Seems the Bombers are being given an early pass by the media for their off season surgeries. Most in the media we're happy to ignore or were just plain ignorant of it when it came to the Demons. 

Smashed by 15 surgeries, can Dons recover in time?

Half the media are Bomber fans.

Clint in first for the win. Count the number of Demon supporters in the media. Now do same for Bombers. Thread over! The schadenfreude can come later.

I think the fact that they haven't hidden the extent of the injuries has driven the current narrative.

If I recall correctly, it was some time before we knew the full extent of the number of injuries/surgeries we had last year that had much to do with our performance.

Further, a few close observers who post on this site mused that everything at the time was going ok and we were ready to go at the advent of last years premiership season, when clearly we weren't...

 

 

3 minutes ago, The Stigga said:

I think the fact that they haven't hidden the extent of the injuries has driven the current narrative.

If I recall correctly, it was some time before we knew the full extent of the number of injuries/surgeries we had last year that had much to do with our performance.

Further, a few close observers who post on this site mused that everything at the time was going ok and we were ready to go at the advent of last years premiership season, when clearly we weren't...

 

 

It's all mental

39 minutes ago, Clintosaurus said:

Half the media are Bomber fans.

Got it in one Clint. 

We set the precedent last year which is why there's more attention/awareness about a similar situation this year.

Haven't seen many media types that haven't tipped us to bounce back, so clearly it has been seen as an excuse for us.

Also, Bombers haven't even played a game yet, let alone finish 17th.

 

It's all Don non-speak for "we're in a rebuild", just don't tell our long suffering fans...

If ever a team has earned the Norm Smith curse, it's Essendon.

May it be over 50 years till they taste the fruit again... 

7, the Hun and Fox Sports all have a Bummer article every day.

1 hour ago, Clintosaurus said:

Half the media are Bomber fans.

That, and a mute recognition of what happened to us, which they chose not to 'notice' at the time since they've been taught for years by coaches who say 'injuries are no excuse'

Don't expect the media, who are educated by players and coaches to downplay the significance of injuries, to break out of the mould on their own.

Target market of the toilet paper with ink is essentially Pies/Bombers/Blues and then Toigs supporters.  Anything on these teams will sell papers or get them read in the tea rooms.  Any chance they can get to pump up tyres or make excuses for them is taken.  It also trains the less thoughtful what to think and say about their clubs.

Not enough people in the demographic care about the demons so we get relegated to the ‘kick em whilst they are down’ or news tid bit.

We need no excuses this year.  We used the surgeries excuse last year, but that is all worn out.  Bombers may need a whole truckload of excuses.  Lets see.

Will allow the umpires to protect the Essendon ball carrier or the Essendon player tackled in a pack. In other words the sympathy vote to ensure they are not further affected by injury. 

Oh but no protection required for other teams if high tackled or pushed in back, they are fit and don't need it.

Now where's that cynical font.

The club went with the narrative eventually, as it was a legit excuse, but we

a - didn't want to use it as an excuse in the beginning and

b - aren't the Bombers, who after the drugs scandal get plenty of love from the media to make up for it.

I just see them as a team we should dispatch of easily and move on from in 2020.

3 hours ago, Clintosaurus said:

Half the media are Bomber fans.

In addition, I would be amazed if Essendon doesn't engage a professional media management firm to assist with the both the strategic and the day-to-day management of media issues. No club has needed as much help in that area as has Essendon in the last 8 years.

I thought the thread title was rhetorical.

4 hours ago, Lord Nev said:

We set the precedent last year which is why there's more attention/awareness about a similar situation this year.

Haven't seen many media types that haven't tipped us to bounce back, so clearly it has been seen as an excuse for us.

Also, Bombers haven't even played a game yet, let alone finish 17th.

 

We'll probably still lose to them.  They had about 25 players out just a couple of years back and they still managed to roll us.  Will go down as our most embarrassing loss for mine (even more embarrassing than 186).

 

5 hours ago, Demonland said:

Seems the Bombers are being given an early pass by the media for their off season surgeries. Most in the media we're happy to ignore or were just plain ignorant of it when it came to the Demons. 

Smashed by 15 surgeries, can Dons recover in time?

As long as they go another year without winning a final I'm happy!

Media? bummers?=?

I really think that our poor year following so many surgeries and injuries is getting the media in a little bit earlier with the Bombers, even though the media still treats our 2019 quite harshly a lot of those commentators are at least adding in retrospect dialogue that our season was almost doomed before it began.

The bombers do seem to be given an advance free pass on the year that the narrative will always begin with "Depleted bombers beaten by...".

It's also incumbent on us to be back in the hunt to prove that injuries were our downfall last year. 

1 hour ago, The Chazz said:

We'll probably still lose to them.  They had about 25 players out just a couple of years back and they still managed to roll us.  Will go down as our most embarrassing loss for mine (even more embarrassing than 186).

 

I haven’t been more embarassed than walking out of the ground that day

Essendrug supporters everywhere laughing

I almost walked away from the club that day. They just didn’t care enough, so why should i....

Long time ago now

4 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

I haven’t been more embarassed than walking out of the ground that day

Essendrug supporters everywhere laughing

I almost walked away from the club that day. They just didn’t care enough, so why should i....

Long time ago now

The shame and anger I felt that day was only rivalled by 186.

12 minutes ago, Pates said:

The shame and anger I felt that day was only rivalled by 186.

Agreed, but i saw the Drug game live

so the kick in the guts was much harder

23 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

I haven’t been more embarassed than walking out of the ground that day

Essendrug supporters everywhere laughing

I almost walked away from the club that day. They just didn’t care enough, so why should i....

Long time ago now

I think the Dons were $11.00 to beat us that day.

What was even more frustrating was that we knocked off 4th placed GWS to open the season the week before.

2 minutes ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

I think the Dons were $11.00 to beat us that day.

What was even more frustrating was that we knocked off 4th placed GWS to open the season the week before.

It was all just going to happen 

The typical MFC attitude we have all seen so often. 
Peter Jackson knew he was in for a tough gig after that

3 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

It was all just going to happen 

The typical MFC attitude we have all seen so often. 
Peter Jackson knew he was in for a tough gig after that

I think this thread can now be merged with the "Goodwin: We were the worst team in the history of the game" thread.