Mick Malthouse: Essendon won’t win flag as Anzac Day presents Bombers and Magpies with ideal environment

Mick Malthouse says he was wrong about Essendon winning this year’s flag as Anzac Day presents a perfect reboot for the Bombers, while Collingwood can their further development.

OK, I can eat humble pie.

Essendon won’t win this year’s premiership.

I thought that with their pace and daring and natural growth — for both coach and players — and a bit of luck with injuries, that they would build on last year’s form and become a genuine threat this season.

Instead, the Bombers have simply been pathetic.

From the commentary box you tend to follow the play to inform the listeners about what is taking place and what has taken place. As a spectator, as I was last week in the Marvel Stadium stands watching Essendon play Fremantle, I got a different view of both teams.

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Dyson Heppell and his Bombers teammates need to stand up and make a statement.

The Dockers are the real deal. The Bombers are anything but that.

It would be quite embarrassing in fact for the Essendon of last year to view its efforts from the past weekend.

The Bombers were smashed at virtually every stoppage.

Sam Draper threw himself in as expected, but Darcy Parish, Dylan Shiel and Andrew McGrath to a degree, were simply horrible.

Anyone can run around getting cheap kicks, but at stoppages you need to get your hands dirty.

Fremantle showed the way. No fanfare, no over-the-top celebrations, coached beautifully by Justin Longmuir, players playing their roles and supporting each other.

It was the little battles — Alex Pearce on Peter Wright, Andrew Brayshaw at the stoppages and the follow-ups, Matt Taberner’s seven goals against a young, aggressive backline that is hiding in a shell and walking on the job.

I can’t believe that I was led to think that the Bombers were the real deal.

On Monday, Essendon can find some fighting spirit.

Anzac Day.

Its opponent, Collingwood, has been outstanding. The effort it has taken to mix it with the best, while even falling short on occasion, is heartening for Magpies supporters, and in the football world effort is everything.

Jordan de Goey loves the big stage and Anzac Day presents one of the biggest.

But as Craig McRae has said, honourable losses are still not wins.

If we marry these two teams up for the great Anzac Day battle and the same attitudes persist, then this will be a mother of all thumpings.

But Anzac Day can throw a curve ball. There have been turn-ups, surprise medallists, and predictable results in the past.

As I have said many times, it is a great privilege to be involved in such a grand day.

While there are two games on the April 25, it is a commemorative AFL round to honour the Anzacs. Therefore, every club will be judged on its output.

Each year we write about the spirit of the Anzacs, a narrative that shouldn’t change.

Players of the Magpies and Bombers run through the Anzac Day banner together.

The teams who are playing on Monday can cement themselves in folklore. It’s been a long, arduous Covid period. Anzac parades have been cancelled, dawn services likewise, and crowds cut. Thankfully this round we are relatively free of restrictions so there are no excuses, no places to hide.

Outside of the grand final and preliminary finals, Anzac Day is the most revered game to play in. It’s where heroes are born. It’s not war, but it is the memory of those who have served our country in war that should generate an above-average performance. A special performance.

We’ve seen remarkable come-from-behind wins this year, and attributed that to pride, grunt, and a little bit of luck. But because this round is dedicated to our wonderful armed forces and families, we really do expect better. We expect the best as we pay our respects and honour those who have served.

Andrew McGrath knows the Essendon faithful is demanding a response after their dismal showing this season.

Essendon is at its lowest point. The Pies are feeling a little deflated after a brilliant start to the season. The Hawks have shown tenacity and perhaps surpassed expectations. The Swans are displaying their usual stability and class. I am in so much awe of the day itself that I cannot wait to see these teams tested on the bigger arenas — the MCG and the University of Tasmania Oval in Launceston — and the big Anzac Day stage.

I look forward to seeing who will break out of the trenches, so to speak, and drag their teammates over the line.

Can the ageing Jack Gunston and the youthful Mitch Lewis, together with Luke Breust, score enough goals against a miserly Swans’ backline?

What an opportunity for Paddy and Tom McCartin, brothers, playing together unexpectedly. How will the young Nick Blakey hold up after finding his niche as a half-back flanker? Can Isaac Heeney continue his brilliance?

Can Jordan De Goey replicate the feats of his teammate’s Scott Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom, and win the Anzac Day Medal?

Collingwood champion Scott Pendlebury always brings his A-game to the Anzac Day contest.

Essendon is screaming out for leaders. Dyson Heppell leads the possession rate and Parish gets the footy a lot too, but it’s demonstrative leading that is required to lift a team. Monday gives them, as well as Shiel and Devon Smith the chance to make sacrifices for leadership. Will they?

It’s a test too for the coaches. The raw emotion of standing in the middle of the MCG for the national anthem and the last post was never lost on me. You realise very quickly that it’s not just another game of football. It is an opportunity for the coaches to be proactive on match day.

I felt extremely honoured to be asked my Craig McRae to speak to the Collingwood players this week, about my experiences with Anzac Day and the significance of the occasion.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have butterflies re-entering the club’s auditorium, with so few familiar faces in the group, but I was also excited and so humbled to share in the club’s preparations for such an important event.

A lot of sins can be forgiven with a top performance on a grand stage. There are times when a demonstration of mastery, genius, and leadership can carry a team, not just on the day but also going forward.

Leaders come in different shapes and sizes, with different methods and techniques used to evoke a response. But when they look over their shoulder and people are charging along with them, then they are doing it right.

Taking charge is never easy and sometimes daunting, but if there is ever a game in which to stand up and lead by example, then it’s the Anzac Day clash. And he who leads best will be the victor.

Originally published as Mick Malthouse: Essendon won’t win flag as Anzac Day presents Bombers and Magpies with ideal environment