Warning. I always strive to strike a balance in my reviews, highlighting both the positives and the negatives. However, this week’s performance against Adelaide leaves no room for balance, it was entirely one-sided in its shortcomings. From start to finish, the game was a glaring showcase of issues, with very little redeeming moments to offset the overwhelming disappointment. Unfortunately, this makes for a review that is harsher than I’d prefer, but the events on the field left little choice.On

Another learning experience. In their first three games to start the year, the Bombers have had to face contrasting challenges, either those set by their opponents or the need to respond after a poor ...

Beyond the scoreboard. Once again, a quick reminder, my reviews aren’t based on wins, losses, or the four points. They’re grounded in the process: what Essendon is trying to do, how it’s being executed, whether it’s effective now, and crucially, whether it will be effective into the future.In this review, I will refer to several quotes from my preview of this matchup to highlight what the opposition has been capitalising on against West Coast and what they have successfully restricted. It's no c

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”-Martin Luther King, JrAs with most weeks this season, aside from the clear outliers against Adelaide, the Bulldogs, and Geelong, t...

Beyond the scoreboard. Once again, a quick reminder, my reviews aren’t based on wins, losses, or the four points. They’re grounded in the process: what Essendon is trying to do, how it’s being execute...

The motivation. It’s hard not to be counting down the games remaining in Essendon’s 2025 season. The second half of the year has turned into a weekly grind, where the scoreboard feels secondary and the focus has shifted to how the club’s younger players are performing and progressing. That continues this week, though there’s still a sense of unease heading into this one, not just because of where Essendon sits, but because of how the first meeting with the Bulldogs played out, with a near full-s

Expectations. At its core, a practice match is about preparation and testing game plan adjustments, giving coaches a chance to assess players, and experimenting with different combinations to shape the best lineup to start the year. The scoreboard and final result don’t concern me, the real value comes from the process, just as it did throughout 2024.The good to great. After finishing the 2024 season with a marginally positive differential in stoppage clearances, Essendon’s dominance in the firs

The challenges keep coming. After seven games, Essendon finds itself on the positive side of the win-loss ledger at 4–3, aided by a relatively favourable fixture to start the season. But that early ad...

It’s been a while now. Essendon will be looking to break an eight-game losing streak against Sydney this week, facing a Swans side sure to be chasing some form of revenge after their Round 9 loss.This...

Back after being managed. After a couple of weeks away, probably should’ve been a soft tissue injury to fit the theme, I’m back with the regular previews and, in this case, a review of this week’s performance against GWS.As has been the case since I started this project, the focus remains on process: what’s working, what needs work, what looks sustainable, and what doesn’t. But I’ll admit, that’s becoming harder to pin down with each passing week. The constant change to the lineup has stripped a

Last one before a break. It’s been a challenging five-week stretch to say the least for Essendon — just one win, a growing injury list, and seven debutants called upon earlier than expected to shoulde...

One fine summer’s morning. The final week of pre-Christmas training offered another stunning summer morning, and I made my way down to observe the second-last session of Essendon’s training for the ye...

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”-Martin Luther King, JrAs with most weeks this season, aside from the clear outliers against Adelaide, the Bulldogs, and Geelong, this game had its usual mix of positives and negatives, both in game and in quarters. The only difference was which areas fell into each category.The bad. The bookends have been hit hardest by injury, the back half more than the front as the season’s gone on, which has meant much of the load has shif

Too soon. It was only six games ago that Essendon suffered its biggest defeat since the abysmal showing against GWS in Round 23, 2023. With minimal change in availability or selection since that game, it’s fair to wonder if this one might end in a similar, or even worse, result, against a team in red-hot form and putting scores on the board at will.The horror show that was. I don’t want to spend more than a few paragraphs on the Round 14 matchup, there wasn’t much, if anything, positive to take