PaulRB

I think there’s a simplification of our defensive structure and the roles various players will play in it, and OMac often finds himself at the brunt of this misunderstanding. Comparing Frost and Oscar is an example of this overLy simplistic analysis and comparison, as each player plays quite different roles in our defensive structure...

I think this is total horseshit, disrespectful and ill intended. The guy has carried the leadership and expectations of this club for the past 6 years as we built to a prelim before last years stumble, which was in no way his fault. It’s annoying me how quickly and ignorantly supporters turn on the few brave players that have stepped up to bearing the burden of leading our club. How about we acknowledge the service Nathan has given the club, note his injury free preparation and years of quality football and wish him well..? As a man of history Hemingway, maybe you should read Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena” speech of 1910... "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

That just means they haven’t been pushing themselves hard enough. We’ve been masterfully managed to maximise the physical improvement each player could make over the pre-season. That May, Max And Hannan are all likely to now get up for round 1, shows just how well they’ve don it (Especially Vs last year)...

:)))

:))

“Bump” For those with short memories and fragile loyalties.

I reckon Goody and Pert are lowering expectations wowing mid-season or 6 game season, and Harley being optimistic re- round 3... So round 6 (vs Tigers) or Round 7 (vs Dons) seems a possibility... Bring it on!

Agree. And I reckon ANB is also a lock for 22. Forward defensive pressure will feature large in 2020 I believe.

I reckon our 22 is almost a lock (in red above), with only 2 of the 21 listed above "debatable in Spargo and OMac, both of which would suit us well out West. So the competition is really for 1-3 spots in our Round 1 22. Good spot to be in.

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...

I suspect the issue may be addressed in an up coming episode of “Hell and back”..!?!

That's funny one_dee, I'd have Jetta, Hibberd, May, Lever and even Oscar in front of him... and happily replace him with another gray hound on crack in Hunt, for the "line breaking speed top turn over" thrill ride, if that what gets you going at the footy.

Mate, Frosty was not "premiership quality defence" and not our "second defender". Move on.

That was quick, only 3 pages in...

Oscar

You mean like this..?

A good captain has the ability to turn a game by the force of their will, and inspire his team to lift and rally in either his defence and/or inspired by his leadership. I’m confident Max covers all those aspects.

According to those numbers if we bounce back to our trajectory of the past 5 years we are looking at approximately 18 wins this year... ??? Go Dees...

Vandenberg is key to the manic forward pressure game that had us unravel top teams in 2018. Him crashing and hunting opens the congestion for others to wreak havoc. He can also mark and kick goals, and hurt the opposition fairly... a very useful trait in modern sanitised footy.

Dons came away with one injury - Patrick Ambrose - Essendon cop another injury in win over Demons 'reserves'

I don’t get why you’d need a “massive” 20 Ac facility to train a single men and women’s footy team..? Tech, good equipment, best fitness and coaching staff, enough space for the team to have unimpeded access to gear, etc... but there’s only 44 odd men in training with minimal overlap with the women’s team (which at a pinch could continue to train at Casey). I think a hi-tech compact facility in center of town is far more attractive (to players we’re courting) and effective than 20 acre in the middle of nowhere. The fact we train along side soccer and rugby teams adds to the energy and potential for innovation... Bigger and more, is more about the egos at play than the proven benefits of such largess on the performance of the team...

Another well timed slap in the face of our playing group. No respect given. (and understandably so) Hoping our 2020 season runs like a redemptive Tarantino movie, violent, entertaining, and ultimately cathartic. Go Demons.

I think the best prion is to stay right where we are, and build smarter into and over our immediate surrounds, ie over roads to Yarra to South of Goshe’s paddock etc do that in combination with other shuffles in the area and we should be good for another 50 yrs.

Made me think they only wanted those members to come who were capable of long term planning...