Essendon’s nightmare injury run goes from bad to worse before the Christmas break

[Bulldog4life]

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/essendons-nightmare-injury-run-goes-from-bad-to-worse-before-the-christmas-break/news-story/4df41ed1fd7970076ba85f0a109f1eed

It is only December, but Essendon is in the middle of an injury crisis right now.
Only half of the Bombers’ list is currently in full training, with the other half recovering from off-season surgery or recent setbacks.

All-Australian key defender Cale Hooker (hip) and Crichton Medallist David Zaharakis (knee) are the latest stars to be hit by the injury curse.

Hooker and Zaharakis both underwent arthroscopes this week and won’t return to training until the New Year.

Joe Daniher (groin), Dyson Heppell (foot), Michael Hurley (shoulder) Orazio Fantasia (hip) and Matt Guelfi (knee) are all on the sidelines.

Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes is alarmed by the size of Essendon’s injury list and thinks the Bombers could struggle to compete in 2020, much like Melbourne in 2019.

“If there’s a club that is set to fall from grace, it could be the Bombers (in 2020)," Cornes told SEN.

“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.

“We saw what happened to Melbourne last year when no one completed the pre-season. They had about the same amount of players training.”

Cornes said clubs need 70 per cent of the list to complete 80 per cent of the pre-season program to be prepared for a full season.

Right now, that doesn’t look possible at Tullamarine.

“The rule that we used to work off is you need about 70% of your players to complete about 80% of the pre-season to have a really solid foundation to set yourself up for a good year. That’s not going to be the case for Essendon,” Cornes said.

“There’s an injury crisis there.”


The poor Bummers. :)

[comrade]

You hate to see it...

[Twodogs]

What a shame. Maybe we could lend them some of our players. After as a big blub it's far more important that they are successful than us

[The bulldog tragician]

In between chuckling, I wondered why the term “fall from grace” is used? “Slide further into mediocrity” is more accurate.

[josie]

You said it well twodogs-a big blub. You should generally never revel in the misfortune of others...... unless it is GWS or Bummers.

[bornadog]

And so the summer of Essendon stories begins. Week after week we will get something about *!*!*!*!ing Essendon.

[hujsh]

Cornes said clubs need 70 per cent of the list to complete 80 per cent of the pre-season program to be prepared for a full season.

Right now, that doesn’t look possible at Tullamarine.

“The rule that we used to work off is you need about 70% of your players to complete about 80% of the pre-season to have a really solid foundation to set yourself up for a good year. That’s not going to be the case for Essendon,” Cornes said.

“There’s an injury crisis there.”


The poor Bummers. :)

That's some pretty piss poor writing there. No need to tell us what he says verbatim and then include the same quote

[Bulldog4life]

The journos are making excuses for the Bummers already and it isn't even Christmas!:D

[Mitcha]

The journos are making excuses for the Bummers already and it isn't even Christmas!:D
They've been making them for years, Promise the world and deliver an Atlas. Mediocre club at best.

[GVGjr]

They've been making them for years, Promise the world and deliver an Atlas. Mediocre club at best.

They haven't been run well for a long while. I've fallen for their story before but not again and I think they'll be in the bottom 3rd of the competition in 2020

[Remi Moses]

I think the cycle of continuing to win the trade premiership is catching up with them

[ledge]

I rate them and Carlton as thinking they are entitled and not admitting they have problems.
Both need upheaval higher up but they aren’t going to sack themselves.
Must admit I do enjoy how they self emplode every two years so they never go anywhere.
This year it’s Carlton /silvagnigate and the bombers/ injury , which is quite ironic how they were so fit and healthy last summer apparently and a certain Stringer and Sheil were going to rip sides apart.

[ledge]

I think the cycle of continuing to win the trade premiership is catching up with them

Dodoro the best list manager in the competition but they haven’t won a final since he has been there.
Sounds like they use champion data.

[Rocket Science]

I might be looking forward to the Essington's 2020 season almost as much as ours.

On top of thinking they'll simply be crap, imagine them being crap with dead duck Woosha running the show, itchy feet Rutten in the wings, Big Joe with one foot out the door, Jakey being Jakey when the chips are down and the vitriol the faithful are renowned for ably stoked by Robbo at every turn.

Can. Not. Wait.

[bornadog]

I might be looking forward to the Essington's 2020 season almost as much as ours.

On top of thinking they'll simply be crap, imagine them being crap with dead duck Woosha running the show, itchy feet Rutten in the wings, Big Joe with one foot out the door, Jakey being Jakey when the chips are down and the vitriol the faithful are renowned for ably stoked by Robbo at every turn.

Can. Not. Wait.

The club I hate the most closely followed by Carlton.

[Twodogs]

The club I hate the most closely followed by Carlton.

North for me-There is just something about the cow *!*!*!*!ers that drives me mad but Essendon aren't far behind.

[GVGjr]

I might be looking forward to the Essington's 2020 season almost as much as ours.

On top of thinking they'll simply be crap, imagine them being crap with dead duck Woosha running the show, itchy feet Rutten in the wings, Big Joe with one foot out the door, Jakey being Jakey when the chips are down and the vitriol the faithful are renowned for ably stoked by Robbo at every turn.

Can. Not. Wait.

It's hard to imagine how Woosha survives the season if they get off to a slow start. Succession plans sound good in principle but this one leaves the coach little chance of doing a good job

[Twodogs]

It's hard to imagine how Woosha survives the season if they get off to a slow start. Succession plans sound good in principle but this one leaves the coach little chance of doing a good job

Woosha must realize that this is all bonus coaching time for him and that the opportunity wouldn't have come along unless Hird had shit the nest so badly.

It's ironic that after his record at West Coast it was somebody else drug cheating that got him another job.

[Rocket Science]

It's hard to imagine how Woosha survives the season if they get off to a slow start. Succession plans sound good in principle but this one leaves the coach little chance of doing a good job

Indeed. How's that 2020 demarcation plan going to pan out if things get rough?

It Rutten going to bite his tongue? Are the players? How about you Joey? Living the dream mate? Morale's going to be peachy.

I hope it cleaves them in two.

Even better if we hand them their arse in Round 15. Spewing we don't have them twice.

[mjp]

It's ironic that after his record at West Coast it was somebody else drug cheating that got him another job.

You know I love you 2D but he has 1 more premiership than all but 2 of our coaches and more Grand Final appearances than all of them. Those people who know what happened in the WCE/Cousins/Gardiner/Chick/Kerr/etc drugs situation know a few things:

- Judge tried to fix it and it cost him his job.
- Worsfold (ultimately) DID fix it and it has basically cost him his career.

Is he the worlds greatest coach? I'm sure he's not...but despite the PR Essendon have probably been pretty much 'PAR' for the course with their performances over the past couple of years. And pulling things back together post Hird cannot have been a straightforward task.

[comrade]

You know I love you 2D but he has 1 more premiership than all but 2 of our coaches and more Grand Final appearances than all of them. Those people who know what happened in the WCE/Cousins/Gardiner/Chick/Kerr/etc drugs situation know a few things:

- Judge tried to fix it and it cost him his job.
- Worsfold (ultimately) DID fix it and it has basically cost him his career.

Is he the worlds greatest coach? I'm sure he's not...but despite the PR Essendon have probably been pretty much 'PAR' for the course with their performances over the past couple of years. And pulling things back together post Hird cannot have been a straightforward task.

Shouldn’t he bear some responsibility for the WC situation happening under his watch?

[1eyedog]

I have Geelong very clear at the top.

[mjp]

Shouldn’t he bear some responsibility for the WC situation happening under his watch?

100%.

Hasn't he done that?

It was very sad when Ken Judge passed for a lot of reasons. One reason is that the 20-year 'vow of silence' he took upon leaving the club (to be fair, a 20-year, financially driven, vow of silence) never allowed him to openly speak about what was going on during his tenure...not so much on-field issues and performance enhancing drugs but so-called 'party' drugs and underworld connections...

WA journo/novelist Warren Hately wrote a novel called 'Hard Light' which included a character called 'Brett Hopkins' (or Haskins, or something - I can't exactly remember) who was a thinly veiled Ben Cousins and featured most of the 'rumours' and some of the truths:

- Truths: Ran away from police trying to drug test him, drug user, connections to crime figures (specifically Kizon).
- Rumours: Drug trafficking, firearms, prize-fighting, under-age girls.

It is a pretty grubby period and one that the club has actually come through relatively unscathed - people in WA 'L-O-V-E' the Eagles despite everything that has happened and many will still claim that everything that happened with Cousins and Mainwaring was an eastern states based conspiracy. If I sound like I am talking about Cousins in the 'past tense', well, sorry - but the person who once was Ben Cousins is gone forever...in his place is a pretty unstable drug addict who is never going to be same for the rest of his life.

The one person who 'KNOWS' what happened - even more than Worsfold who was coaching - but clearly isn't talking and has the respect of the footy community on both sides of the Nullabor is Chris Judd. But I suspect he is too smart to ever whisper a word about what was 'really' going on...

[Dancin' Douggy]

I might be looking forward to the Essington's 2020 season almost as much as ours.

On top of thinking they'll simply be crap, imagine them being crap with dead duck Woosha running the show, itchy feet Rutten in the wings, Big Joe with one foot out the door, Jakey being Jakey when the chips are down and the vitriol the faithful are renowned for ably stoked by Robbo at every turn.

Can. Not. Wait.

Pure poetry.

[Twodogs]

100%.

Hasn't he done that?

It was very sad when Ken Judge passed for a lot of reasons. One reason is that the 20-year 'vow of silence' he took upon leaving the club (to be fair, a 20-year, financially driven, vow of silence) never allowed him to openly speak about what was going on during his tenure...not so much on-field issues and performance enhancing drugs but so-called 'party' drugs and underworld connections...

WA journo/novelist Warren Hately wrote a novel called 'Hard Light' which included a character called 'Brett Hopkins' (or Haskins, or something - I can't exactly remember) who was a thinly veiled Ben Cousins and featured most of the 'rumours' and some of the truths:

- Truths: Ran away from police trying to drug test him, drug user, connections to crime figures (specifically Kizon).
- Rumours: Drug trafficking, firearms, prize-fighting, under-age girls.

It is a pretty grubby period and one that the club has actually come through relatively unscathed - people in WA 'L-O-V-E' the Eagles despite everything that has happened and many will still claim that everything that happened with Cousins and Mainwaring was an eastern states based conspiracy. If I sound like I am talking about Cousins in the 'past tense', well, sorry - but the person who once was Ben Cousins is gone forever...in his place is a pretty unstable drug addict who is never going to be same for the rest of his life.

The one person who 'KNOWS' what happened - even more than Worsfold who was coaching - but clearly isn't talking and has the respect of the footy community on both sides of the Nullabor is Chris Judd. But I suspect he is too smart to ever whisper a word about what was 'really' going on...

Love you too mate. Is there any truth to the Margaret River medical evac story? Supposedly Judd OD'd on Bolivian marching powder at an end of season party at Margaret River and had to be evacced back to Perth.

It's a rumour that did the rounds a few years ago.

[mjp]

Love you too mate. Is there any truth to the Margaret River medical evac story? Supposedly Judd OD'd on Bolivian marching powder at an end of season party at Margaret River and had to be evacced back to Perth.

It's a rumour that did the rounds a few years ago.

I have heard the same thing. Is it true or not? Goodness knows as the people who 'know' aren't speaking...My guess is it is a version of the truth. Judd wasn't a clean-skin.

[GVGjr]

Love you too mate. Is there any truth to the Margaret River medical evac story? Supposedly Judd OD'd on Bolivian marching powder at an end of season party at Margaret River and had to be evacced back to Perth.

It's a rumour that did the rounds a few years ago.

Should we really be speculating on this sort of rumour?

[Twodogs]

Should we really be speculating on this sort of rumour?

Judd sets himself up as a paragon of virtue who never does anything wrong, in fact West Coast were virtually accused of wasting his talent while they had him on their list. Just pointing out that he is human like the rest of us.

[Mofra]

Judd sets himself up as a paragon of virtue who never does anything wrong, in fact West Coast were virtually accused of wasting his talent while they had him on their list. Just pointing out that he is human like the rest of us.
He and Bec have adopted certain aspects of inner-city Melbourne life as well, if rumours are to be believed.

[Twodogs]

He and Bec have adopted certain aspects of inner-city Melbourne life as well, if rumours are to be believed.

They have donated their house back to the traditional owners?

Or they have declared it the Democratic Workers Republic of Judd?

[Mofra]

They have donated their house back to the traditional owners?

Or they have declared it the Democratic Workers Republic of Judd?
"Ethical non-monogamy" if rumours are to be believed.

[Twodogs]

"Ethical non-monogamy" if rumours are to be believed.

Hmmm. Where does the queue start?

[Mofra]

Hmmm. Where does the queue start?
Didn't realise you were such a Juddy fan TD...

[Twodogs]

Didn't realise you were such a Juddy fan TD...

Oh well, it's an opportunity that may not ever arise again...