Essendon followers have been hoping for a response from their workforce after such an insipid show six days earlier towards the Giants.
Unfortunately, the undermanned Bombers bumped into the incorrect opposition on the incorrect time, barely giving a wimp towards a slick, brutal and hungry Collingwood aspect on Friday evening.
And for all of the beneficial properties the Bombers took underneath Brad Scott earlier this season, their ultimate seven weeks of the season little question have left a mightily bitter style within the mouths of Essendon followers.
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It was at all times going to be a troublesome process on Friday evening after dropping six first-choice gamers – Jye Caldwell, Matt Guelfi, Peter Wright, Sam Draper, Jake Stringer and Jake Kelly – to harm within the lead-up to the sport.
But ask any ex-AFL participant they usually’ll say an absence of effort is inexcusable – and that’s what Collingwood legend Nathan Buckley noticed from the Bombers when the sport was up for grabs early, with the Bombers conceding eight Collingwood first quarter targets whereas failing to kick one themselves.
“If you’re an Essendon supporter, you’re looking at some lack of efforts, some missed tackles, not putting your hands up on the mark, missed spoils, not going back with the flight – that’s not what you wanted to see after last week,” Buckley advised Fox Footy.
“Essendon came out after quarter-time and it was quite clear they wanted to possess the ball in their back half and defend with ball in hand. They were only able to do that for 90 seconds before that capitulated.
“It must be frustrating in the coaches box at the moment. I cannot imagine where Brad Scott goes with this group at half-time.”
It took till the 21-minute mark of the second time period for the Bombers to kick their first main by means of Sam Weideman. But that solely got here after they conceded 10 consecutive targets for the second straight week.
Melbourne champion Garry Lyon labelled the Bombers’ first half as “pitiful” and “appalling”.
“This is a nightmare Friday night for them,” Lyon advised Fox Footy.
“I feel for Essendon supporters right now. They have to sit back and watch what they watched last week. Essendon pleaded with them to turn up to the MCG to their home game – and they witness this.”
Triple premiership Lion Jonathan Brown added: “Now that they can’t play finals, it looks like a team that’s completely lost hope.”
Essendon after Round 17 sat fifth on the ladder, one recreation exterior the highest 4. But heavy losses to the Cats (-77) and Bulldogs (-41), adopted by a two-point loss to Sydney (after trailing by 37 factors within the third time period) and two scrappy, convincing wins over bottom-two groups West Coast and North Melbourne.
Then with their finals hopes nonetheless alive, the Bombers final week suffered a 126-point loss to the Giants – their fifth-biggest defeat of their proud historical past.
Add Friday evening’s efficiency towards Collingwood to that run of kind and that 9-7 report after Round 17 looks like ceaselessly in the past. For some, virtually redundant.
“I know Essendon people last week who were absolutely gutted and shattered with their performance against the Giants,” Lyon mentioned. “You’ve lost by 20 goals when you were still a live chance to play finals. They come out and plead with their supporter base to come to the MCG and farewell us in Round 24 – and they turn up. And they (the players) serve that up.
“This is Collingwood. This is the arch-rival, MCG, Friday night – and they are playing careful, cautious, timid footy. They haven’t turned up and it’s got too hard for them in the last two weeks.
“They’re about to go into a six-month hiatus and the players, these super professionals, are going to get 10 to 12 weeks off … and they’re going to go off on the back of that. This is a team who were contending for a finals spot six quarters ago – and that’s been their response.
“They made a meal of last year, they made a meal of the coach sacking. Then there was some stability, Brad Scott’s an experienced head … Essendon supporters see some identifiable change. And it’s just about gone. The goodwill that they’ve made throughout the course of the year on the back of that six quarters is just about shot.”
Originally printed as ‘Pitiful, appalling’ Bombers lose hope as ‘astonishing’ drop uncovered
Source: www.news.com.au
