Haaarrrgh, the memories. Single handers, double handers, or bend over to tighten the shorts n get em wrapped around your arse.
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Essendon = Entitlement
- Thread starter Number8
- Start date
They may win a final, but there’s no real champions in that side. I think they’re more Brisbane 2019 than Richmond 2017.
Their percentage tells a story as well. <100 would typically have you outside the top 8
I really shouldn't bother with all of this, but the whole "Essendon trying to become Richmond" thing has always bugged me hugely, probably mostly because one of my best mates - and the main person I talk deeply about footy with - is an Essendon supporter, and I never felt it was fair that we finally got on to a good thing, only for one other club to take as much from us as they possibly could.
If it was any other club than my best mates' maybe I wouldn't care, but as a result I now cannot watch Essendon, I do not acknowledge any good football they play, and I truly believe all of the below is the reason for their current fortunes and style of play, and has at least partly contributed to our downfall and loss of identity. I do not ignore the fact that players age, effort wanes, and things naturally decline - I don't want to be a flag contender every year anyway, it's exhausting - but our complete loss of the pressure identity in such a short space of time has been alarming. We were only "good" for 4 years, now we're once again just a nothing team. That can't be coincidence. Look at all of this...
Since and including 2017, Essendon has:
- Appointed former Richmond head of football Dan Richardson at the end of the 2017 season.
- Poached Ben Rutten from Richmond in 2018 to begin the 2019 season as an assistant coach, and to become senior coach at the start of 2021, where he took them to the finals. I felt he was shafted unfairly off one bad season.
- Poached a still-contracted Blake Caracella from Richmond during the 2019 season, lauded by many for introducing the Tigers' new pressure and forward-handball game style in 2017.
- Clearly tried to become more jovial like Richmond, making jokes in their huddles even when down by a significant margin, even leading to one commentator flat-out stating "You're not Richmond".
- Recruited Jacob Townsend end of 2019 after he was delisted by Richmond.
- From the preseason of 2020 onwards, after the arrival of Blake Caracella, had clearly adopted Richmond's game style of forward-handball, with speed and pressure also a factor.
- Bid on Maurice Rioli Jnr in the 2020 AFL draft.
- Poached Sam Durham from Richmond's VFL team in the 2021 mid season draft, the pick before Richmond was apparently going to be drafting him.
- Drafted Garrett McDonagh from Richmond's VFL team in the 2021 AFL draft.
- Appointed former Richmond champion Alex Rance as a development coach in September 2021. He spent 5 months there.
- Recruited Massimo D'Ambrosio from Richmond's VFL team in the 2022 mid season draft.
- This one might be a stretch, but added Red to their guernsey collar and sleeve-edge for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, ala Richmond adding Yellow there from 2017 to 2019.
I understand that poaching from the successful sides is a good strategy, but Essendon took it to the absolute extreme. I have never seen one club go that hard on taking from and trying to "become" another.
I may have even missed some points, and I'm sure they made offers to some of our players along that journey. There was talk they were trying to snare Noah Balta only a couple of seasons ago.
Anyway, I love my mate, but I genuinely can't wish Essendon well for the next 5-10 years.
EDIT: And since I dislike them so much, I'll have a dig at them. Don't you love how Jake Stringer only plays well in a contract season, and acts like king-*smile* when he does anything of note? Just look at his goal celebration at the start of the 2021 final for example. And the main one, watch the players celebrate any goal, it's honestly like it's the greatest moment in AFL history every time, they are absolute morons at that club.
If it was any other club than my best mates' maybe I wouldn't care, but as a result I now cannot watch Essendon, I do not acknowledge any good football they play, and I truly believe all of the below is the reason for their current fortunes and style of play, and has at least partly contributed to our downfall and loss of identity. I do not ignore the fact that players age, effort wanes, and things naturally decline - I don't want to be a flag contender every year anyway, it's exhausting - but our complete loss of the pressure identity in such a short space of time has been alarming. We were only "good" for 4 years, now we're once again just a nothing team. That can't be coincidence. Look at all of this...
Since and including 2017, Essendon has:
- Appointed former Richmond head of football Dan Richardson at the end of the 2017 season.
- Poached Ben Rutten from Richmond in 2018 to begin the 2019 season as an assistant coach, and to become senior coach at the start of 2021, where he took them to the finals. I felt he was shafted unfairly off one bad season.
- Poached a still-contracted Blake Caracella from Richmond during the 2019 season, lauded by many for introducing the Tigers' new pressure and forward-handball game style in 2017.
- Clearly tried to become more jovial like Richmond, making jokes in their huddles even when down by a significant margin, even leading to one commentator flat-out stating "You're not Richmond".
- Recruited Jacob Townsend end of 2019 after he was delisted by Richmond.
- From the preseason of 2020 onwards, after the arrival of Blake Caracella, had clearly adopted Richmond's game style of forward-handball, with speed and pressure also a factor.
- Bid on Maurice Rioli Jnr in the 2020 AFL draft.
- Poached Sam Durham from Richmond's VFL team in the 2021 mid season draft, the pick before Richmond was apparently going to be drafting him.
- Drafted Garrett McDonagh from Richmond's VFL team in the 2021 AFL draft.
- Appointed former Richmond champion Alex Rance as a development coach in September 2021. He spent 5 months there.
- Recruited Massimo D'Ambrosio from Richmond's VFL team in the 2022 mid season draft.
- This one might be a stretch, but added Red to their guernsey collar and sleeve-edge for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, ala Richmond adding Yellow there from 2017 to 2019.
I understand that poaching from the successful sides is a good strategy, but Essendon took it to the absolute extreme. I have never seen one club go that hard on taking from and trying to "become" another.
I may have even missed some points, and I'm sure they made offers to some of our players along that journey. There was talk they were trying to snare Noah Balta only a couple of seasons ago.
Anyway, I love my mate, but I genuinely can't wish Essendon well for the next 5-10 years.
EDIT: And since I dislike them so much, I'll have a dig at them. Don't you love how Jake Stringer only plays well in a contract season, and acts like king-*smile* when he does anything of note? Just look at his goal celebration at the start of the 2021 final for example. And the main one, watch the players celebrate any goal, it's honestly like it's the greatest moment in AFL history every time, they are absolute morons at that club.
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