This was published 5 months ago
Opinion
Can Essendon go all the way this year?
By Staff writers
This week on the Real Footy podcast, Jake Niall, Caroline Wilson and Michael Gleeson discuss Essendon, who are now unbeaten from their past seven games. Are the Bombers genuine premiership contenders in 2024?
Jordan Ridley returned against Richmond and gave a reminder of just how good a player Ridley is, especially with the addition to the side of ex-Roo Ben McKay. Todd Goldstein has also been a fantastic (albeit short-term) pick-up for the Dons.
They have had very few injuries though, Ridley aside, and in a season of fine margins, the injury status of lists will be crucial.
While the Bombers are flying, the news is not so good for the Brisbane Lions, who were upset by Hawthorn on Sunday. Is the Lions’ season all but done? With just four wins so far this year, it’s likely they would need to win nine of their last 12 matches, a tough ask. It’s been a disappointing season for last year’s grand finalists, as some of their bigger names have failed to fire consistently, leaving too much to too few.
The Cats are also struggling, and their losing streak has extended to four games. Is this a significant worry for Geelong, or are they tracking as expected after a seven-game unbeaten run to start the year? Plus, a discussion about Leek Aleer’s brilliance for the Giants, and the return to form of Toby Greene.
The panel also discusses consistency of rules and umpiring across the season, the “rubbery” holding the ball rule, whether the Cats should try to recruit Sean Darcy, Zac Williams’ move forward for the Blues and much more.
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