Bankers & Anchors: Rnd 10, 2025 vs Essendon

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

This is the Round 10, 2025 edition of the weekly Bankers and Anchors thread. Once tonight's game against Essendon has concluded.

has concluded post your nominations for:

The Bankers = 3 guys/aspects of the game that we banked on to do the right thing during the game
The Anchors = 3 guys/aspects of the game that weighed us down by their errors or poor play

Please limit it to no more than three of each player or aspect of the game, but feel free to make honourable/dishonourable mentions. As usual try to make it constructive criticism.

Try and restrict it to individual players rather than aspects of the overall match - I will allow more freedom now as the thread seems to be going down more of the aspects of the game path so you can have 3 for each made up of aspects of the game and individual players.

[merantau]

Bankers

1. Men of Mayhem is back big time. We were everywhere at once at all times

2. Our run and handball

3 Our work rate in the clinches

Anchors

1. Arty's injury. He really showed his potential with that goal he created. Hope he is back soon.

2. We could easily have kicked 25 goals

3. Barham's hair. Does he have no one, who cares enough for him, to tell him?

[SonofScray]

BANKERS

Buku gave us plenty, was brave in the air and got on the scoreboard.

Dale. Might actually have leather poisoning. He toyed with them.

wait for it….. Bevo. Pulled their pants down. They had no idea how to approach what we set up in front of them.


ANCHORS

essendon. Just a pack of bumbling, entitled, arrogant fools.

kevin sheedy

not belting them by more

[mighty_west]

Bankers

We lost the hit outs 44 - 20, yet Timmy took Goldy to the cleaners and continues his great form, another example of why the hit out stat in isolation is the most overrated stat in the game.

Our ruthlessness, from the start we looked on and gave them nothing, our manic pressure and skills made them look like boys playing against men.

The forward line and scoring opportunities, you could build a team with Jamarra, Weightman, Darcy as your three main gun forwards and be totally satisfied, yet we are more than holding up without them.

Anchors

Wasted opportunities again in front of the sticks, the way the game played out it really should have been a 120 point demolishing.

Arty's hammy, he was playing well too.

Our membership numbers, good crowd last night watching on TV but we should be out numbering them given both teams history over the past 10-15 years, many scribes have us in the top 4 best teams so no excuses for the membership numbers to rise and more members/supporters getting to games, prime time Saturday night!!

p.s. Douggie was right, he knew we would smash them!

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Bankers

1. Rhylee West maximum impact last night... he is on pace for serious discussion for a small forward AA spot if he continues this form trend for the remainder of the season.
2. Our players focus. Lot's of communication and onfield direction being given by all on the field. Not the finger-pointing that happens when things are going awry, but the awareness and total buy in where everyone is switched on and feels empowered to speak up, communicate and or act when something needs to happen on field irrespective of seniority. It takes buy in to leave your opponent to go and help out or influence another contest, even though you know if things go wrong, and you're direct opponent ends up with the ball you're likely going to be the patsy.
3. Tackles stuck.... well done to our guys, really applied great technique to ensure Essendon were not able to get the ball released from contested situation.

Anchors

1. Profligacy in front of goal... we left quite a few 6 pointers out there. And even some of the one's we got, we tried our darnedest to stuff up! That seriously could've broken the 104 point margin we beat the injectors by back in 2019.
2. shame for Arty. Stating the obvious that this is a big year for him, and he was really looking relaxed out there. This would've been the type of game that would've suited him too as it wore on.

[BornInDroopSt'54]

Bankers

1. Rhylee West maximum impact last night... he is on pace for serious discussion for a small forward AA spot if he continues this form trend for the remainder of the season.
2. Our players focus.

Hi YHF, bravo india delta sierra here, just wondering about your tag, youth hostel federation or your initials?
Or perhaps a like of an ironic Yankee name, to which I have a partiality?
The Great Gatsby may have done a Yankee hotel foxtrot.

[azabob]

Bankers
1) Ed Richards is a marvel. Not sure he has a weakness in his game at the moment. He is lighting quick, skills are sublime, footy iq is high. The sky really is the limit.

2) Loving what Khamis is bringing. He competes in the air, competes in the ruck. Makes the mosts of his opportunities.

3) Sam Davidson. How seamlessly he has fitted into afl football with a team first attitude. Sam, we need you to occupy a wing and just keep running up and down all game. Last night, Oh Sam, Arty Jones has gone down with an injury we need you to play the high HF role but still cover the same amount of ground. He continues to do the #42 proud.

Anchors
1) Damn 100 point plus win would’ve been nice.

2). I’m still puzzled by posters who are purely doom and gloom. Not even a post of positivity after a couple of huge wins. I do wonder if when watching last nights game were they happy or sad? Each to there own I guess.

3) Naughton is doing a mountain of work as the lone key forward it would be great if he could have a few weeks of nailing the bread and butter stuff.

[macca]

Bankers

1.Making Essendoning shat themselves and exposed their soft underbelly (again). The boys lookedmenancing, that 2016 hurt factor of wanting to win at all costs.
West's 3rd goal, shurg off the tackle, get up and snap.
Vandermeer looked menacing. His effort for second goals was awesome to watch.
English just wanted the ball and ran hard all night.
run off the backline with Dale and JJ were important
I feel that buzz again like towards the end of 2016....

2.Wow what a difference a game makes when Essendon don't get 4 free goals like last year. Ok , yeah. I am saying the umpiring was ok.
3. New and Fringe players really stamping their authority:
Buku, really is now believing in his ability. What a mark. Harmes looked solid. Davidson, wow what a pickup. Runs all day. If he can take more marks and kick 2 goals a game his going to be a star. Real Vander Har type player. This is what Poulter needs to do with his size to get back into the team. Kennedy just keeps appearing in the right places and had at least 3 goals. He has been a fantastic recruit. Goal kicking midfielders are gold.

The backline were fantastic in their intercept, Lobb and JOD.

Anchors
Goal kicking accuracy. 19 points, would have been much more if we had kicked those set shots.
Injury to Arty
Truck for not giving it to Dale to get 50 possessions. Maybe to save him from leather poisoning.

In the middle this one.... There is still some work to do with cleaner ball disposal, I feel there is still another leg up with this team

Honestly, I don't know why Merrett sticks with these guys. They shat themselves against Collingwood, Adelaide as wel and almost losing against North.

[Bornadog]

There were so many good moments it is hard to single every one out.

Bankers

1. Of course number one is Dale - what a performance - AA HBF

2. West- Number one in AFL for ground ball gets in F50 - the goal where he shrugged off the Essendon player and slammed him on to the ground and kicked a goal, says it all about him. Tough as nails.
3. Buku - he is improving all the time and 3 goals is just reward.

Anchors

Artie hamstring

[lemmon]

2. West- Number one in AFL for ground ball gets in F50 - the goal where he shrugged off the Essendon player and slammed him on to the ground and kicked a goal, says it all about him. Tough as nails.
Artie hamstring

He's also two ahead of Naughton as our leading goalkicker, which is pretty amazing for where he's come from. Tracking towards a 40-goal season at the moment - he's doing a great job of filling the Weightman-sized hole.

[chef]

Hi YHF, bravo india delta sierra here, just wondering about your tag, youth hostel federation or your initials?
Or perhaps a like of an ironic Yankee name, to which I have a partiality?
The Great Gatsby may have done a Yankee hotel foxtrot.

It's an album by Wilco.

[Ozza]

Bankers:

West - if the ball is between you and him....HE wants the ball more. Ferocious.
Dale - the 49 touches is great.....but its that run that he provides that starts the overlap for us and throws the opposition off kilter.
Lobb - it just felt like essendon kicked to him.

Anchors:

Artie's injury was disappointing because he actually looked quite good early. Has obviously been working hard on his game and looked fitter and stronger too.


Good to see nearly 48,000 people at a home game.
About 28,000 still there at 3 quarter time.

[The bulldog tragician]

Bankers
Already plenty of mentions of Dale’s game (did they have NO plan to curb him?) so I’ll go with:
1. Bont. He wasn’t BOG. He didn’t carry us on those broad shoulders. But we can always give thanks for the sublime brilliance of each of his two goals. He makes it look easy. It isn’t.
2. Ed. Called Ronald McDonald by the Essington fans apparently. I think it was Nathan Buckley who commented on how he runs in straight lines because he learnt his trade in the backline, a very astute description of something unique in Ed’s style.
3. West. I’m a believer, it’s taken me a while.

Anchors
1. Am I alone in disliking West’s gesture, whatever it was meant to be? Let our football do the talking and let’s avoid being smart arses.
2. being greedy, but we should have won by more. Salt in the wounds especially as the Bombres were actually being pumped up as “ the best defensive team” . Never forget our two worst ever losses were against this arrogant club. In case you’re wondering, we lost by 146 points to them at WO in 1982 and the following year at Windy Hill, got a bit close by a mere 132 points. We should never miss the chance to grind them into the dust.
3. Poor Arty. Cannot take a trick but I really liked what I saw.

[whythelongface]

Bankers
1. great first quarter really set the tone for the match. We have had relatively sluggish starts the last 4 games thus it was good to get away early.
2. our speed of ball movement is exceptional and even better is how clean we can be. Noticeable difference between the top teams and the next level.
3. Our spread of goal kickers since Darce’s injury has been a real positive- between 9 and 11 different goal scorers each week. We have lots of avenues to goal and getting Darce back will deepen the headache for lots of teams. What was a huge negative has been turned into an opportunity to spread the load - well done coaches.

Anchors
1. you want the opposition to at least be competitive. Essendon just weren’t. As much as I like seeing them get smashed their performance was just pathetic.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Hi YHF, bravo india delta sierra here, just wondering about your tag, youth hostel federation or your initials?
Or perhaps a like of an ironic Yankee name, to which I have a partiality?
The Great Gatsby may have done a Yankee hotel foxtrot.

Nothing remotely interesting or meaningful. I have been a long term Wilco Fan, and their album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot happened to be high on my rotation when I happened to be thinking up user names. Although I do have a strong Yankee connection myself. My late father was from Redwood Village in California, and I have two sisters and other family members living at various points on the US map. I'm still notionally a dual citizen.