Goddard and Dal Santo also left before 2014 (their spoon year).
After 2014 the only way was up. We still don't know how they might have done if they had stayed either (could be top 8 this year).

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

St Kilda finished 9th in 2012 with Goddard and Dal Santo. Here we are 4 years later and they've sprung back to 12th on the ladder. All credit to them for the miraculous turn around.

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@cecil_anderson

Gibbs will be 31, not at the end of his career yet. Murphy in his twilight years but still around then. And then who goes into the midfield next season and who leads and captains the team?
The jump this year has been unexpected. With correct list management we might be in the finals by 2018.

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

Wrong! It's a 12 year rebuild, and they'll all be delisted by then.

This is the rebuild of the rebuild of the rebuild; we're adding in triple redundancy, that way we'll rise up the ladder and never drop out of the 8 again.

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29 different attributes,
And only 7 that you like;
20 ways to see the world,
Or 20 ways to start a fight.

Wouldn't surprise me if we drop more games in the next few years as young players are transitioned in for older players.

I think you might be right. One advantage of really making the young players earn a call up this year (the players who haven't been injured), is that they should be more ready when they do inevitably get a crack. I'm hoping that applies to guys like DVR, Jaksch, Cuningham, Sos etc that have at times shown enough to warrant a call up this season but have instead been made to perform consistently over a period of time before being considered.

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@cecil_anderson

8th at best - we are 5-10 years from a premiership -

Carlton lacks the courage and ruthlessness required for premierships

the only players I see in a premiership team are No 23, Cripps and Curnow

more the reason to offload most asap

You need a base of senior players so getting rid of our better senior players would be counterproductive

been thinking about that...some senior players are just bad examples for players that need to be moved out of the joint asap...we need to start again with a core young group of elite kids No 23 , cripps curnow and mckay are a start...see what happens when they delist Jamison - we look better without him

Which senior players would you keep as a base ?

In all seriousness, Tuohy and Casboult are apparently out of contract. To me, this suggests the club might ask questions at the end of the year re: the trade table.

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

Well we couldn't get rid of them ALL. Otherwise we would have a list worse than GWS's in 2012 and not the same amount of picks at the front end of the draft.

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

I don't expect any better than 8th either. We are about 5 years away from a premiership window yeah. It didn't take a day to build Rome either.

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

the only senior players I would keep are, age bracket over 27,
Simpson, Murphy, Gibbs, Kreuzer, Curnow and Thomas.
Walker, Everitt, White, Jamison, Wood and Rowe are finished.
McKay, SOJ, C.Curnow, Cripps, Weitering and Docherty are a good start to the rebuild.
Carlton will target Adam Tomlinson, will fit in well with, Weitering and Plowman..
Still lack about 4 mids and a couple of running wingman..

Thomas and Kreuzer won't be required beyond a year or two

They are just about finished

Simpson can't keep going forever unfortunately he is nearing the end but if he wants to play on deserves to. Everitt White and Rowe have some currency as foot soldiers and i wouldn't be shifting them just for the sake of it. Armfield is in this age bracket and again deserves to go around for another year. Agree Walker Jamison and Wood are cooked.

Everitt, White and Rowe have currency, your kidding yeah?? Maybe Rowe but the other two....
Everitt and White are lucky to be playing afl...
These types are why we are average, plus another 10...
White, Walker and Everitt have kicked a combined 26 between them....
Simpson can't go on forever but another year or two whilst the kids get games under there belt..
I could name at least 15 that shouldn't be playing afl...

Rest of 2016 Need to play DVR Jaksch to see what they have got
Bokehurst needs to come back in

Curnow getting another chance and McKay getting a taste also important

Midfield need to see whether graham will make it

Goes without saying more young talent required 2017

Last night again showed our need for a midfield rebuild. Murphy's injury has left Cripps carrying the load, and it's unfair on him. We need depth in this area, with a combination of in-and-under types and skilful line-breakers (the ability to kick goals being a bonus). Again, the Dogs are a good example of this.

If the GWS-4.2 deal goes ahead, that would leave us well stocked for talls at both ends, especially if Jaksch comes on and Ben Silvagni lives up to the hype. Then just a matter of getting the new mosquito fleet in place.

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WADA medical director Dr Alan Vernec describes Essendon* FC drug case as biggest scandal in team sport the world of sport has seen. #WC2WB

#GUILTY