WB Game Day V Essendon R7 2020

[comrade]

I read the post-match comments on Bomber Blitz. Those supporters don't hold anything back. They either lash out at anything that moves," clutch at any straw, no matter how flimsy, that will help them from drowning in the sea known as REALITY or, in a some cases face up to the reality that there is still a long way to go.

They have a fan podcast called the Lunchtime Catch Up hosted by 2 Essendon fans and they regularly have AFL journos on as guests. This week was Cal Twomey.

Despite the loss, one of the hosts was quite adamant that the Bombers midfield is superior to the Bulldogs and listed out all the names one by one before asking Twomey who he thought was the better group. Cal was pretty blunt "Bulldogs".

[Mofra]

God some of the thread titles on Bomber Blitz are great.

Adrian Dodoro - Flankers into Mids since 2000
Let’s just admit - we are sh*t

[Ozza]

They were 4-1 going into the game, and had they have played Melbourne when it was scheduled, would probably have been 5-1 and on top of the ladder.

But I just think we are a comfortably better team and better list than them. They are missing Shiel, Heppell, Stringer and Daniher - as well as managing Gleeson, who is important. But I think we saw last year that we have them covered, and we have Naughton, Dunkley and Lloyd to come back, and I think greater upside in our list overall. I'm not sure I see where they can put a score on the opposition. We haven't seen Daniher for a long time, and he may never play for them again - so Stringer is their best forward and although he'd played well, we know he is inconsistent and doesn't often compete in the air.

[Bulldog Joe]

They were 4-1 going into the game, and had they have played Melbourne when it was scheduled, would probably have been 5-1 and on top of the ladder.

But I just think we are a comfortably better team and better list than them. They are missing Shiel, Heppell, Stringer and Daniher - as well as managing Gleeson, who is important. But I think we saw last year that we have them covered, and we have Naughton, Dunkley and Lloyd to come back, and I think greater upside in our list overall. I'm not sure I see where they can put a score on the opposition. We haven't seen Daniher for a long time, and he may never play for them again - so Stringer is their best forward and although he'd played well, we know he is inconsistent and doesn't often compete in the air.

Stringer has become mostly Seagull and looking at how he presented post covid break, he has competed very well for the throwaway chips at the picnic.

[Dancin' Douggy]

Stringer has become mostly Seagull and looking at how he presented post covid break, he has competed very well for the throwaway chips at the picnic.

Wonderful analogy.

[The bulldog tragician]

God some of the thread titles on Bomber Blitz are great.

Adrian Dodoro - Flankers into Mids since 2000
Let’s just admit - we are sh*t

At least that one showed some insight!

Everything I read, before being too revolted to go further, was about umpire conspiracy (to an absurd extent) and abuse of their players. I guess as they couldn’t be there in person to do the Bronx cheers, they had to leave it all out on the keyboard.

I honestly think their supporter base are part of the problem and part of how the drug disgrace could flourish. Anti AFL paranoia, idolisation of their favoured sons, the thinnest skins of any supporter base...they form a toxic cocktail. They’re more like a cult than a footy club. “Whatever it takes” wasn’t just a slogan for this club.

[merantau]

At least that one showed some insight!

Everything I read, before being too revolted to go further, was about umpire conspiracy (to an absurd extent) and abuse of their players. I guess as they couldn’t be there in person to do the Bronx cheers, they had to leave it all out on the keyboard.

I honestly think their supporter base are part of the problem and part of how the drug disgrace could flourish. Anti AFL paranoia, idolisation of their favoured sons, the thinnest skins of any supporter base...they form a toxic cocktail. They’re more like a cult than a footy club. “Whatever it takes” wasn’t just a slogan for this club.

Nailed it.

[jeemak]

Not sure I totally agree.

Worsfold certainly hasn't helped but he came in after the Hird/Thompson/Dank saga and hasn't been able to fix the problem.

I still think Sheedy is a lot of the problem. He had them back to believing they were above the mere mortals that make up the rest of the league and he encouraged the Hird view of just being better than everyone else and of course rules were simply for those outside the Church of Windy Hill.

Until they actually get some humility, they will flounder.

In a lot of ways they are like Richmond of the 80's and 90's in expecting that they should get everything their way.

They just need another 20 years or so of never winning a final and the next generation of supporters, might just be tolerable.

Bringing that dickhead back into the fold was the farthest cry for help I think I've ever heard (I avoided the pun....regret it).

In a lot of ways they're the EFC of years past that can't cheat their way to a flag. The difference between these guys and Carlton is that Carlton didn't win one at the end of an era and EFC did and tried to cheat again but got caught royally. Carlton has taken their medicine and have been shit because of it - and because of their poisonous culture.

EFC won't ever do that. They don't even understand that if you shit into a bucket and use the contents of that bucket as bath water, and then drink the bath water that you're eating shit.*

*Think I've nailed most graphic image for the morning by the way.

[ledge]

I think Dodoro should be signed on a ten year contract just so they keep paying overs to pry mediocre footballers the media claim as stars to the club.

The stringer one was a brilliant spin as a star but in effect if the bombers didn’t take him he would have been back playing country footy as no other club wanted him.

I’m also seeing no special star quality from Devon Smith that any other AFL mid wouod bring to the table.
Shiel is a ball getter but he has the disposal skill of right hander trying to handball on his left, it sometimes come off.
And let’s not forget the Daniher saga, keep an injured player at the club that doesn’t want to be there and probably wouldn’t get on the park the season they kept him for and get less for him the next year. “WOW”

This of course brings salary cap pressure.
When will they see go to the draft pick up a load of kids and bring them up as a group ?
Oh the blind arrogance makes me soooo happy.

[Axe Man]

WHY CAN'T ESSENDON BEAT BEVERIDGE'S BULLDOGS?

One of my old coaches was Phil Walsh, who in his no-fuss manner used to say that everyone has got a story, meaning everyone has an excuse for a poor performance.

At club land, it might relate to a certain rival, opposition players or travelling interstate.

Excuses such as “we never win on the road” and “they always do this to us” are often used at clubs.

Devon Smith’s comments last weekend about the Essendon-North Melbourne rivalry made headlines but they were accurate.

I have been at both clubs and in my experience, there was a different feel to the week at North Melbourne when Essendon was the next opponent.

In the same way there’s a different feeling at Tullamarine when Carlton are next up.

Lawrence, who use to run the Café at Bombers HQ, used to say that if you only win two games for the year, make sure they’re both against Carlton.

There are occasions when a club feels it matches up well against an opponent - it might be that our strengths can exploit an opposition weakness.

In my time at Essendon, we mostly performed well against Port Adelaide because our midfield could match or better theirs and we were able to get their defenders in one on one situations, which was an advantaged to our forwards.

The Bulldogs, on the other hand, were a team Essendon struggled with. This showed up again on Friday night as the Dogs recorded a comfortable seven goal victory.

So why does it happen?

The two clubs share some coaching lineage, with a number of players and coaches heavily influenced by the Mark Thompson/Geelong teaching of contested ball and outnumber method.

Brendan McCartney, who was at Essendon an assistant coach in 2011 and coached the Dogs between 2012 to 2014, drilled the Bulldogs relentlessly on their method around the contest. Their use of handball to quickly exit is a legacy of his teaching and a key part of their success.

While older Essendon players learnt this method under McCartney and Thompson, the Bombers have since fluctuated with the importance placed on the contest and in the last 18 months, have moved to an opposing model of holding balance outside the contest.

This allows the opposition to outnumber but limits their attacking options by controlling the outer ring of the contest. If a turnover can occur, players on the outside are attacking options in space.

Neither model is right nor wrong, they simply have different points of emphasis. The key is in the consistency of how they are coached and which model best suits your personnel.

The Bulldogs, with their consistent approach, have beaten the Bombers in contested possession in five of their six consecutive wins, and by large margins: 13, 11, 13, 36 and 35 on Friday night.

The Bulldogs have superior size and strength in the midfield and in games against the Bombers, their 190cm+ midfielders have dominated:



On Friday night, without Dylan Shiel through suspension and Jake Stringer through injury, Essendon chose to use their big body midfielders (Langford and Hibberd) as sweeping wingmen at stoppages rather than as inside midfielders. This left smaller mids in McGrath, Merrett, Parish and Smith battling against much taller opponents.

Under Luke Beveridge, the Bulldogs have also troubled Essendon through their ability to control the ball with kick and mark chains.

This was particularly evident in Round 3, 2018, as Essendon shifted to a modified defensive system, and the Bulldogs were able to take more than 150 marks. For the remainder of the season, the Bombers conceded less than 90 marks a game.

In all five losses to the Bulldogs prior to Friday night, the Bombers conceded over 100 marks. In the reduced game time of 2020, the Bombers conceded 73 marks against the Bulldogs, more than their season average, and the Bulldogs finished the game +4% Time in Possession.

Right now, the Bulldogs have the method, personnel and execution to defeat the Bombers. While the Bulldogs have won the last six, it’s worth noting that the Bombers won the six previous meetings, between 2011-14.

Next time they meet, the Bombers will need to address their contest and defending mark chain issues, to avoid seventh straight defeat at the hands of the Bulldogs.

Rob Harding is former AFL strategy coach at Essendon, Adelaide, Geelong and North Melbourne.

[bornadog]

I think Dodoro should be signed on a ten year contract just so they keep paying overs to pry mediocre footballers the media claim as stars to the club.

The stringer one was a brilliant spin as a star but in effect if the bombers didn’t take him he would have been back playing country footy as no other club wanted him.

I’m also seeing no special star quality from Devon Smith that any other AFL mid wouod bring to the table.
Shiel is a ball getter but he has the disposal skill of right hander trying to handball on his left, it sometimes come off.
And let’s not forget the Daniher saga, keep an injured player at the club that doesn’t want to be there and probably wouldn’t get on the park the season they kept him for and get less for him the next year. “WOW”

This of course brings salary cap pressure.
When will they see go to the draft pick up a load of kids and bring them up as a group ?
Oh the blind arrogance makes me soooo happy.

Saad is the other player they chased. He runs ok, but is not a great one on one defender.

[ledge]

Saad is the other player they chased. He runs ok, but is not a great one on one defender.

Reminds me of a poor mans JJ , at least jj runs forward and keeps going or kicks it . Saad runs forward then runs in circles , usually giving it to someone behind him.