Essendon rated ‘middle of the road’ team as Mick McGuane raises concerns ahead of 2020
Ravaged by a pre-season injury crisis, Essendon’s woes have been compounded by a damning assessment from Champion Data as former champions fear an even further fall from grace in 2020.
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Injury-hit Essendon runs the risk of once more being a finals also-ran if it can't close the gap between its best and worst, according to football analyst Mick McGuane, as Champion Data labelled the Bombers a “middle of the road” team in all measurements.
In what looms as a critical year for the club, McGuane and Kane Cornes also expressed serious concerns about the Bombers’ pre-season injury issues.
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“It’s a real worry for me,” McGuane said of the fitness concerns already biting deep into Essendon’s list just over three months from the Round 1 clash with Fremantle at Marvel Stadium on March 21.
“They have got some real injury concerns and that’s a worry for me from a finals perspective.”
Cornes was even more bleak in his assessment on radio, saying: “If there’s a club that is set to fall from grace … it could be the Bombers (in 2020).”
“There are warning signs that you can read throughout a pre-season.
“Last week Essendon revealed it has only got 23 fit players in full training and a long list of players recovering from in-season or post-season surgery.
“Dyson Heppell’s got a foot injury, (Michael) Hurley’s got a shoulder, (David) Zaharakis has just had more surgery on a knee after initially having surgery on an ankle. (Orazio) Fantasia’s banged up again, he’s got a hip (injury), (Joe) Daniher’s still got a groin, (Matt) Guelfi’s got a knee, Marty Gleeson’s got an ankle.
“You’ve got 23 players that are fit. We saw what happened to Melbourne last year when no one completed the pre-season.”
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Champion Data's 2020 Prospectus has revealed Essendon’s list profile puts them mid-table in all measurements, which perhaps explains why the club has finished between eighth and 11th across the past three season.
The Bombers made the finals last season, but proved no match for West Coast in the elimination final, losing by 55 points.
Their defence heading into 2020 is ranked sixth by Champion Data, while the midfield and forwards are both rated eighth.
The average age on their list is 24.12, which is the ninth oldest in the AFL, with their average games played (61.07) sits as the seventh least experienced.
McGuane said aside from the pre-season injury issues, the chief concern for John Worsfold and Ben Rutten – the man he will replace him in 2021 – centres on a more consistent output across the season.
“Their consistency really worries me,” McGuane said.
“They fluctuate … their best is good enough, but when they are not at their best, they are mediocre.”
“They will clearly have to try some new things.
“The challenge is to get that mids to forwards connection working.
“We know what (Orazio) Fantasia and ‘Tippa’ (Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti) are capable of doing when they are fit and healthy.
“Devon Smith can play inside mid and go forward, and if he can replicate 2018, then he will be a key addition.
“Ideally, you would have wanted Joe Daniher to have a really good pre-season. He has been in the wilderness for a few years now.
“Footy changes quickly, and he is a big man. He needs continuity of practice, and he hasn't been getting that.”
CHAMPION DATA’S LIST PROSPECTUS IS AVAILABLE FOR ORDER ONLINE
Originally published as Essendon rated ‘middle of the road’ team as Mick McGuane raises concerns ahead of 2020