Have Essendon mastered something we can't do?

[mjp]

I saw Essendon won a close game last week vs Sydney - and the week before they just beat Port. Earlier this year they snuck in vs West Coast. I remember they won a tight won against the Crows last year.

US? Just went down to the Suns last week.
I guess we squeaked in vs Carlton...but barely lost to the Pies.
Last year? I'm NOT looking it up but I thing the Cats beat us by a kick. The Hawks by not much more than that. The year before the Hawks and Eagles famously beat us by less than a kick...

Should I be worried about this? It seems that this year we either WIN (and WIN)...or we lose. I mean, we're not getting belted and we're "IN" every game but is our ability to get to the line 'in front' where it needs to be? Do we have a plan? Do we believe?

I don't want to just 'be in it' at 3/4 time and let the chips fall where they may...cos I think I know where they are gonna fall.

Is anyone else stressed about this?

[Axe Man]

In reality Essendon are just getting over the line against poor teams whilst we are comfortably beating some of those same teams (it was North they just beat 2 weeks back, Port was earlier in the season).

If you look at our games under 2 goals last and this season we are 1 from 3 this year and 0 from 2 last year. The losses have all been against good sides (GC, Pies, Cats, Hawks). Obviously it's not ideal but we have plenty of the season left to hopefully correct that trend.

[mjp]

In reality Essendon are just getting over the line against poor teams whilst we are comfortably beating some of those same teams (it was North they just beat 2 weeks back, Port was earlier in the season).

If you look at our games under 2 goals last and this season we are 1 from 3 this year and 0 from 2 last year. The losses have all been against good sides (GC, Pies, Cats, Hawks). Obviously it's not ideal but we have plenty of the season left to hopefully correct that trend.

Late in 23 when WCE and Hawthorn beat us...they were 'LAST'.

I wish I could believe your assessment but I can't right now...

[Axe Man]

Late in 23 when WCE and Hawthorn beat us...they were 'LAST'.

I wish I could believe your assessment but I can't right now...

Yeah but how far do you want to go back? I think the 24 and 25 versions of our side are quite different to 23. That doesn't mean were are never going to have bad games, but we certainly seem less prone to them.

But for now you are correct until the team proves you wrong.

[mjp]

But for now you are correct until the team proves you wrong.

I like that part. I wish I was right about something that was IN our favour though...

[SonofScray]

Just going the thread title, I am assuming the thing we can't do is be a pack of entitled, bougie, nouveau riche drug cheating, delusional, comically smug, feral pricks, then yes, they have.

[comrade]

Essendon are shit.

[Mofra]

An optimist would have simply said "Our wins are bigger than theirs".

Collingwood built a reputation for winning close ones in Fly's first season and it actually set them in good stead so I understand the sentiment in the OP. I'm not sure the first 1/3rd of this season is a great examination of trend though... 7 different venues across 4 states in 9 weeks is something Essendon would never have to contend with. That is a factor, and it is very hard to convince me otherwise.

[Bornadog]

I don’t know if Essendon have mastered it but I know our losses this year we haven’t. We have had some close losses and we just couldn’t get over the line. So yes it is a worry.

[JanLorMill]

Yes winning the close ones is a thing we need to improve but the thing that we have been better this season is our consistency. Been in every game so far and haven’t really played a bad one yet. Unusual for us. Maybe we are due? I hope not.

[Rusty12]

The W/L in those close ones is not in our favour, so it is a concern.
However, given the small sample, I would love it, if someone would watch the last 5 minutes of those lose games, and see if they can pick up the on-field communication, positioning, decision making etc.
It is hard to get the game against the Hawks in Tassie (I hope I am right that is the one). A couple of years ago, when English took the kick out, there was clearly either no plan for that scenario, or it was lost in the moment.

Because it is fresh, I think we played the end game against the Suns pretty well, and if Gallagher could keep his feet, every chance we had at least one more inside 50, when it mattered. We lost a couple of stoppages, but you can do everything right and still lose a few when it matters to Anderson and Rowell.

[mighty_west]

I think you only have to compare who they are having close wins against and who we are just falling short to, that's the difference.

[hujsh]

The recent two were us coming from being pretty much out of the match to almost snatch an unexpected win. I don't view this the same way as losing an arm wrestle or letting a major lead slip late. The fact we got into a position to win those games is more encouraging than the fact that we couldn't quite win them is discouraging

[Bornadog]

One close one we did win

[Mitcha]

The only thing Essendon have mastered is dominating trade week. They have achieved SFA in the last couple of decades. They have been very fortunate that they fell in against arguably the two worst sides seen on an AFL ground in recent memory. They're still shit but the mainstream media still love them.