It’s time to say it…

[Cassiew 1,903]

This is the best I’ve ever seen us. This is the first time in my lifetime that we are the premiership favourites. Sure we’ve had other great season like in 2000, but that was a year when Essendon was always going to be premiers. I don’t think there’s any team we can’t beat this year. Definitely our best season since 1964

Edited June 5, 2021 by Cassiew

[Rodney (Balls) Grinter 11,064]

8 minutes ago, Cassiew said:

This is the best I’ve ever seen us. This is the first time in my lifetime that we are 'genuine' premiership favourites. Sure we’ve had other great season like in 2000, but that was a year when Essendon was always going to be premiers. I don’t think there’s any team we can’t beat this year. Definitely our best season since 1964

Agree, with the minor addition above.

Some had us as winning the flag in 2019, but we all know what a false dawn that was.

I'm just hoping that we can maintain the rage, stay healthy as a list and get even better throughout the remainder of the season.

[Guest]

It’s also the first time I’ve seen this level of form where there isn’t an air of unrealism, inconsistency or flakiness about it.

In 2000 as well, don’t forget that in the game where the Wiz kicked 9, we were coming off a 90 point loss to Carlton. We pooed the bed against the Dogs two weeks earlier when we were up by 5 goals and lost by 4 or so.

In 2004, we were cruising up until the moment we lost to Port at Football Park. Then we collapsed into a heap.

In 1990, we would have gotten a double chance in any other year, but still lost to mid table North Melbourne by 20 goals and to a West Coast team in the semis that, in our hubris, took way too lightly.

Despite how breathtaking ‘98 was, we also lost to mid table Geelong by 95 points and St. Kilda (a team we would handily dispatch in the semis) by 85.

The type of downhill skiing that midwifed that unreliability appears to be gone. The fact that commentators from successful clubs and with more than two brain cells to rub together (Cameron Mooney and Jason Dunstall) are adamant that we are the real deal is the stamp of approval that confirms it for me.

 

 

Edited June 5, 2021 by Colin B. Flaubert

[Boots and all 1,000]

I was only a young fella in 87. Does anyone know how we were placed in terms of flag favouritism during that year?

[Fritta and Turner 4,696]

I have no memory of Melbourne playing this consistently well in my lifetime - I am now a pensioner.

[Dante 2,739]

I said to my son that we would beat the Bullies and this week I said to him that if we beat Brisbane we would win the flag, I was far more concerned about them than the Bullies. 

They are the second best club in the competition.

[The Chief 697]

We were far from flag favourites in 1987, just scraping into the finals in the last H&A game. 
 

This is the best we’ve looked in my lifetime. There were glimpses in the 90’s, but nowhere as consistent as we’re seeing this season. Of course a long way to go, it only takes a bit of bad luck with injuries and it could all head south again. Luck is a big factor in winning flags, we just need a bit to get us over the line. 

[Cassiew 1,903]

26 minutes ago, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

Agree, with the minor addition above.

Some had us as winning the flag in 2019, but we all know what a false dawn that was.

I'm just hoping that we can maintain the rage, stay healthy as a list and get even better throughout the remainder of the season.

I’m saying what the papers are saying. We are THE favourites. 

[Fork 'em 7,052]

Walking into work Monday morning these days be like .....

Edited June 5, 2021 by Fork 'em

[Cassiew 1,903]

20 minutes ago, Boots and all said:

I was only a young fella in 87. Does anyone know how we were placed in terms of flag favouritism during that year?

We made a late rush and only just qualified by winning our last game and hawks JUST beating cats. We’d been pretty inconsistent all year.

I still say that even if Bucks hadn’t kicked that goal and we’d made it, we never would have beaten Carlton in the grand final. We’d lost easily to them and would have been without Wilson, Lyon and Flower. Still hurts though 

[BDA 23,048]

We are deservedly favorites. No question about it.

The manner of our victories has been the most impressive thing. Geelong and Richmond tamed early in the season. We then coasted a little (but still won our games other than Adelaide) before turning up the dial again and blowing away the Doggies and Lions. Make no mistake our last 2 wins have been emphatic. And the other thing i would say is, we haven't hit our peak yet. We have another gear i reckon.

Injuries and bad luck is the only thing that can derail us this year.

[spalding 1,128]

8 minutes ago, Dante said:

I said to my son that we would beat the Bullies and this week I said to him that if we beat Brisbane we would win the flag, I was far more concerned about them than the Bullies. 

They are the second best club in the competition.

I was thinking the same re the lions, but their backline looked really slow to me last night, and I don’t think that the mcg would help them at all. 

[Old Man Rivers 326]

27 minutes ago, Boots and all said:

I was only a young fella in 87. Does anyone know how we were placed in terms of flag favouritism during that year?

We got on a late roll in 1987. We were solid for the last 2 months that season but only just stumbled into the 8.... 2021 is completely different , we are ruthless & afraid of No team. Definitely got the Cats 2007 feel about it. 

Edited June 5, 2021 by Old Man Rivers

[chook fowler 19,772]

2 minutes ago, spalding said:

I was thinking the same re the lions, but their backline looked really slow to me last night, and I don’t think that the mcg would help them at all. 

I think the Lions went too tall in their forward line. They couldn’t match us for run and carry.

poor selection by them.

[Fork 'em 7,052]

4 minutes ago, Better days ahead said:

We are deservedly favorites. No question about it.

The manner of our victories has been the most impressive thing. Geelong and Richmond tamed early in the season. We then coasted a little (but still won our games other than Adelaide) before turning up the dial again and blowing away the Doggies and Lions. Make no mistake our last 2 wins have been emphatic. And the other thing i would say is, we haven't hit our peak yet. We have another gear i reckon.

Injuries and bad luck is the only thing that can derail us this year.

I'll throw in poor kicking.
I get edgy when we're missing set shots.
If we had've kicked straight last night it would have been over much earlier.

[Timothy Reddan-A'Blew 5,690]

23 minutes ago, Boots and all said:

I was only a young fella in 87. Does anyone know how we were placed in terms of flag favouritism during that year?

1987 as per previous respondents, Boots. That year, with the night premiership as huge underdogs, Robbie's last year, the hectic late landing into 5th, the two huge finals wins and the dramas of the 3rd, is more memorable to me than '88, which may have had moments of favouritism? From a bit of googloogling, I see that, coming off a close '87 prelim, and a feeling we might have done better against Carlton than the Hawks did, we opened at 10-1 flag odds and evens finals odds. We then topped the ladder in Round 7, beating Hawthorn in that round, and Round 8, when we sat 7-1. The Hawks then had a run but we closed to within a game in 2nd in Round 16. They then steamed away to finish 3 games clear while we late-season-slumped to 5th (again!) starting with a loss to Hawthorn.

[one_demon 826]

1 hour ago, Cassiew said:

This is the best I’ve ever seen us. This is the first time in my lifetime that we are the premiership favourites. Sure we’ve had other great season like in 2000, but that was a year when Essendon was always going to be premiers. I don’t think there’s any team we can’t beat this year. Definitely our best season since 1964

I agree with most of this however I'm not you can say it's our best season since 1964 because we go out of the finals in straight sets.

[Wrecker46 3,130]

If we win the flag we better not sack Goodwin. I don't want to be cursed for another 50 years.

[bobby1554 1,275]

Don’t underestimate Geelong. Dangerfield and Cameron are two big ins to the team we beat

[danielE288 781]

4 minutes ago, bobby1554 said:

Don’t underestimate Geelong. Dangerfield and Cameron are two big ins to the team we beat

Yeah cats are a worry, but think we can cover them still.

[old dee 24,083]

49 minutes ago, Jontee said:

I have no memory of Melbourne playing this consistently well in my lifetime - I am now a pensioner.

You are not alone jontee. However I can still remember 60 - 64 I always went expecting to win . 

[old dee 24,083]

The council's around Victoria have put in a complaint to the MFC. It seems there are lids all over streets everywhere across the state.

[Cassiew 1,903]

54 minutes ago, one_demon said:

I agree with most of this however I'm not you can say it's our best season since 1964 because we go out of the finals in straight sets.

But we haven’t yet. Yes it could happen but I haven’t seen this consistency and brilliance in a team in my lifetime. Even both our grand final years we were nowhere near this good. I was still of the radar in 1964, so I’ve never seen a team like this. Only brief flashes.

 

54 minutes ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

1987 as per previous respondents, Boots. That year, with the night premiership as huge underdogs, Robbie's last year, the hectic late landing into 5th, the two huge finals wins and the dramas of the 3rd, is more memorable to me than '88, which may have had moments of favouritism? From a bit of googloogling, I see that, coming off a close '87 prelim, and a feeling we might have done better against Carlton than the Hawks did, we opened at 10-1 flag odds and evens finals odds. We then topped the ladder in Round 7, beating Hawthorn in that round, and Round 8, when we sat 7-1. The Hawks then had a run but we closed to within a game in 2nd in Round 16. They then steamed away to finish 3 games clear while we late-season-slumped to 5th (again!) starting with a loss to Hawthorn.

1987 I think we can take the fact that we emotionally and physically drained the hawks and it’s really what stopped them from mounting any challenges against the the blues. I think the same would have happened to us. It was an exhausting preliminary final and we would have been without several of our players. I mean, Hawthorn still celebrate that victory to this day only to go on and… lose. Would it have been that great losing two grand finals in a row?
1988 was exciting but even though we beat Hawthorn they just went on a run and it would have been a massive upset if we’d beaten them. I remember dad being more celebrating of making the grand final the week rather than any expectation of winning. He went absolutely nuts when we briefly hit the lead, albeit by one point. He got excited after the first goal in the second quarter then it was just a huge disappointment the rest of the day. He told us making it was no mean feat and to take it for what it was. I never thought we’d wait so long for our next one. To me, 2000 was even more disappointing.

Edited June 5, 2021 by Cassiew

[BDA 23,048]

47 minutes ago, bobby1554 said:

Don’t underestimate Geelong. Dangerfield and Cameron are two big ins to the team we beat

We'll run them off their feet just like we did to the Lions

[dl4e 5,851]

There is something in my MFCSS that tells me the word favorite does not sit well.