Why Were Essendon So Highly Fancied Before Round 1?

[kozi]

Long-time member, first time positing in a long while. Something has me puzzled - Why we're Essendon so highly fancied before Round 1?

This isn't a "hindsight hero" call, or an attempt to "stick it up" the Bombers or sink the boots in. I wondered this when Mick Malthouse tipped the Don's to win the flag, and many people were picking them to make the top 4. Honestly, I expected "same old" mediocre Essendon we always get, 7th-12th range, looking good one week, average-to-poor the next. I didn't see where the big improvement was meant to come from, or why they were suddenly going to vault into the top 4. They still have a mostly young and unproven list. Obviously though, prior to Round 1, it was all opinion and speculation, and the season was yet to play out.

Now we're at the half way point, 11 games in, and the Don's are 2-9, with a record and percentage poor enough for the wooden spoon in most other seasons (if we didn't have an all-time worst bottom 2 in North Melbourne and West Coast right now), and they look many miles off the pace in effort, intensity, toughness and skill.

Were the majority and the "experts" just wrong? Was this always going to happen? As someone who has been observing footy more casually in recent times (off BigFooty, not really following the weekly media analysis closely), where exactly has it all gone wrong for Essendon? Is anyone dying to say "I told you so!" about these Bombers, or do most who predicted a rising Essendon have egg on their face here?

The talking heads pumping up their tyres every pre-season minus any substance doesn't do the club any favours. This is about the 5th year in a row they've been fancied before round 1. Almost become a case of just doubling down every time knowing they'll get it right eventually if and when Essendon do rise.

The Bombers have become pretty regiment lately in fact. Their season starts in October winning trade week and peaks in March before round 1 followed by the April - September break.

 

[HairyO]

when the duck were we fancied?

apart from malthouse saying one comment about us winning the flag who else thought we'd be good? This is news to me?

Pretty sure all of you had Essendon above Hawthorn, for starters. And above Collingwood.

The bottom teams were meant to be Roos, Adelaide, Hawthorn and Collingwood. With the Roos bottom, and the other 3 in different combinations in the bottom 4. Many had Essendon just outside the 8.

Irrational exuberance.

 

[HTPunter]

It's all good, they're having another review. Let's see what's changed in the 2 years since their last review.

Last time it was that the players wanted "high standards and high levels of feedback", but does that really look like screaming and finger pointing and walking away from your captain on game day?

 

[00Stinger]

I thought they might regresse a little on last year's form but I never thought they would be 2-9

 

[lumpinee]

Main reason is that the HeraldSun is a sponsor of the Bombers and everyday during the off-season they wrote a story saying how fantastic everything was going with the club over Summer

This...they are a freemason administered club,thats y theyre always in the spotlight no matter what,The HS as an agenda and propaganda piece run by oligarchs and theyre affiliation with the EFC is of no suprise but none the less still of serious concern...for most of the other clubs and the agenda driven articles construed to unsettle them or the perception of them at least.

 

[Captain_Bender]

Essendon were due this year

 

[Red Black and Blue]

Because they've learnt from the saga that Essendon love/hate sells papers. There is no repercussions for being a shit football predicter in the media so why not do what is most profitable?

 

[RonnieRaven]

They are well represented in the footy media and they seem to have a lot of punters willing to splash the cash.

We aren't a big club, chill bro. I'd say we're upper middle class but with high potential if we keep playing attractive footy.

That’s what I inferred to make the point we aren’t a big club yet get more to the game then bombers do in the correlating fixture.

 

[BF Tiger]

Because “training the house down” does not elevate a team from “bruise-free footy”.

 

[g_TRAIN]

They remind me a lot of our 2021 season.

I have a feeling they will bounce back next year.

 

[HirdsTheWord]

Pretty sure all of you had Essendon above Hawthorn, for starters. And above Collingwood.

The bottom teams were meant to be Roos, Adelaide, Hawthorn and Collingwood. With the Roos bottom, and the other 3 in different combinations in the bottom 4. Many had Essendon just outside the 8.

Irrational exuberance.

Not sure who mean by “you all” but from what I read most of Essendon big footy posters had us 12th or lower.

I don’t recall specific teams as being mentioned as benchmarks for us.

We suck, we know we suck, unsure why others are now surprised that we suck.

 

[PJays]

Essendon had a soft draw, developed some confidence and scraped into the 8 with an 11-11 record

After some pre season injuries and a tougher draw to navigate, they were never much of a chance this year

 

[Tim Evans Beard]

Essendon have shown that when they are desperate they will cheat. The public thought they were desperate enough to cheat. Again.

 

[Dangerousfield]

The pundits just went twelve months early, 2023 is Essendon's year, after the Dodo wins big (again) at the trade table.

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

So you’re saying the herald sun is like the geelong advertiser ?

but not as good

 

[projectv]

Rutten is gone. Second review in 3 seasons is a joke. This is just a transparent attempt to lure Clarkson before any other club lands him.

 

[Breretonisahood]

It’s all good. Brasher has just announced Bombers for the flag in 2-3 years time.

End thread.

 

[jackenny]

Rutten is gone. Second review in 3 seasons is a joke. This is just a transparent attempt to lure Clarkson before any other club lands him.

Clarko coaching the Bombers would be an interesting twist.

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

Clarko coaching the Bombers would be an interesting twist.

Mad Watson is off the chain again. Campaigned against Sheedy and Knights and for The Hird and Iceman.... has been bitter and quiet for years but has dusted off the madness again.

The facts are the Bombers have a poor list and have to properly embark on a rebuild. It is bizarre that Hurley is still on the list and almost as odd that Heppell is still there.

 

[Ice-Wolf]

Rutten is gone. Second review in 3 seasons is a joke. This is just a transparent attempt to lure Clarkson before any other club lands him.

They're getting Rutten out of the way so they can get ahead of the Giants and get Hird (not that the Giants would actually pick Hird)

 

[RAPPA]

Reckon they’ll back Rutten and offload Dodo and others who have been there for far too long without any measurable success. Recalibrate after the bye and Rutten will have next year to work the team back up the ladder.

 

[Ice-Wolf]

Reckon they’ll back Rutten and offload Dodo and others who have been there for far too long without any measurable success. Recalibrate after the bye and Rutten will have next year to work the team back up the ladder.

Offload Dodo? You've got to be kidding. He's a good Essendon person. The problem is hiring these non-Essendon hacks like Rutten and Worsfold and Knights. If they'd just stuck to good Essendon people they would have been right and Hirdy and Bomber only made their missteps because they were trying to fix the damage the non-Essendon hacks had done to the club.

 

[projectv]

They're getting Rutten out of the way so they can get ahead of the Giants and get Hird (not that the Giants would actually pick Hird)

Essendon may be poorly run but there is absolutely no way they are stupid enough to reappoint Hird. They still haven't cleaned up the mess from the last time he was there.

 

[Ice-Wolf]

Essendon may be poorly run but there is absolutely no way they are stupid enough to reappoint Hird. They still haven't cleaned up the mess from the last time he was there.

Oh yeah they are. They still think Hird did nothing wrong or if he did it wasn't his fault.

 

[Falcon27]

They remind me a lot of our 2021 season.

I have a feeling they will bounce back next year.

I do not share your optimism, given the current hierarchy at the club.