Essendon Bombers AFL News

Big name Bombers set to return
Injured trio David Hille, Scott Gumbelton and Jason Laycock may all feature in Saturday's NAB Challenge match against Melbourne »
Added: 6 days ago, Source: AFL.com.au

Training Report - 22/2/10
By jackie mihocek Sandbelt and I attended a light one hour training session at Windy Hill. The captain, vice captain and life member of the modified group – I refer of course to Laycock, Neagle and Gumbleton – all trained for the entire session while the medical staff had a rest on the bench. It may have happened before but I can’t recall when I last saw it so it is good news for these players who have had a mountain of injury and bad luck to contend with. In fact no soft tissue injuries in evidence at all which probably entitles the coaching staff to take a bow. Colyer attended but did not train – his hand and wrist were heavily bandaged – perhaps due to surgery for a webbing injury. Nothing in particular caught my attention during the session – it will be interesting to see if the three musketeers play on Saturday. What are the odds? Click Here for the BomberBlitz.com Forum Thread »
Added: 6 days ago, Source: Bomber Blitz

Training Report - 19/2/10
By Lawry1970 I went to training and sat with Alan Noonan. AN really knows his stuff and his memory of past games and who played well on certain players is very impressive. No sign of the Carlton crew which was a relief. Didn’t see Foggy either. Small group doing modified training but none of them looked like were limping or struggling. Gumby looked fine and he was all smiles walking around and doing close-in ball work. Watson, Welsh both went into the modified group later, but I think it was just a workload thing. Stanton was in the modified group and then joined in match simulation type drills at the end. He looks very fit and his legs/core appear to be bigger/stronger. Myers looks to have fined down and he seems slimmer across the chest/shoulders than when I saw him pre Christmas. He looks lighter. Hard to really single anyone out, but I thought Hurley was good and I enjoyed seeing Laycock in full training. Winders did go off, but it didn’t appear to be serious or any major limp. BTW, Matty Knights has lost about 10kgs and you can tell. Click Here for the BomberBlitz.com Forum Thread »
Added: 1 day ago, Source: Bomber Blitz

Gold Coast hit list
GOLD Coast is confident it will land eight to 10 prime uncontracted players. »
Added: 5 days ago, Source: News.com.au

2010 AFL Season Preview - Essendon
By Allblack So where to start when looking at a team you love and trying to be objective. Last year gave Bombers fans a lot of hope for the future, the hope is still there and there looks to be some quality young players but will 2010 be another building year or the year the team starts to see success as a real option. If I leave out some players it is because I can already see this will be a long one. The backline statistically did not have a good year last year. They let too many teams kick scores against them but that doesnt tell the whole story. A lot of that rests on a midfield that didnt work hard enough both ways. There is much reason for hope with Pears and Hooker looking like very solid defenders for the coming years. Fletcher is still a gun and seems comfortable with his role in bringing the future players through. Run from half back was crucial last year with Dempsey filling a hole the Bombers have had for a while. His run from defence gives opposition teams something to think about. The bombers still seem to lack a quality small defender and whilst there was some successful trialling of Jetta in the VFL he isnt a lockdown style player. Atkinson showed a little form towards the end of last year but I am not sold on him as a player, his decision making worries me and his skills have a way to go. The Bombers are still searching for a successful midfield mix. Watson last year was comfortably the best the Bombers had and his clearance work is as good as anyone in the AFL. A poor year from McVeigh is a worry at this stage of his career and he needs a much better year this year. Welsh is extremely important as a ball winning tagger, his form was off last year after injury but seems to have found his niche. Myers needs to have an impact this year after taking his time adapting, he has been disappointing at best, hasnt picked up the speed of the game and makes poor choices on the field. Houli needs to work much harder defensively if he is to play much more AFL footy, he needs to have an impact this year or he may miss the boat. Lonergan I thought was misused last year often as a forward when he should be right in the guts. I am not sold on Hocking, I dont know if he is more than a depth player. Dyson had his best year but still needs to improve further. Stanton is under rated by Bombers fans and has worked hard on his defensive side. I dont know what to make of Slattery, some weeks I love him and next week he drives me crazy. Licha mind you is a beauty and after years of struggling is finally repaying the faith. Zaharakis looks a good young player and would like to see him play a bit more this year. The thing that stands out is the amount of midfielders we have, amongst them some pretty average ones. The Bombers have invested heavily in trying to find a good midfield mix and I am not sure they still have the players. The forward line post Lloyd and Lucas was always going to be an interesting situation but there is enough young talent to suggest it wont take too long to get things right. Neagle has all the tools if not the attitude, Gumby has the attitude and the tools if not the body. Still is young but there is something about him I like from the very small amount I have seen. Add to those talls and we have the switch hitters in Daniher and Hurley. Hurley I would like to see as a forward as I think he is a star and will be able to better influence games from CHF. Reimers I like but have trouble at times remembering why. He needs to find some consistency. Monfries is the same, he needs to find real consitancy. I liken him to Didak a little bit and wonder if some time up the field may help him. Davey will be stronger this year but I still have concerns he isnt a natural small forward. He lacks goal sense. Jetta is a real interesting one. I watch him and his sense of the game and the way the play is happening is great, he reads it very well. I just sense those nerves or perhaps over thinking get in the way and he fumbles a bit. I would love to see Jetta backed in from the start of the season. Mark Williams is the wildcard this year and think the Bombers would like 40 this year at least off him during the transition from Lloyd and Lucas to the future. The rucks for the Bombers are strong if fit. Hille will be first ruck once up and going and with Ryder as backup the Bombers have a very good ruck division. Laycock I have little to no faith in at all. Bellchambers and Bock still need a lot of development. The coach is a hard one to mark. He got the team into the finals which was great but for mine the defensive side of the game still needs a lot of improvement especially through the midfield. I think I said the same thing last year but I still find him hard to judge. This year should make it easier. They outperformed my expectations last year. I am not expecting the Bombers to make the 8 this year. It is possible they will be around the bottom of it but I still have some question marks over the list. I would think we should be happy with somewhere from 8-10 and expect 10 will probably be the mark. Click Here for the BomberBlitz.com Forum Thread »
Added: 5 days ago, Source: Bomber Blitz

Bombers NicNac Paddy Whacked Out West
Essendon’s 2010 NAB Cup campaign collapsed at the first hurdle going down by 35 points against the West Coast Eagles at Subiaco Oval on Friday night. The Bombers kicked just three goals after half time as the Weagles ran out winners, 1.16.12 (117) to 0.12.10 (82), in front of a crowd of 23,860 at Subiaco Oval in the 2010 AFL season opener. NAB CUP ROUND 1 West Coast 0.3.0 0.8.5 1.14.8 1.16.12 (117) Essendon 0.7.1 0.9.3 0.9.6 0.12.10 (82) GOALS West Coast: Nine-point goals: Naitanui. Goals: Kennedy 3, LeCras 3, Naitanui 2, Embley, Masten, Nicoski, Rosa, Schofield Essendon: Nine-point goals: Nil. Goals: Williams 3, Winderlich 2, Jetta 2, Monfries 2, Riemers, Still, Zaharakis BEST West Coast: Naitanui, Masten, Kennedy, Ebert, Priddis, LeCras Essendon: Watson, McVeigh, Prsmall, Dyson, Houli, Winderlich INJURIES West Coast: Nil Essendon: Nil Reports: Nil Crowd: 23,860 at Subiaco Oval »
Added: 2 days ago, Source: Bomber Blitz

Replay: Bombers v Eagles
FOOTY'S back! Replay our coverage of the NAB Cup opener between Essendon and West Coast at Subiaco. »
Added: 1 month ago, Source: News.com.au

Dons overrun by inspired Eagles
Jobe Watson's star turn wasn't enough to prevent the Bombers' 35-point loss to West Coast at Subiaco Oval »
Added: 1 month ago, Source: AFL.com.au

Injured Bombers in TV show
ESSENDON will open its doors to TV crews like never before this season for a warts-and-all program devised by Russell Crowe. »
Added: 1 month ago, Source: News.com.au

2010 AFL Season Preview - St. Kilda
By Allblack So how do you rate a team that took everything before them in the regular season last year and feel over at the final hurdle. Lets be honest as well, they cost themselves the grand final, it was theirs for the taking. After years of mediocrity they put themselves in a perfect position to break a long time without success but they blew it. Their off season has also been far from perfect. Their backline was the bext in the AFL last season by a large margin. When you look at the players it probably surprises how well they performed. They are very well drilled. Dawson looked good last year. I dont buy the hype and think for the most part he played the easily third tall sort of position S Fisher accounced themselves last year as a very good player. Gilbert looks a solid find as well. Raph Clarke had his best year but still question marks remain. Blake was good last year and I though Geary was a great find. I know they love Baker but his body is almost finished. Peake will be an interesting addition this year and they will look for some more run from him around the HB line. Goddard had his best year and showed why he was such a highly rated junior, his foot skills are A grade. Gram at times looked a little lost last year but has shown his quality. The midfield was where the real defensive work was done last year. They tackled and wore other teams into the ground lead by Lenny Hayes who was outstanding. The identified pace as an issue last year despite their dominance and invested heavily in Lovett which we all know has gone awry. The loss of Ball is not to be underestimated either. I know there is a perception he was unwanted and despite him being dropped for a period last year he is still an important player. They will be looking for Armitage to step up this year and fill that void, he will be a good player. Ray had his best season last year but he still needs to improve. Montagna finally realised some of his potential last year and they would be happy if he could provide the same output. Jones was very good last year but his disposal is atrocious so he doesnt really hurt the other way. I think he may struggle to maintain his position. Dal Santo came of age as well and was fantastic last year. Smith will be a wildcard this year and if they get him on the park they have a midfield to rival Geelong. Their forward line is dangerous. It is set up around the twin towers of Reiwoldt and Koschitzke. Both need to stay fit, Reiwoldt needs to match last years performance and I think there is still a lot of room for improvement with Kosi. Schneider was a little disappointing for mine but still got his job done. Milne owes the Saints for some terrible decisions in the Grand Final but had a pretty good year before that. Goddard showed last year he can be a very dangerous forward and expect he may see more time up there this year. Gwilt still has development left in him but will never be a great player. The forward line set up is strong but needs to stay injury free. If one of Kosi or Reiwoldt goes down then serious questions will be asked. The Saints have a good ruck department. By no means brilliant but will get the job done. King and Gardiner were both really good last year and all reports are that McEvoy has torn up the training track during the preseason. Gardiner had the year he needed last year to remind people why there was period he was the best in the land. They have recruited Pattison for depth but if he finds game time it is not going to be a good sign for the Saints. The coach dealt with his doubters last year with a game plan that strangled other teams. He has the best defensive structures in the league and has spent a couple of years building them up. He started to stake the leash off a little last year to let his team attack and they showed they can hurt you at both ends. The Saints had an extraordinary year last year. They had few injury concerns and never had their depth tested for any extended period. That sort of “luck” really helped them but they still have a quality list and plan to plan very well. In the next breath though I dont think they can repeat that for another full season and expect them to drop off a little in the regular season this year. I think they will finish outside the top 2 round the 3-4 mark. Click Here for the BomberBlitz.com Forum Thread »
Added: 1 month ago, Source: Bomber Blitz

Bombers rule out Ryder, Melksham
Essendon ruckman Patrick Ryder and draftee Jake Melksham will miss Friday night's NAB Cup opener against West Coast »
Added: 1 month ago, Source: AFL.com.au

2010 BomberBlitz.com Player Sponsorship Now Open!
As in previous years – the good userbase folk of the BomberBlitz.com Forum is once again joining up to become official club sponsors of some of the Essendon players in 2010. In 2010 BomberBlitz.com will be sponsors of new skipper Jobe Watson & ‘Rising Star’ Michael Hurley, but there will also be the opportunity to sponsor a few more players … depending on the number of people that jump aboard the sponsorship train. Registrations to join the sponsor group in 2010 is currently open and all the benefits that go with it for the minimum cost of just $35 per person. Click Here for the BomberBlitz.com Forum Thread For More Details All are welcome to join up! »
Added: 1 month ago, Source: Bomber Blitz