Demons legend Garry Lyon says Essendon is “in for the glory” – not “the grind” – as the sliding club’s finals hopes dwindle.
The Bombers have dropped six of their last eight games to fall outside the top eight for the first time since Round 6 in a concerning repeat of last year’s late-season fade out.
It includes a horror show 53-point loss to St Kilda on the weekend where the Bombers were picked apart defensively, giving up 133 uncontested marks in their second-heaviest defeat in 2024.
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Having earlier this season spruiked the ‘Essendon edge’ as a renewed aggressive, disciplined approach, Lyon believes Brad Scott’s side is unable to buy in over a prolonged period.
“Is it an edge or have they got to the cliff and tumbled over?,” Lyon posed on Fox Footy’s On The Couch.
“We’ve said they’re better this year, they think they’re better, but the numbers suggest they are very much the same.
“At various stages throughout this year we’ve all said: ‘I think that player is getting there, I reckon they’ve done well and they’ve recruited well’.
“But they don’t do it for long enough. I don’t think they’re in for the grind, I think they’re in for the glory.
“I don’t think they hang in there long enough, this 24-week season challenges you like nothing else. And their respect will come over a two and three-year period, not a two or three-game period.
“I’ve seen (Archie) Perkins stand up on occasions, I’ve seen (Nik) Cox kick three goals, I’ve seen Harrison Jones. They do it for a short period of time and it looks to me like they go: ‘Aw good, that’s enough, put the pressure aside’.
“They can do it for short periods and they can invest for a short period … Against the grain, turn it around when things aren’t going your way? Nup.
“Essendon do it for weeks at a time, not months and years at a time. Two weeks in a row they’ve come up against sides not in contention and failed, failed dismally.”
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The Bombers’ defensive concerns against St Kilda were stark as Scott’s men were too easy to move the ball and score against.
It includes Essendon giving up the fourth-worst result in 2024 of opposition goals per inside 50 (40 per cent) and the fourth-worst result of uncontested marks conceded (133).
Lyon highlighted vision during St Kilda’s “ridiculous” uncontested mark domination that led to a shot on goal, where skipper Zach Merrett “absolutely bawled out” vice-captain Andy McGrath as part of a heated on-field exchange.
It’s vision Lyon believes shows the duo “care” and “are in for the grind,” imploring their teammates to show such spirit.
“This is not a quick, ‘where were you?’. These two went on with it because they care. These two are in for the grind, they’re not in for the glory.
“They will cry and guts and grind it out.
“This wasn’t just a five second conversation; this goes on, because they are invested in what they want to do.
“It’s no good being good for three weeks or four weeks or five weeks, it’s a year-on-year proposition.”
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Former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said the Bombers haven’t been “anywhere near their best” since the bye and believes there’s an “element of PTSD” with Essendon’s younger players struggling under pressure.
Buckley called on the playing group to take ownership for the club’s current slump and embrace a tough run home including clashes with three top four sides, with Fremantle, Gold Coast, Sydney and Brisbane to come.
“It’s nearly like the players feel this coming on and can’t express themselves, they go into their shell,” he said.
“Think about Zach Merrett’s experience across his entire career, he’s worked his way through it, McGrath is working his way through it.
“With these young players, it’s nearly like they’re used to this happening. When the challenge gets really tough (they think): ‘Let’s fail before someone else beats us’.
“You don’t want to see that, this is a locker room issue. The players have to own it and have minimum standards how they’re going to approach the next month.
“It’s not necessarily about winning, it’s about an attitude and how you go about your footy. This needs to be put to bed in the next month.
“They’re right on the cusp of the eight, if they want it, it’s there. They’ve got four really challenging games and I would love it if I was in their boat to test themselves.”
While Scott is renowned for being a hard task masker, stats on On The Couch showed only once in his 11 years as senior coach has the former Kangaroos boss led a team ranked top six in points against.
“That surprised me, I’ve played with Brad Scott, he’s a great teammate and I know him as a man. He was hard nosed,” triple premiership Lion Jonathan Brown added.
“You’d love him in a street fight in a dark alleyway. But it feels like they haven’t taken on the persona of the coach.”
Source Agencies
