Formed: 1872
Joined AFL: 1897
Premierships: 16 – 1897, 1901, 1911, 1912, 1923, 1924, 1942, 1946, 1949, 1950, 1962, 1965, 1984, 1985, 1993, 2000
Last finals appearance: 2004, first semi-final (v Geelong)
2007 at a glance
The farewell year for Kevin Sheedy and James Hird showed promise at times, with the Bombers spending a significant portion of the season around the fringes of the top-eight. But ultimately the campaign ended up in a similar scenario to the two previous years – with Essendon (10-12, 12th spot) watching September from the sidelines.
2008 to date
After winning two of their first three games under new coach Matthew Knights, the Bombers looked gone when they lost their next eight – seven of the losses coming by 30 or more points. However, Essendon has found a second wind in recent weeks and will enter Saturday’s clash with the Lions having beaten West Coast, Carlton and Fremantle in consecutive games. At 5-9, the Bombers haven’t yet given up on their finals' dream.
The coach
Knights was a smart and gutsy midfielder in 279 games for Richmond and he’s developing a matching reputation in the coaching box. The former Tigers captain has Essendon playing enterprising and attacking footy. It doesn’t always work out, but has been highly entertaining when it has.
Missing in action
Unfortunately for the Bombers, their injury list reads a little like a novel – Henry Slattery, Darcy Daniher, Bachar Houli, David Myers, Courtenay Dempsey, Andrew Lee and Jason Johnson are all out with various ailments and Scott Gumbleton (collarbone) and Alwyn Davey (knee) are long-term injury victims. The luckless Courtney Johns, meanwhile, sustained serious knee damage in a reserves game over the weekend. That said, the majority of Essendon’s more senior players should be fit and available for selection.
The gun
No Bomber has taken as big a step up the leadership ladder as Mark McVeigh. Equal third in last year’s club fairest-and-best, the 27-year-old could well have been comfortably leading the 2008 poll had he not missed rounds five to seven with a hamstring injury. Not surprisingly, Essendon lost all three of those games. The versatile and hard-working McVeigh is averaging 25 possessions per game and amassed a whopping 36 disposals in a dramatic round 14 win over Fremantle. He has also contributed 11 goals, including four straight against Carlton in round three.
The bolter
In the early stages of the year, Kyle Reimers’ orange boots drew more attention than his play. Commentator Robert Walls wondered whether the youngster wasn’t getting ahead of himself. The Peel Thunder product still has a way to go to become a star but his solid progress to date has contained real positive signs for the future. Playing mainly across half-back, with stints in the midfield, Reimers is collecting almost 16 possessions per game and has snuck forward to boot eight goals – including five over the last four weeks.
Strengths
The Bombers know how to put a score on the board – no surprise given their forward line is still led by goal-kicking stalwarts Matthew Lloyd and Scott Lucas. In its five wins, Essendon has averaged 123 points, while Lloyd has bounced back from some moderate form to provide a real target over the last three weeks. McVeigh is a legitimate All-Australian candidate and fellow midfielder Brent Stanton could also be in the frame with a little more experience. David Hille is in career-best form in the ruck (outplaying Dean Cox in round 12), Jobe Watson invariably finds the football, Leroy Jetta gives the Bombers genuine ground-level speed and Angus Monfries has rediscovered his touch in the forward line. Under Knights, Essendon’s first instinct has been to attack and it has paid off at times.
Weaknesses
Attacking is one thing and defending is another – and the Bombers haven’t always done so well in the latter category. In losing eight times on the trot from rounds four to 11, Essendon gave up more than 127 points per game and it remains to be seen whether they have the backline bodies to curtail Jonathan Brown and Daniel Bradshaw. Hille is an excellent first-choice ruckman but his back-up, Jason Laycock, is prone to inconsistency and often drifts out of a game for long periods. Watson is a bona fide ball-winner but the accuracy of his disposal by foot has been questioned.
Running hot
Hille had a monstrous game against Cox and the Eagles three games back, accumulating 27 possessions, 22 hit-outs, nine marks and three goals. Lloyd has averaged 18 possessions and more than eight marks from full-forward in his last three outings. Stanton leads the Bombers in both disposals (291) and tackles (44).
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club
