Current Ladder Position 11th
Flag odds $126.00
Top 4 odds $51.00
Top 8 odds $3.60
ContestedFooty’s start of the year preview
10th- 12th. When we looked at the Bombers at the start of the season we felt they still had a fair bit of rebuilding to do but expected them to continue to put some good performances on the board. The view was the young players in the team would struggle for consistency but 2009 could be a good launching pad for future campaigns. See the full preview here.
Current Situation
Sitting smack bang in the middle of Ben’s start of year predication the Bombers have taken the path he expected; having shown great form for a few weeks including a great competitive performance against St Kilda the Bombers have struggled to consistently show that very dangerous form.
Backline
Essendon has not had its first choice backline at any stage this year due to injuries and many expected this to cost them a lot of games, to their credit it hasn’t. Essendon have attacked the ball well all over the field but some of their younger defenders have really stood up, I’m a particular fan of Tayte Pears and will watch his progress into the future with interest.
Midfield
Ben has written an excellent post on Essendons midfield that I highly recommend. For mine Essendon’s midfield is very promising and has a nice balance of inside/outside players. Jobe Watson has really impressed me so far this year and has gone head to head with some of the best players in the game.
One nitpick I do have to make though is a need for a bit more mongrel in the team, but then I think that of a lot of teams.
Forwards
Lloyd has shown that he still has potency if the Bombers can get the ball in his hands and with his foil in Lucas returning to some form last week he should be even more dangerous. While the Bombers have been one more prominent key forward short for much of the year this shouldn’t be an issue now allowing some of the younger players an easier opponent and less pressure to perform.
What is really pleasing from a Essendon fan’s point of view is the spread of goal kickers an impressive 27 players have hit the scoreboard with a major score this year with an impressive 18 of them having 4 or more goals; this spread is a large reason Essendon has managed to win games despite the absence of another key forward for much of the year.
Coach
Mathew Knights is surely happy with what he has achieved so far with the Bombers and although there are still things to work on, such as the Bombers slow starts, I’d imagine Essendon fans feel confident that Knights is the man to take the club forward; at least for a few years.
Best Performed Player
Brent Stanton- The hard running midfielder has really stepped up a gear for the Bombers in 2009, especially early in the year, a real highlight was his game against Hawthorn where he managed 36 touches, 14 marks, 2 tackles and a goal.
Definitely a big part of Essendon’s future.
Looking Forward
Essendon teased me enough against St Kilda to get on them for the top 4 as a dark horse and whilst I now think they will fall short of that Essendon should be aiming for a top 8 finish and more importantly getting some experience into the future of the club. Their best has been breathtaking but their worst is uninspiring, 8th to 10th for mine.
Tags: 2009 Previews, Brent Stanton
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