Bankers And Anchors - Round 22 2016 vs Essendon

[Eastdog]

This is the round 22 2016 edition of the Weekly Bankers and Anchors Thread. Once the game against Essendon is concluded post your nominations for:

The Bankers = 3 guys/aspects of the game that we banked on to do the right thing during the game
The Anchors = 3 guys/aspects of the game that weighed us down by their errors or poor play

Please limit it to no more than three of each player or aspect of the game, but feel free to make honourable/dishonourable mentions. As usual try to make it constructive criticism.

Try and restrict it to individual players rather than aspects of the overall match - I will allow more freedom now as the thread seems to be going down more of the aspects of the game path so you can have 3 for each made up of aspects of the game and individual players.

The thread is named in honour of a popular WOOF Contributor, The Banker, who passed away on 22/04/2012 after a six month battle with cancer.

[GVGjr]

3 Bankers and 3 Anchors

[bulldogtragic]

B

Pups. Rat, JJ, Boyd, McLean, Cordy & Daniel with some career best numbers.
Picken. Shut down, inside, outside, accumulator, everything to everyone all the time.
Four points I guess.

A

Not putting that drug cheating club to the sword. A really good team doesn't have an OK win scoring sub 100 points.
Injuries, just enough already.
Forward entries, still. Especially missing Tom Boyd when he was 25 out in front by himself.

[Eastdog]

Bankers

Picken - What a great start he is. In great form.

Daniel - He is a gem

JJ - Very important player


Anchors

Boyd missing a set shot which was disappointing. Show some good signs this year but needs to keep building on them next season.

Wood injury - enough already as BT said.

Playing at 4:40pm on Sunday - Will get another good schedule next season i'd imagine as we have had another decent year.

[SonofScray]

BANKERS:

Caleb Daniel - makes good things happen, more often than not.

JJ - gave him 1 vote. Was busy defensively and OK offensively.

Picken - A grade stuff from Pickers, in very good form.

Anchors:

EFC - should no longer exist as a Club.

Wood's injury - FFS.

EFC

[LostDoggy]

My 3 bankers would be 3 of the more honest players we could ask for who yet again did what they do to an excellent level:

Picken - Gives his all always and has proven remarkable versatile. Never gets his full due.
Boyd - Ultimate professional
Daniel - His footy smarts are just a joy to watch

ANCHORS
Roberts - Just doesn't do enough to make up for his limitations
Forward structures - Hard to watch at times
Roughy's workload - Really admire what he's done this year, but he's paddling at present

[bornadog]

Bankers

1. Daniel's two goals, plus the gut running from one end of the ground to the other.

2. Picken - can play anywhere around the ground, fearless, puts his body on the line every week.

3. The Bont - magnificent player to watch.

Anchors

1. Injury to Wood - looked like nothing, but the hard Etihad surface is terrible for landing on.

2. AFEL and umpires it is getting worse and they confuse everyone. eg, Picken given free, then the decision reversed for no reason.

3. Essendon crowds constantly yelling for a free kick.

[ratsmac]

Bankers

Rourke Smith - I thought he played alright. He had some fumbles but he made up for it with some real neat foot skills.

Caleb Daniel - if we could have more Caleb Daniels we would be a better team. His sharp skills and decision making always puts us into a more attacking position.

Hrovat - I like what he brought to the table tonight. He is starting to string some decent games together.

Anchors

Wood's ankle injury - I'm praying he's OK but it's not sounding good.

Delivery into the forward 50. We could've should have played our forwards into form. Instead we dribbled it along the ground, kicked over our forwards heads, kicked to the advantage side of the defender or chose the wrong options as usual. No wonder Stringer is playing at Footsrcay, he's forgotten how a football is supposed to get delivered to him.

Cooney getting chaired off in that disgusting jumper - he should of ended up in bulldogs colours. He probably wouldn't be getting a game though, but it didn't feel right.

[Remi Moses]

Bankers - Jong's 17 contested possessions . He was excellent
- Caleb Daniel , he is just silk
- Liam Picken is an animal on the ground, and he'd be awful to play against ( animal in a good way)
Anchors - The in denial fan boy Essendon groupies with their banner of James Hirds football academy ( I kid you not )
- The injury gods . Go and get knotted . ENOUGH
- my god they could whinge for Australia that fan base

[Bullies]

When Cooney left the Dogs it was the right thing as no one would have thought we would have been playing Finals for some years to come. In hindsight with his finishing skills (which is something we lack) he would have been handy on the flank at the moment as he still knows how to get it.
Bankers

Rourke Smith - I thought he played alright. He had some fumbles but he made up for it with some real neat foot skills.

Caleb Daniel - if we could have more Caleb Daniels we would be a better team. His sharp skills and decision making always puts us into a more attacking position.

Hrovat - I like what he brought to the table tonight. He is starting to string some decent games together.

Anchors

Wood's ankle injury - I'm praying he's OK but it's not sounding good.

Delivery into the forward 50. We could've should have played our forwards into form. Instead we dribbled it along the ground, kicked over our forwards heads, kicked to the advantage side of the defender or chose the wrong options as usual. No wonder Stringer is playing at Footsrcay, he's forgotten how a football is supposed to get delivered to him.

Cooney getting chaired off in that disgusting jumper - he should of ended up in bulldogs colours. He probably wouldn't be getting a game though, but it didn't feel right.

[Mofra]

Bankers

Our midgets. When Daniel has the ball, we can relax. The steal & goal was outstanding.

Zaine Cordy. Good overhead, played at both ends. Becoming an important player for us.

JJ - massive, massive metres gained game. One of our most important players.

Anchors

Ball use was scrappy - against the wooden spoon side.

KPDs - not convinced with Roberts and Hamling, even if Roberts is top 5 in the competition for %ers.

Injury gods.

[Ozza]

Bankers:

Caleb Daniel & the Bont for having clean hands - which was ultimately the difference.
JJ - Thought he was best on. I haven't seen the 'metres gained' stats yet - but I imagine his was big.
Hrovat - another who is pretty clean, but also doesn't just instantly handball to the next bloke under the pump. 'The Rat' holds onto it rather than immediately giving it off and was zippy around some congestion. Starting to see his terrific junior credentials coming out.

Anchors:

Dahlhaus - I love him, and hate to ever put him in this column - but at the moment he's one of our most senior inside mids, and he was one of the worst for ball use yesterday.
Clay Smith - has looked way off his game the last two weeks.
Roughead - having no impact at the stoppages, or around the ground.

[EasternWest]

When Cooney left the Dogs it was the right thing as no one would have thought we would have been playing Finals for some years to come. In hindsight with his finishing skills (which is something we lack) he would have been handy on the flank at the moment as he still knows how to get it.

Can't agree with that. His absolute refusal to work without the ball and run both ways was infuriating. Would've undone the occasional flashily brilliant thing he could still manage.

[ratsmac]

Bankers:

Caleb Daniel & the Bont for having clean hands - which was ultimately the difference.
JJ - Thought he was best on. I haven't seen the 'metres gained' stats yet - but I imagine his was big.
Hrovat - another who is pretty clean, but also doesn't just instantly handball to the next bloke under the pump. 'The Rat' holds onto it rather than immediately giving it off and was zippy around some congestion. Starting to see his terrific junior credentials coming out.

Anchors:

Dahlhaus - I love him, and hate to ever put him in this column - but at the moment he's one of our most senior inside mids, and he was one of the worst for ball use yesterday.
Clay Smith - has looked way off his game the last two weeks.
Roughead - having no impact at the stoppages, or around the ground.

I agree with all your anchors Ozza.

[josie]

Bankers - Jong's 17 contested possessions . He was excellent
- Caleb Daniel , he is just silk
- Liam Picken is an animal on the ground, and he'd be awful to play against ( animal in a good way)
Anchors - The in denial fan boy Essendon groupies with their banner of James Hirds football academy ( I kid you not )
- The injury gods . Go and get knotted . ENOUGH
- my god they could whinge for Australia that fan base

Totally agree with the above. I read back of banner (side facing dogs cheer squad) noting not so golden boy's football academy and was dumbfounded then had a chuckle. If I was a paid up Essendon member I'd be rather peeved at that. As an opposition supporter I thought, yep, that's what (fallen) idol worship looks like.

[Webby]

Totally agree with the above. I read back of banner (side facing dogs cheer squad) noting not so golden boy's football academy and was dumbfounded then had a chuckle. If I was a paid up Essendon member I'd be rather peeved at that. As an opposition supporter I thought, yep, that's what (fallen) idol worship looks like.

Yep, I read that and turned to my mate and said "Are you *!*!*!*!ing kidding me?!"

Absolutely incredulous!

Another thing I don't get about Essendon fans is that they rarely seem to talk about Simon Madden. To me, Madden is by far the best Essendon player I've seen. If I could have an 18yo S Madden or an 18yo J Hird, there's no question which one I'd go for. Absolutely no question.

Yet at Essendon in the mid '80's, it was all "Timmy, Timmy, Timmy." Since then, the Messiah has been "Hirdy, Hirdy, Hirdy!"
For me, if an all time VFL/AFL best 22 was picked, I couldn't find a spot on the bench for Hird, but S Madden would be starting as my 2nd ruck next to Farmer.

Essendon just have a glory boy complex. I couldn't believe my eyes in Sunday..

[Go_Dogs]

Bankers:-

Picken - Always reliable
Bont - ditto
Daniel - I'd now be surprised if he didn't win the rising star award

Anchors:-

What was up with the seating? I get you could pay and upgrade to a reserve seat, but there was about 200 people on the level 3 wings, the Bulldogs supporters on level 3 behind the goals added up to about more Essendon faithful than filled the rest of the stadium! Even the ground staff said it was one of the dumbest things they'd seen!

Our second quarter.