Peppermint Lounge wrote:As for the Bombers this year I was encouraged by a few passages of running play during the 4 point loss to Carlton. Really last season was appalling and something Essendon supporters are simply not accustomed to. Previously the most disappointing season I'd endured was '92. What a shit year. Of course we know what happened the year after and while I'm a long way from drawing parallels between now and then I wouldn't rule out a massively improved season this year. Lloyd's return to form is vital and I hope he can keep his elbows down for the duration of his recovery. His inclination to lash out in an illegal fashion is an ongoing worry.
It's a delicate time for the Bombers...
They are trying to bring on the kids... but then rely on a selected # of oldies to keep them as far up the ladder as they can (mainly Lloyd, Fletcher, Lucas, and Hird). The problem is that if they lose one or two of said experienced players... it all comes undone in terms of scoreboards.
It's also pretty much unfamiliar territory for the Bombers... who have relied on Sheedy's shrewed trading to largely avoid having to rebuild from scratch. But over the last few years there have been few clubs willing to trade with Windy Hill so they now have little choice but to turn to the draft.
There are concerns that Essendon doesn't have the personel to fully utilise the draft (they really haven't needed to) and that the Club's proud culture is preventing them from making the hard decisions needed to change the flow.
Compare this to Hawthorn who have taken a different approach in trading / retiring everyone until they had virtually nothing (except a bag of draft picks)... bring in a completely new coach / medical / support staff system... suck up a few years at the bottom... swallow your pride as you gorge on draft picks... and then start a slow climb back up.
Carlton have done a similar thing... but that was forced upon them.
It will be fascinating over the next few years to compare the approaches... and see where this all ends up.