton had a pretty good season for a 18year old, Talls take a while to develop so we have Laycock and Bradley to come, Reynolds has been Ill, Cupido will have a full pre-season (only turns 23 next year.) McVeigh is the same age as Hille and has shown a lot, and Haynes has played some decent games.

While im not saying we're going for the flag this year, or even next, but to suggest we're lacking young talent is a joke.

 

[rosewarne]

6th

More like 16th. Nah, you'll finish between 9-13.

 

[SYDNEY_EAGLE]

While im not saying we're going for the flag this year, or even next, but to suggest we're lacking young talent is a joke.

You're clearly lacking young talent.

Compare your best 23 & Under players with those on a quality young list.

Take West Coast's for example - all these guys will be 23 or younger at the start of the 2005 season:

1. Chris Judd
2. Daniel Kerr
3. Dean Cox
4. Ashley Sampi
5. Adam Hunter
6. Darren Glass
7. Adam Hunter
8. Andrew McDougall
9. Mark Seaby
10. Quinten Lynch
11. Sam Butler
12. Beau Waters
13. Mark Nicoski
14. Ash Hansen

That's our FB, CHB, FF, our 1st and 2nd ruckmen and 2 of our best midfielders.
All but Hansen and Nicoski are in our best 22. How does your 23 & Under list compare?

 

[Jaymin]

2003 Board...

 

[M29]

It seems to me that Essendon have a real shortage of young talent.

McPhee had a great season, and Hille started to show signs, but no-one else under 23 has done anything.

That's because they never get games, or time on the ground.

 

[SYDNEY_EAGLE]

That's because they never get games, or time on the ground.

Well I'm sure they'l be great players then...

Isn't that part of your problem?

And a big reason why you're light on for young talent?

 

[hirdy_is_champ]

this is just another "essendon will slide, essendon has no young talent and bla bla bla thread" we get writen off every year. im sure even in 2000 ppl said we werent gonna make the finals next year. we wont finish top 4 (it would be possible if we didnt loose games that we should win which wont happen) but most likely in the 8.
c'mon guys find something new to talk about.
pointless thread

 

[SYDNEY_EAGLE]

this is just another "essendon will slide, essendon has no young talent and bla bla bla thread" we get writen off every year. im sure even in 2000 ppl said we werent gonna make the finals next year. we wont finish top 4 (it would be possible if we didnt loose games that we should win which wont happen) but most likely in the 8.
c'mon guys find something new to talk about.
pointless thread

You're kidding yourself.

If you reckon you're a shoe-in for the finals this year, you've got a massive shock coming.....

 

[Daytripper]

24 years and people still haven't learned.

Well said.
Every year people write Essendon off and every year they prove people wrong.

 

[marcuz]

this is just another "essendon will slide, essendon has no young talent and bla bla bla thread" we get writen off every year. im sure even in 2000 ppl said we werent gonna make the finals next year. we wont finish top 4 (it would be possible if we didnt loose games that we should win which wont happen) but most likely in the 8.
c'mon guys find something new to talk about.
pointless thread

Don't take it so personally. We cant make the finals every year and there is every chance we will miss this year. Thats nothing to be worried about every team misses the finals, we just do it less often than most.

 

[topdon]

9-12. I don't think they can make the 8, they just made it in this year and with Hird ageing, things are looking bad for the Bombers.

Does anyone see the irony?