The jury is still out on whether Sydney are truly back,but the Swans are everything Essendon are not:clean,efficient and up for the fight when the chips are down.
Sydney slammed home six goals to one in the third quarter to all but clinch the minor premiership,humbling Essendon by 39 points at Marvel Stadium to leave the Bombers languishing.
See the selected teams as they’re announced for AFL round 23 and check out what the expert tipsters think. As forecast,injury-hit Carlton have made six changes.
Long-serving Essendon recruiter Adrian Dodoro is not expected to return to the Bombers after being granted leave to deal with personal matters.
Kevin Sheedy has finally stepped down from the board and Adrian Dodoro has taken personal leave,but 20 years after their last win in a final,the Bombers need to redefine the meaning of an “Essendon person”.
A four-time premiership coach,and one of Essendon’s most influential figures,Sheedy will step down from the board at the end of this season.
As the Blues lick their wounds from their horror loss to Hawthorn – and another run of terrible injuries to star players – the club’s administration is looking to shore up its future off the field.
Essendon’s Dyson Heppell has announced his retirement after a 14-year,250-game career,but is no lock to be given a farewell game.
In a league where there are fixturing quirks aplenty,it’s up to teams to make the most of any advantage,particularly when it comes to how many times they play the worst-performing teams.
The race for the top eight in this most unpredictable of seasons continues apace,with all spots still up for grabs and two games remaining. Where will your team finish?
Some of the competition’s big names dragged their teams over the line in performances that reminded everyone that the best players win flags,while the big four Victorian teams disappeared from centre stage and the Suns finally broke their hoodoo.