For a bit of fun I put together a starting 22 plus 3 emergencies for the 2020 season using players currently on our list. One thing is clear, we clearly have more talent than we have in the past 15 years. Certainly a few question marks (particularly the key forwards and the bench) but it does appear we have the nucleus of a successful team, it'll just take a few years. Add another 4-6 quality youngsters and a couple of FA's, and we are in business.


FB: Docherty Weitering Plowman
HB: Byrne Marchbank Macreadie
C: Williamson Cripps Fisher
HF: C.Curnow Jacksch Polson
F: Silvagni Mckay Pickett
R: Phillips SPS Cunningham
Buckley Sumner Le Bois JGM

EMG: Boekhurst Kerridge Smedts

Very exciting when you throw in 3 more years of draftees

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"I had to eat"

We will have 20 flags by then

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*(grow - fun - gah)

Yeah but whatabout your whataboutism.

I think your missing another Silvagni !!

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BRING BACK PERFORMANCE BASE PAYMENTS !!!

Daisy will be captain and coach by then , due to the clause in he's contract...and malthouse director of coaching

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#sayerscouldbetheman!!

Boekhurst, Sumner and Kerridge wont be there I don't think.
Also, I d have Harry Mac at CHF and Patrick Kerr at FF.

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James Hird and Essendon* FC - #FOREVERDRUGCHEATS

You forgot Simpson.

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Number 17 - come on down!

I will be pleasantly surprised if KJ is still with us and holding down CHF by 2020.

Most of the guys you've named on the bench and emergency will be gone by then too.

But the exercise is interesting and I think shows the building blocks are being built now. If that backline stays free of serious injury and meet their potential it is a very versatile looking group.

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It's never as good as it looks and it's never as bad as it seems.

FB: Docherty Weitering Plowman
HB: Byrne Marchbank Macreadie
C: Williamson Cripps Fisher
HF: C.Curnow Jacksch Polson
F: Silvagni Mckay Pickett
R: Phillips SPS Cunningham
Buckley Sumner Le Bois JGM

EMG: Boekhurst Kerridge Smedts

I highly doubt that Jacksh, Buckley, Sumner, Boekhorst or Kerridge will be there by 2020.
Haven't seen anything of Le Bois.
And I suspect Cunningham and Smedts won't last until then either.
And whilst I'm absolutely chuffed about the early form and attitudes of our 2017 debutants, I'm stil cautious given the usual hit-rate for lower draft picks - it would be highly unusual, I'd imagine, that ALL of our 2016 draftees become senior regulars.
Having said that, this look does highlight where we need to focus in the coming drafts; amazing-gun-place-all-the-weight-on-their-shoulders-father-son-picks notwithstanding.

If McKay comes through, then I think we have pretty much got our spine in order. Just need to bring in a gun rookie ruckman - Phillips may become that but maybe not (he's nowhere near it yet...).
Then we need to pick up a mosquito fleet of midfielders. And then a free agent or two (not a messiah free agent which squeezes our salary cap, but a good strong contributor free agent to add that extra special something to a top 4 team).

For a first post I say great post Rohan.

It shows we are not so far away from having a complete side.

If we can nail this year's draft then that interchange bench will out nicely.

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"Get ready, Teddy - you're on": Ron Barassi half time 1970 Grand Final

I think you missed the part when he said a best 22 of current players.
And I hope we're good enough in 2020 where we don't have to have no. 2 in the best team either.

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Essendon-Only team to have ever been found guilty of salary cap breaches in a premiership year!

Replace Jaksch with Kerr, our seconds coach really rates Kerr

With a bit of luck by end of next year on paper at least we can maybe say :

B Docherty, Macreadie, Plowman
HB Byrne, Marchbank, Williamson
C Fisher, Hopper (part of 3-way Gibbs trade?), Petrevski-Seton
R Phillips, Cripps, D.Fogarty
HF Pickett, Weitering, C.Curnow
F Polson, McKay, J.Silvagni

INT LeBois, Kerr, B.Silvagni, Cuningham (haven't given up hope), Sumner (questionable I know, but has talent to burn), Glass-McCasker (slow developer?), Sheehan (great kick and not exactly old old is he?).

He must be crystal balling because Kerr has shown very little so far

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

He hasn't had great numbers I'm aware of that. But the coach said quote last week that Kerr will be an exciting player for us. Now coaches tend to be conservative in these types of player reviews so it certainly is of interest that he said those things about Kerr.
The kid is a skinny tall in his first year, maybe the coach can see certain things that suggest huge potential. You of all people should be aware it's not always about stats.

You mentioned stats, not me. I'm just talking about what I've seen in the games to date.
Anyway its early days yet and he'll get plenty of opportunities to prove himself.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

It's the perfect time for the likes of Kerr, Cuningham, Polson, Williamson to name some to be new players at the club.
I mean, there are so many more who won't be at the club before those guys so time is on their side.

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Essendon-Only team to have ever been found guilty of salary cap breaches in a premiership year!

Looking at that projected line-up, I come to a pretty stark conclusion.

The back line looks tight. Real top-drawer stuff. Lock it in, Eddie (cauliflower).

From the Centre line forwards, though, it's all up for grabs. Aside from Cripps I'm not sure you can say anyone is a nailed-on, guaranteed future champion. Sure, some of them have shown signs (Silvagni, SPS, maybe Fisher and Charlie based on very limited evidence). The rest could go either way.

As others have mentioned, there a good half-dozen or so in that list who have little to no chance of making it.

Loads of work to do, and far too early to speculate on what the list will look like in 3 years.

Looked half decent this weekend but I query his agility

I'm thinking exactly the same as you.
It doesn't seem unreasonable that the Gibbs / Hopper trade could be done. Equally, I think drafting Darcy Fogarty is highly possible.

If we have one more magical 100% hit rate draft like last year we'll have a sustainable list again.

I'd like to see us recruit a quality young ruckman in the next two years with a ~pick 20ish too.

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Don't blame it on the sunshine, don't blame it on the moonlight, don't blame it on the good times, blame it on the WIGGINS!