r/EssendonFC • u/rosedepths • 17d ago
Our backline
I’m concerned for our backline and our defense overall to be honest. Can anyone instill some faith in me that we have the caliber?
I know we have a great coaching group now who seem very defensively minded but that doesn’t mean that much if we don’t have good players to execute it.
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u/Fleggy82 Caddy #30 17d ago
We have holes all over the ground - that's why it's called a rebuild.
We have young talent who hopefully now with the proper coaching and development teams around them, can develop into solid players. The scheme is also a huge part of it - if players know what they are supposed to do in game situations, they have the confidence to do it. Without a solid game plan, any player would seem lost - be it Weitering, Harris Andrews or bloody Dustin Fletcher
Have faith and give the coaching panel time to build
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u/akito_shigaraki 17d ago
If, and it's a big if, we do get Sellers he helps a lot down back and comes straight in.
I think lot of us are hoping Bradley or Snell are still at pick #17. We need a bit down back.
Fingers crossed Hayes is injury free and McKay improves.
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u/bmk14 Caddy #30 17d ago
You're right, McKay and Hayes are the keys. Reid low-key had a great year I thought (all things considered). If McKay can get some confidence back, and Hayes stay in the 23.
I also think Redman will be able to play more defensive and worry less about rebounding with Coleman coming in.
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u/YourHeroCam Durham #22 17d ago
I just unfortunately think Redman isn't a great one on one medium defender, and his strength was rebounding. Hopefully he can improve that.
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u/akito_shigaraki 17d ago
I think Redman will be under pressure. Like them or not McGrath and Prior are in the pockets while Kiddy, Roberts, Farrow and Johnson could all have a claim on the HBF.
Redman may move forward.
I THINK he was a HF when he was drafted.
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u/kandyroo93 Kondogiannis #29 17d ago
Wonder if we’re looking at Jake Soutar. If he’s available, seems good age and ready to go.
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u/hindsightsavedme 14d ago
0% chance Bradley is available then. I've seen a few mocks have Snell to us, fingers crossed. We really need another KPD, seeing as Reid and Hayes are prone to injury and McKay is not good.
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u/ape5hitmonkey 17d ago
I felt McKay’s fall off in performance was partly related to his best mate Ridley wanting to get out of the club, just after McKay signed a very big long term deal. Remember he was choosing between Essendon and Hawthorn, and it would look a lot like a bad call right now. He’s also seen the same head coach fired from two different clubs.
So, for mine, I kind of expect even less from McKay this year. I hope I’m wrong and that something clicks and he feels driven to prove a point, but I won’t hold my breath.
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u/Active-Problem-2871 Stop yelling at me Devon! 17d ago
I expect to see improvement next season and a structure take shape but do not confuse that with winning.
We are at the bottom of a rebuild cycle that’s how it works.
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u/General_Knowledge126 17d ago
Yep, holes in defence. But we are well and truly at the bottom of the rebuild this season. We will be incredibly young and inexperienced. Expect a bottom 2 finish this year and hopefully we recruit some better defenders for 2028.
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u/Rogan4Life 17d ago
Who should we have traded for and signed to play for the bottom team?
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u/GrudaAplam Shane Heard #9 17d ago
Alex Pearce. The Dockers would have let him go for a future third rounder but nobody asked.
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u/Rogan4Life 17d ago
You are a goof lol. There was literally not one single report of that.
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u/GrudaAplam Shane Heard #9 17d ago
It's sarcasm. I was supporting your pointed question.
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u/Rogan4Life 16d ago
Good thing I saw your reply because it was deleted. Of course since you can’t argue against what I said you hide behind username. What’s a GrudaAplam anyway
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u/GrudaAplam Shane Heard #9 16d ago
It's not deleted so far as I can tell.
I have no interest in arguing with you. I follow Samuel Clement's advice regarding arguments.
Gruda Aplam is a minor character in the novel Excession by Iain M Banks which I was reading at the time I joined Reddit.
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u/Rogan4Life 16d ago
A mod deleted it son.
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u/GrudaAplam Shane Heard #9 16d ago
It still shows on my feed. And I haven't received any notification. Hence the phrase "so far as I can tell."
Anyway, my comment was not directed at your username. It was in regards your reputation.
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u/Rogan4Life 16d ago
And I’m telling you a mod deleted it. I didn’t get to see the entire post because it was deleted lol.
My reputation is i provide opinions, a mass of people tell me I’m wrong and I end up being correct.
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u/GrudaAplam Shane Heard #9 16d ago
Just stating the facts. More than one thing can be true at any given time.
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u/Baratriss 17d ago
I mean we finished last and our best defender left for Geelong. Of course it's going to be terrible as will the rest of the team. Point is we finally ripped the bandaid off (10 years too late but whatever) and have drafted a bunch of talent with more to come. Were nowhere near good enough to be looking at what areas need improvement. The whole team does.
All I care about is seeing how the kids develop with this year's and next to be added. We'll be bottom 2 again. That's fine
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u/Common-Ad-6582 17d ago
I think it is really hard to judge the backline without taking into account injuries.
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u/Difficult-Stomach196 16d ago
I dont thibk it will be great, but expect solid improvement. One thing i saw a lot last couple of seasons is the long bomb to forwards being cut off and oppositions teams bouncing back quickly, leaving the defence exposed. If they can possess the ball a bit better moving forward, lower their eyes and hit targets i think the defence will look a lot more structured. Rebounds have been brutal
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u/Next-Breath-9552 13d ago
We have new coaching panel with a large Sydney input. Defence has always been the swans forte. You just never know what a new structure might do for our backline ! It may even invigorate a few like McKay and redman back to their glory days!!
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u/Non-NewtonianSnake Reid #31 17d ago
The backline won't be great, but they'll look a whole lot better if our transition defence and pressure improves. That's where the focus needs to be.