My Essendon 2006 Player Review - Part 3 of 5.

Player: Nathan Lovett-Murray

Number: 42

Played 2006 Season: 19 Career: 56

Crichton Position: 11^th

Best Game: Round 4 vs Collingwood

Milestones: 50 Games – Round 13 vs Kangaroos, Career Best Disposals (30) – Round 4 vs Collingwood

Summary: Nathan had another solid season in 2006 consistently rebounding off the half-back flank and polling decently in the Crichton medal. Nathan was also swung forward on occasion to add a bit of a spark to Essendon’s, at times, frustrating attack.

Nathan’s best performance was the Anzac day match against Collingwood when he had 30 possessions and took 14 marks on the half back flank.

Verdict: After a solid 2005 Nathan really needed to improve his consistency in 2006 which he did averaging 19 possessions a match. The only real blight on Nathan’s year was a 3 match suspension for striking Josh Carr in Round 14 vs Fremantle, however most Essendon fans would argue that it was worth the price.

Nathan swung forward on several occasions this year and always looked dangerous. Although not quite as dangerous as his cousin around the goals, Nathan still provided spark and excitement in and around the forward fifty. However his accuracy is still an issue as he kicked 7.10 for a disappointing accuracy percentage of 41.18.

With others such as Jay Nash looking ready to step into his rebound half back flank role, Nathan may well get his wish to spend more time on ball and up forward. If Nathan is to do this however he must improve the accuracy of his disposal.

Result: Keep

Round	Date	vs.	K	H	P	M	HO	T	G	B	Crichton
1	1/04/2006	Sydney Swans	10	6	16	6	1	3	0	0	0
2	8/04/2006	Brisbane Lions	9	4	13	4	1	1	0	0	0
3	16/04/2006	Western Bulldogs	9	5	14	7	0	3	0	0	0
4	25/04/2006	Collingwood	21	9	30	14	0	1	0	2	21
5	30/04/2006	Hawthorn	19	2	21	9	0	0	0	0	0
6	6/05/2006	Richmond	22	7	29	7	0	3	0	1	22
7	14/05/2006	Carlton	16	8	24	0	0	2	0	0	11
8	21/05/2006	West Coast Eagles	18	4	22	9	1	1	0	0	18
9	27/05/2006	Port Adelaide	17	4	21	8	0	3	0	0	18
10	2/06/2006	Adelaide	9	5	14	4	0	2	0	0	0
11	9/06/2006	Geelong	6	7	13	4	0	3	1	0	0
12	18/06/2006	Melbourne	12	7	19	1	0	1	0	0	0
13	30/06/2006	Kangaroos	8	1	9	2	0	0	2	2	10
14	7/07/2006	Fremantle	9	6	15	3	0	4	0	0	0
18	5/08/2006	Sydney Swans	16	6	22	7	0	5	1	1	17
19	11/08/2006	Collingwood	17	5	22	10	0	1	1	1	0
20	19/08/2006	Hawthorn	12	8	20	7	1	0	0	0	0
21	26/08/2006	Richmond	10	11	21	8	2	1	2	3	18
22	01/09/2006	Western Bulldogs	10	6	16	2	0	3	0	0	0
		Total:	250	111	361	112	6	37	7	10	135
		Average	13.16	5.84	19	5.89	0.32	1.95	0.37	0.53	7.11

Player: Scott Lucas

Number: 25

Played 2006 Season: 22 Career: 225

Crichton Position: 1^st

Best Game: Round 22 vs Western Bulldogs

Milestones: Career Best Goals (8) – Round 22 vs Western Bulldogs, Career Best Goals in a Season (67)

Summary: Scott had another great year for Essendon as he carried the attack without Matthew Lloyd. Held goalless on only 1 occasion (in the Round 7 loss to Carlton), even when not on song Scott always looked dangerous and proved on several occasions that he was capable of 3 to 4 goal bursts if not minded carefully.

Although his performances at the start of the season were often patchy, he continued to improve as the year wore on. After the mid-season break in particular he seemed to hit his stride with hauls of 6, 7 and 8 goals to finish equal 4^th on the Coleman medal table with Barry Hall on 67 goals, another career best.

Lucas had several standout games, however the nod for best game goes to his career best 8 goal effort against the Western Bulldogs in Round 22 when the Bulldogs defence was unable to contain him.

Verdict: Lucas was very unlucky to miss out on All Australian selection in 2006 and was a worthy winner of his second Crichton medal. Whilst he can be accused of tunnel vision in front of goal, his conversion rate of 60.36% compared to the majority of his teammates perhaps excuses this, he is also criticised of not handballing enough and being completely without a right-side to his body.

All this matters not a whit. Scott proved again this year that he is an invaluable resource for Essendon and is arguably one of the premier forwards of the competition. Whether used at Centre Half Back or continuing in the forward line next year, Scott will continue to be a valuable contributor to the Essendon lineup.

Scott re-signed with Essendon for a further 2 years during the season, virtually guaranteeing he will remain a 1 club player.

Result: Keep

Round	Date	vs.	K	H	P	M	HO	T	G	B	Crichton
1	1/04/2006	Sydney Swans	12	2	14	5	0	1	4	1	19
2	8/04/2006	Brisbane Lions	13	4	17	9	0	2	1	1	0
3	16/04/2006	Western Bulldogs	6	4	10	3	0	4	2	1	0
4	25/04/2006	Collingwood	11	2	13	5	0	2	2	1	0
5	30/04/2006	Hawthorn	19	1	20	15	0	1	3	0	18
6	6/05/2006	Richmond	19	4	23	10	0	3	4	3	19
7	14/05/2006	Carlton	9	3	12	5	0	2	0	3	0
8	21/05/2006	West Coast Eagles	15	2	17	8	0	2	2	1	3
9	27/05/2006	Port Adelaide	14	1	15	5	0	1	3	2	5
10	2/06/2006	Adelaide	16	4	20	10	0	2	2	2	5
11	9/06/2006	Geelong	19	2	21	13	0	2	3	4	18
12	18/06/2006	Melbourne	11	3	14	7	0	0	2	1	3
13	30/06/2006	Kangaroos	14	0	14	9	0	2	2	3	5
14	7/07/2006	Fremantle	15	2	17	9	0	5	1	2	3
15	15/07/2006	St Kilda	14	3	17	10	0	1	2	3	6
16	22/07/2006	Carlton	19	3	22	11	0	3	6	3	24
17	29/07/2006	Brisbane Lions	18	5	23	9	0	0	7	2	24
18	5/08/2006	Sydney Swans	8	0	8	4	0	0	4	2	14
19	11/08/2006	Collingwood	16	4	20	8	0	0	1	2	8
20	19/08/2006	Hawthorn	15	4	19	11	0	0	4	3	20
21	26/08/2006	Richmond	13	3	16	11	0	0	4	2	19
22	01/09/2006	Western Bulldogs	14	2	16	6	0	0	8	2	26
		Total:	310	58	368	183	0	33	67	44	239
		Average	14.09	2.64	16.73	8.32	0	1.5	3.05	2	10.86

Player: Austin Lucy

Number: 37

Played 2006 Season: 0 Career: 0

Crichton Position: Did not play

Best Game: N/A

Milestones: N/A

Summary: Austin was taken with pick 66 in the 2005 draft after taking All Australian honours for Full Back at under 18 level. Austin played the whole year for Bendigo, with several strong performances. He has good speed and endurance for a kid his size and rebounds out of defence well.

He was also dangerous when swung forward with a particularly strong performance in Round 20 from Full Forward.

Verdict: Andrew Lee and Austin are Essendon’s two backmen in waiting. This year was a development year for Lucy and he was not expected to play senior football. Look to see him earn his debut in 2007 although he is still at least 2 years away from becoming a regular senior player.

Result: Keep

Round	Date	vs.	K	H	P	M	HO	T	G	B	Crichton
			0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
		Total:	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
		Average	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Player: Adam McPhee

Number: 33

Played 2006 Season: 20 Career: 104

Crichton Position: 8^th

Best Game: Round 12 vs Melbourne

Milestones: 100 Games – Round 16 vs Brisbane Lions

Summary: After struggling for nearly all 2005 with an unnamed condition (commonly believed to have been osteitis pubis), fans were hoping to see Adam back to his 2004 All Australian best.

Unfortunately Adam was one of a number of senior players who struggled to stand up and provide the leadership needed. His form was patchy and at times his efforts were questionable.

However Adam did play several serviceable games, with his best probably being against Melbourne where he worked well all over the ground providing scoring opportunities to the Essendon forward line and kicking 1.1 himself.

Verdict: Mostly injury free in 2006 Adam turned in a better season than in 2005. With a stated desire to fill a Hird-type role in the midfield and around the ground, Adam really needs to improve his efforts.

Adam still looks most comfortable on a half back flank and rebounding out of defence. Whilst he is capable of playing in the midfield and up forward, he struggles to have the same impact.

In 2007 he should look to cement his form on the half back flank where he is most comfortable. Once he is playing consistently good football, he can then be moved into the middle and up forward, however he needs to be playing well before this can happen.

Despite a relatively lacklustre year Adam still managed to finish 8^th in the Crichton.

Result: Keep

Round	Date	vs.	K	H	P	M	HO	T	G	B	Crichton
1	1/04/2006	Sydney Swans	12	6	18	8	1	5	0	0	11
2	8/04/2006	Brisbane Lions	17	5	22	14	1	2	0	1	19
3	16/04/2006	Western Bulldogs	12	6	18	5	1	0	0	3	0
4	25/04/2006	Collingwood	11	7	18	5	0	1	0	0	10
5	30/04/2006	Hawthorn	15	7	22	7	1	5	0	0	18
6	6/05/2006	Richmond	6	6	12	3	1	10	0	0	10
7	14/05/2006	Carlton	15	4	19	7	1	2	0	0	5
8	21/05/2006	West Coast Eagles	11	4	15	9	2	5	2	0	7
9	27/05/2006	Port Adelaide	6	3	9	5	2	1	1	0	0
10	2/06/2006	Adelaide	9	6	15	9	0	4	0	1	0
11	9/06/2006	Geelong	13	4	17	5	0	3	1	0	0
12	18/06/2006	Melbourne	18	7	25	8	1	3	1	1	20
13	30/06/2006	Kangaroos	10	6	16	6	0	3	1	0	6
14	7/07/2006	Fremantle	12	2	14	6	2	4	1	3	0
15	15/07/2006	St Kilda	14	2	16	6	1	3	0	0	21
16	22/07/2006	Brisbane Lions	15	6	21	11	0	1	1	0	11
17	29/07/2006	Collingwood	13	9	22	14	0	2	0	0	15
20	19/08/2006	Hawthorn	6	7	13	3	1	0	0	0	0
21	26/08/2006	Richmond	11	8	19	6	1	2	0	0	0
22	01/09/2006	Western Bulldogs	8	8	16	5	0	0	0	0	0
		Total:	234	113	347	142	16	56	8	9	153
		Average	11.7	5.65	17.35	7.1	0.8	2.8	0.4	0.45	7.65

Player: Mark McVeigh

Number: 10

Played 2006 Season: 21 Career: 141

Crichton Position: 10^th

Best Game: Round 8 vs West Coast

Milestones: N/A

Summary: Mark had arguably his best season in 2006 and is one of a small number of Bombers who can hold his head high at the conclusion of the season. This year Mark played several impressive tagging roles as well as contributing well when he spent time in defence. In addition to this he also provided some spark when moved into the forward line, taking several impressive grabs.

Mark’s best game of the year would be either his brilliant stopping job on the Western Bulldog’s Brad Johnson in Round 3, holding the livewire forward to 11 possessions and goalless (one of only two times Johnson failed to kick a goal in 2006). However the tick probably goes to his effort on Chris Judd in Round 8 when he accomplished the best negating job to date on the superstar midfielder in his 100^th match. Although Judd still gathered 20 possessions (and kicked 1 goal when McVeigh couldn’t get back on the ground quick enough to stop him), he had far from his usual impact.

Verdict: McVeigh had a terrific start to the season and proved that he has taken a step up from the nuggety defender role he has performed in the past. Playing with flair and more discipline than previously, he’s cemented himself as a valuable member of the Essendon lineup wherever he plays.

Result: Keep

Round	Date	vs.	K	H	P	M	HO	T	G	B	Crichton
1	1/04/2006	Sydney Swans	4	6	10	0	0	1	1	0	0
2	8/04/2006	Brisbane Lions	13	2	15	5	0	1	0	1	16
3	16/04/2006	Western Bulldogs	6	3	9	1	0	3	0	0	23
4	25/04/2006	Collingwood	15	6	21	5	0	9	0	3	15
5	30/04/2006	Hawthorn	19	6	25	5	0	7	0	0	17
6	6/05/2006	Richmond	8	0	8	5	0	3	0	1	0
8	21/05/2006	West Coast Eagles	5	4	9	2	0	0	0	0	20
9	27/05/2006	Port Adelaide	19	6	25	7	0	6	1	1	16
10	2/06/2006	Adelaide	6	7	13	2	0	6	0	0	0
11	9/06/2006	Geelong	16	6	22	5	0	4	0	0	10
12	18/06/2006	Melbourne	3	2	5	0	0	3	0	0	0
13	30/06/2006	Kangaroos	12	4	16	3	0	1	0	0	0
14	7/07/2006	Fremantle	6	6	12	4	0	1	1	0	6
15	15/07/2006	St Kilda	13	3	16	1	0	5	0	0	0
16	22/07/2006	Carlton	9	9	18	5	0	3	2	0	10
17	29/07/2006	Brisbane Lions	14	4	18	10	0	3	2	1	6
18	5/08/2006	Sydney Swans	7	1	8	4	0	0	0	1	0
19	11/08/2006	Collingwood	10	2	12	4	0	0	0	0	0
20	19/08/2006	Hawthorn	15	4	19	2	0	3	1	1	4
21	26/08/2006	Richmond	7	6	13	3	0	0	1	1	0
22	01/09/2006	Western Bulldogs	9	4	13	4	0	3	0	1	0
		Total:	216	91	307	77	0	62	9	11	143
		Average	10.29	4.33	14.62	3.67	0	2.95	0.43	0.52	6.81

Player: Angus Monfries

Number: 6

Played 2006 Season: 21 Career: 33

Crichton Position: 13^th

Best Game: Round 2 vs Brisbane Lions

Milestones: Career Best Disposals (21) – Round 11 vs Geelong, Career Best Goals (5) – Round 2 vs Brisbane Lions

Summary: Angus had a fantastic 2006 playing 21 games and deservedly winning the club’s Most Courageous Award. He also came 2^nd in Essendon’s goal kicking with 22.11 for the season.

Angus averaged just over 16 possessions a game in his second season and was a consistent contributor. In Round 2 vs Brisbane Lions he kicked a remarkable 5.0 and gathered 20 possessions as the Lions struggled to contain him.

Verdict: Gus is much loved by the Essendon fans and it’s easy to understand why. His attack on the ball and his apparent disregard for his personal safety are inspiring to watch and in a season where many of Essendon’s forwards struggled to find the middle of the sticks his contribution of 22.11 was very handy. After a limited pre-season due to shoulder surgery in 2006, look to see Gus stack on a few kilos over the summer to allow him to move into the middle more consistently.

Angus has stated his intention to one day captain Essendon and I don’t doubt that he will.

Result: Keep

Round	Date	vs.	K	H	P	M	HO	T	G	B	Crichton
1	1/04/2006	Sydney Swans	9	2	11	4	0	1	0	1	0
2	8/04/2006	Brisbane Lions	12	8	20	7	0	4	5	0	24
3	16/04/2006	Western Bulldogs	9	10	19	5	0	3	1	0	16
4	25/04/2006	Collingwood	5	7	12	3	0	5	1	1	0
5	30/04/2006	Hawthorn	9	10	19	5	0	1	0	1	0
6	6/05/2006	Richmond	6	9	15	4	0	7	1	0	0
7	14/05/2006	Carlton	8	5	13	3	0	0	1	1	0
8	21/05/2006	West Coast Eagles	8	3	11	7	1	2	1	0	0
9	27/05/2006	Port Adelaide	4	0	4	2	0	0	0	0	0
10	2/06/2006	Adelaide	8	3	11	4	0	2	0	1	10
11	9/06/2006	Geelong	10	11	21	3	0	1	2	0	0
12	18/06/2006	Melbourne	10	7	17	6	0	0	1	1	0
13	30/06/2006	Kangaroos	11	6	17	6	0	2	0	0	0
14	7/07/2006	Fremantle	8	6	14	5	0	0	2	0	15
16	22/07/2006	Carlton	7	1	8	6	0	2	1	1	0
17	29/07/2006	Brisbane Lions	8	13	21	5	0	3	0	0	0
18	5/08/2006	Sydney Swans	10	4	14	5	0	3	2	1	4
19	11/08/2006	Collingwood	6	4	10	4	0	3	1	1	0
20	19/08/2006	Hawthorn	11	6	17	6	0	1	3	1	15
21	26/08/2006	Richmond	10	7	17	4	0	4	0	1	0
22	01/09/2006	Western Bulldogs	5	3	8	5	0	3	0	0	0
		Total:	174	125	299	99	1	47	22	11	84
		Average	8.29	5.95	14.24	4.71	0.05	2.24	1.05	0.52	4

Player: Jay Nash

Number: 38

Played 2006 Season: 7 Career: 9

Crichton Position: 24^th

Best Game: Round 15 vs St. Kilda

Milestones: Career Best Disposals (21) – Round 16 vs Carlton

Summary: Taken at number 28 in 2003, Jay managed only 2 games prior to this season. Given a baptism of fire, Sheedy played Nash on Adelaide Captain Mark Ricciuto in his first match of the season. Unsurprisingly Jay struggled, although he still managed to gather 15 possessions and kick a goal.

Out of the side after the Round 11 defeat to Geelong, Jay came back in for the Round 15 clash with St. Kilda. Composed beyond his years, Jay played a vital role in Essendon’s control of the match, gathering 19 possessions and laying 7 tackles.

Verdict: Jay averaged 15.29 possessions a match in his 7 games this year. On top of this he looked composed and comfortable at senior level. His pace and foot skills are also highlights of his game.

Unfortunately for the young man he has a lot of competition for the half-bank flank and will be one of a number of players fighting for a senior berth next year. If Jay can manage 10 games next year he’ll be well on his way to becoming a fixture in the side in 2008.

Result: Keep

Round	Date	vs.	K	H	P	M	HO	T	G	B	Crichton
10	2/06/2006	Adelaide	11	4	15	2	0	3	1	0	0
11	9/06/2006	Geelong	4	10	14	4	0	2	0	1	0
15	15/07/2006	St Kilda	11	8	19	4	0	7	0	0	10
16	22/07/2006	Carlton	16	5	21	4	0	0	0	0	10
17	29/07/2006	Brisbane Lions	9	4	13	4	0	1	0	0	0
18	5/08/2006	Sydney Swans	9	6	15	5	0	2	0	0	0
19	11/08/2006	Collingwood	7	3	10	4	0	1	0	1	0
		Total:	67	40	107	27	0	16	1	2	20
		Average	9.57	5.71	15.29	3.86	0	2.29	0.14	0.29	2.86

Player: Jay Neagle

Number: 34

Played 2006 Season: 0 Career: 0

Crichton Position: Did not play

Best Game: N/A

Milestones: N/A

Summary: Jay was taken at 39 last year as a father son selection and was not expected to play senior football in 2006. He put in a solid pre-season and kicked 5 goals in an intra club match. Several reasonable performances for Bendigo, where he played both forward and back, showed that he had promise before an ankle injury ended his season.

Verdict: Most agreed that Jay was taken a season early, most likely due to the fact that Essendon had a big cull last year and to avoid using the third round pick in this year’s bumper draft. He put in several good performances for Bendigo and with another pre-season’s fitness base to work from may make his debut in 2008.

Result: Keep

Round	Date	vs.	K	H	P	M	HO	T	G	B	Crichton
			0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
		Total:	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
		Average	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Player: Damien Peverill

Number: 11

Played 2006 Season: 17 Career: 115

Crichton Position: 15^th

Best Game: Round 19 vs Collingwood

Milestones: 100 Games – Round 5 vs Hawthorn, Career Best Disposals (34) – Round 15 vs St. Kilda

Summary: Pev had a very poor start to the season, which resulted in him being in and out of the team. However he had several prolific matches towards the end of the season (including a career best 34 against St. Kilda in Round 15), which saw his average number of disposals raise to 20.59.

His best performance of the season was his 33 disposal effort against Collingwood in Round 19. Pev is typically a player for whom the more time he spends on the ground, the better he gets, liking to work his way into a game. However this was not an option for Pev against Collingwood as he spent only 69 minutes on the ground and he ran hard and to space to have an impact on the match.

Verdict: Peverill is a favourite of many fans. As another former rookie who has managed to make it to 100 games, many would like to see Peverill remain in Essendon colours.

Unfortunately for Peverill although he tries hard, he is neither particularly pacey nor overly skilled. His disposals are often questionable and he is no longer the number one tagger in the side with McVeigh having surpassed him. If Jason Johnson remains a Bomber, it’s hard to see Peverill staying and if he does, it will most likely be as a depth player only.

Presuming JJ stays, a trade is probably the best result for all concerned in this case. Pev could be useful to a number of teams as an experienced tagger.

Result: Trade

Round	Date	vs.	K	H	P	M	HO	T	G	B	Crichton
1	1/04/2006	Sydney Swans	7	1	8	2	0	0	0	0	0
2	8/04/2006	Brisbane Lions	7	7	14	5	0	0	0	0	0
5	30/04/2006	Hawthorn	11	4	15	5	0	4	0	0	0
7	14/05/2006	Carlton	9	12	21	4	0	3	0	1	0
8	21/05/2006	West Coast Eagles	3	7	10	4	0	1	0	0	0
10	2/06/2006	Adelaide	7	8	15	5	1	4	0	0	0
11	9/06/2006	Geelong	14	5	19	8	0	3	0	0	5
12	18/06/2006	Melbourne	7	9	16	3	0	1	0	0	0
14	7/07/2006	Fremantle	8	11	19	5	0	0	0	0	0
15	15/07/2006	St Kilda	22	12	34	7	0	3	1	0	0
16	22/07/2006	Carlton	15	15	30	9	0	2	1	0	21
17	29/07/2006	Brisbane Lions	17	5	22	7	0	2	0	0	0
18	5/08/2006	Sydney Swans	6	7	13	6	0	0	0	0	0
19	11/08/2006	Collingwood	21	12	33	12	0	1	0	0	21
20	19/08/2006	Hawthorn	9	7	16	5	0	0	1	0	0
21	26/08/2006	Richmond	16	16	32	2	0	3	1	0	13
22	01/09/2006	Western Bulldogs	14	19	33	5	0	1	0	0	22
		Total:	193	157	350	94	1	28	4	1	82
		Average	11.35	9.24	20.59	5.53	0.06	1.65	0.24	0.06	4.82

Player: Adam Ramanauskas

Number: 9

Played 2006 Season: 0 Career: 111

Crichton Position: Did not play

Best Game: N/A

Milestones: N/A

Summary: As is well known to all Essendon fans, Adam suffered a reoccurrence of his cancer and did not play in 2005.

Verdict: Unfortunately it seems that Adam will not be able to play in 2007. We all hope he will get better and be able to resume his career in 2008.

Result: De-list

Round	Date	vs.	K	H	P	M	HO	T	G	B	Crichton
			0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
		Total:	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
		Average	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

End of Part 3

Hope

Some say time is a river that flows swiftly in one direction, others claim it turns like a giant wheel, doomed to endlessly repeat. I do not know if either is true, or if it is something else altogether.

I have been cursed and blessed with the ability to see moments of time out of their order, sometimes forward, sometimes back, rarely current. When I was young it made me rich and powerful, when I learnt a little more about people and life, it left me a hermit in the mountains.

When a young man of eighteen asks you of his life, do you tell him it will end with him swinging from a rope for killing his wife’s lover? When a widow asks of her husband’s final moments do you tell her they were spent on his knees begging?

For all I have seen and all I have known, the only thing I have learnt is that people are mostly the same. We like to think that there are good men and evil men, loyal wives and cheating harlots. The truth is that there is little difference between a tyrannical king and a humble farmer, it’s just a question of resources and consequences. But for all the beautiful mediocrity of humanity, there are some moments that stand out like glistening jewels. The woman who takes a blade to her stomach to save her children, the soldier who dies, refusing to leave a single injured comrade in a burning hospice.

I have seen murderers, who have known nothing but the cold hardness of the streets all their lives, suddenly sacrifice themselves to save an innocent. I have seen good, honest men raise serpents. I wish I could understand, but I suspect it is beyond anyone’s comprehension except the Creator. If such a thing exists.

It is easy for me to lose myself in other’s lives. On days where the ugliness feels overwhelming, I go searching for the gems. For the jewels that prove men are not without redemption. I see good, kind men and women loving each other, loving their children. I see a community band together to help rebuild a neighbour’s burnt barn and such visions comfort me, but it is amongst the greatest ugliness of man’s nature that the most inspiring contrasts of courage and heroism is there to be witnessed.

A fat man is framed of vile acts by his political enemies and will be killed. None will stand in his defence, it’s suicide. An old soldier steps forward, he will fight on his behalf. He has never been more than competent and he has 20 years on the King’s champion, the fight shouldn’t last a minute. It lasts nearly 30 in dead silence and at the end the merchant is killed. It would seem it was pointless, but the ripples flow outwards. A young prince sees the ridiculous courage as one man stands for what he believes in and understands something his father never did. It’s a moment forgotten by history, but it will usher in a reign of peace and stability for a whole nation.

A battle has been won and an army flees through a mountain pass. Their enemies close in on them, keen to finish them off. Forty-three men, too wounded to continue, make a stand. They fight for an hour as slowly, one by one, they fall. They are a disparate mix, old and young, some noble, others peasants. They know every minute they buy their comrades means one more life and a chance to save what is seemingly lost. There’s only twelve of them left now, but the enemy is hesitant, they have killed nearly five times their number. The archers come forward and the walking dead charge. One by one they drop, but the others run on. Only four make it to the ranks of their enemy, all with at least one shaft lodged in their body. It is a matter of pride that they kill one last man each.

As the victorious army gathers it’s wounded and prepares to give chase once more, trumpets announce the charge. The routed army has turned around, too late to save their brethren but inspired by their sacrifice. They do not prevail, but they fight like demons possessed, driving their enemy back down the pass before them. Men who had only an hour before been fleeing for their lives now throw themselves onto enemy blades and they are men once more. As night falls, the last of them dies, throwing himself into his enemy, dying with a roar on his breath and blood on his blade and free in his heart. The victorious army has slain their enemy to a man, but at the cost of nearly seven times their number. Doubt and fear grow within the men. By the end of a week nearly one quarter have deserted, after a month the threat has disappeared.

The people do not know of the sacrifice or the heroics, but amongst the enemy nation the story is told and grows in the telling, it will be generations before the two countries war once more.

A young farmer travels to the capital on feast day and accuses the King’s advisor of murder. He tells of a farm razed, a wife and child dead, all for the greed of the man at the King’s side. A trial by combat is called and the farmer stands in borrowed armour and with a sword he does not know how to use. Grief and rage and despair war within him and the advisor’s champion moves in for the kill. Something in the man’s face affects the one who has made a living of other people’s death and he throws down his sword and declaims the advisor to all gathered. The advisor is noble and they were peasants, he pays blood money and that night the champion and farmer are killed in their sleep. A King finally awoken to the corruption in his court, to the influences poisoning his land, orders the advisor hanged. He reforms tradition and law both, he attempts to make his people equals.

Another nation and another war. A burgeoning empire seeks to expand and the mountain people are in it’s path. The crisp dawn of a new era beckons and they are given the option to capitulate and be spared. The debate rages long, but in the end they are a proud people and cannot accept a foreign yoke. The armies fight and they lose, they retreat and they fight again, but there is no victory. One final time the remnants of their army prepares to face their conquerors, prepared to die for a principle. Old men, women and children stand in the ranks, this is their land, their ancestors land and they will live free on it or die. The enemy general looks upon them and cannot bring himself to genocide. Beaten not by arms, but by an indomitable will, he turns his army and seeks another way through the mountains.

I see empires rise and crumble. I see men and women, mighty and weak struggle against what seems inevitable and admire their courage. Unfortunately there are more tales of heroics that changed nothing, of dastardly acts rewarded, I look far into what is yet to be and see things that I cannot comprehend and things are much the same. But there are the gems, the jewels that show that there is some indefinable quality to humankind. Something that cannot be quantified or explained, that seems to strike without rhyme or reason, the sense that some things are worth sacrificing for. Some things, in the end, are worth dying for.

There is a quality given to all of us by these acts. It is known as hope.

My Essendon 2006 Player Review - Part 2 of 5.

Player: David Hille

Number: 19

Played 2006 Season: 21 Career: 106

Crichton Position: 9^th

Best Game: Round 17 vs Brisbane Lions

Milestones: Acting Captain Debut – Round 6 vs Richmond, 100 Games – Round 17 vs Brisbane Lions, Career Best Disposals (22) – Round 17 vs Brisbane Lions, Career Best Hit-outs (32) – Round 13 vs Kangaroos

Summary: Hille had a big season in 2006. For the first time Hille was Essendon’s main ruckman and he seemed to relish the challenge in the early rounds, figuring in Crichton votes for 4 of the first 6 matches of the season.

Hille hit a slight form slump after being named the stand-in Captain for the injured Matthew Lloyd. Seeming to struggle with the additional burden in what was a difficult season for Essendon, Hille’s on-field body language at times left much to be desired.

However after the mid-season break Hille came back and showed why he had been entrusted with the duty. Showing true on-field leadership and making his presence felt around the ground, Hille put in a career best display against the Brisbane Lions in Round 17. Coming up against All-Australian potential ruckman Charman and experienced campaigner Keating, Hille more than held his own, pushing forward for 3 goals and making his physical presence felt around the ground, Hille was a big factor in Essendon’s first win since Round 1. Hille also created the feel-good story of the season when he went to ruck opponent Jamie Charman’s aid when he fell awkwardly after a hard bump on Hille.

Verdict: A great season for Hille showed that the coaching team’s faith in him was not misplaced. Without reliable ruck back-up for most of the season, with Laycock injured and Ryder and Cartledge not seeming ready for AFL football, Hille stood tall and ranked 8^th in Total Hitouts in the competition.

The burden of leadership has been a good experience for David and look for further improvement from him in the ruck in 2007. His ability to push forward and be threatening as well as his willingness to chase, tackle and win the hard ball makes him a very valuable addition to the Essendon line-up.

However, Hille does need to work on his accuracy when kicking for goal, he kicked 13.15 for the season for a disappointing accuracy of 46.43%. With more support in the ruck in 2007, Hille should provide a better goal return.

Result: Keep

Round	Date	vs.	K	H	P	M	HO	T	G	B	Crichton
1	1/04/2006	Sydney Swans	8	8	16	4	18	2	0	0	13
2	8/04/2006	Brisbane Lions	5	8	13	3	24	0	1	0	0
4	25/04/2006	Collingwood	9	10	19	4	29	1	3	0	25
5	30/04/2006	Hawthorn	6	8	14	4	9	0	1	0	0
6	6/05/2006	Richmond	9	12	21	7	13	2	0	2	11
7	14/05/2006	Carlton	8	11	19	3	20	1	2	1	10
8	21/05/2006	West Coast Eagles	6	5	11	4	8	1	0	1	0
9	27/05/2006	Port Adelaide	2	6	8	5	11	1	0	1	0
10	2/06/2006	Adelaide	4	7	11	6	16	1	0	3	0
11	9/06/2006	Geelong	3	7	10	4	15	1	1	0	0
12	18/06/2006	Melbourne	4	9	13	4	17	1	1	1	0
13	30/06/2006	Kangaroos	2	15	17	6	32	0	0	0	10
14	7/07/2006	Fremantle	7	6	13	3	16	2	0	1	15
15	15/07/2006	St Kilda	3	8	11	1	23	3	0	0	0
16	22/07/2006	Carlton	9	3	12	5	27	1	1	1	18
17	29/07/2006	Brisbane Lions	17	5	22	6	22	2	3	0	25
18	5/08/2006	Sydney Swans	4	7	11	2	14	2	0	0	0
19	11/08/2006	Collingwood	5	2	7	6	14	2	0	1	0
20	19/08/2006	Hawthorn	12	8	20	5	19	4	0	1	18
21	26/08/2006	Richmond	9	5	14	4	14	0	0	1	6
22	01/09/2006	Western Bulldogs	4	14	18	6	6	2	0	1	0
		Total:	136	164	300	92	367	29	13	15	151
		Average	6.48	7.81	14.29	4.38	17.48	1.38	0.62	0.71	7.19

Player: James Hird

Number: 5

Played 2006 Season: 13 Career: 236

Crichton Position: 6^th

Best Game: Round 17 vs Brisbane Lions

Milestones: N/A

Summary: Despite another injury-interrupted season Hird still managed to contribute in a large way on the field. I could ramble on for at least 20 pages about Hird, but suffice to say that he was Hird and everything that that means.

His best performance was undoubtedly against Brisbane in Round 17. Coming back after yet another frustrating injury and with rumours about his imminent retirement abounding, Essendon fans and coaches would’ve been happy if he’d merely managed to get through the game without hurting himself. However, James Hird has never been the type of player to sit back and cruise through a game (often to his detriment) and he took the match by the scruff of the neck and helped deliver his beloved club their first victory in 16 rounds. Ably assisted by many others, Hird’s presence seemed to visibly lift his team mates as both the new brigade and the old played with passion and flair. Hird not only contributed his own 4 goals, but also had several goal assists, bringing other players such as the previously struggling Kepler into the game.

Verdict: James Hird is one of the all time greats of the Essendon football club and proved again this season that despite his age he is still a valuable and dangerous player. Whilst still useful when he pushes into the midfield, look to see him spend increasingly more time in the forward line to give opposition coaches more grey hairs as they try to cover an attack consisting of Lloyd, Johns, Lovett, Monfries, Hird and potentially Lucas.

Result: Keep

Round	Date	vs.	K	H	P	M	HO	T	G	B	Crichton
3	16/04/2006	Western Bulldogs	14	11	25	8	0	2	2	1	19
4	25/04/2006	Collingwood	16	8	24	8	0	2	2	2	21
5	30/04/2006	Hawthorn	16	2	18	8	0	0	2	1	18
6	6/05/2006	Richmond	10	6	16	9	0	2	1	0	10
7	14/05/2006	Carlton	2	2	4	0	0	1	0	0	0
12	18/06/2006	Melbourne	8	15	23	7	0	1	0	0	10
13	30/06/2006	Kangaroos	15	6	21	9	1	1	2	0	18
17	29/07/2006	Brisbane Lions	18	9	27	7	0	2	4	2	27
18	5/08/2006	Sydney Swans	7	2	9	3	0	2	0	0	0
19	11/08/2006	Collingwood	15	7	22	9	0	1	0	2	5
20	19/08/2006	Hawthorn	19	10	29	6	0	1	2	1	18
21	26/08/2006	Richmond	18	8	26	5	0	0	2	0	19
22	01/09/2006	Western Bulldogs	14	7	21	7	0	5	2	0	15
		Total:	172	93	265	86	1	20	19	9	180
		Average	13.23	7.15	20.38	6.62	0.08	1.54	1.46	0.69	13.85

Player: Courtney Johns

Number: 21

Played 2006 Season: 10 Career: 13

Crichton Position: 25^th

Best Game: Round 14 vs Fremantle

Milestones: Career Best Disposals (14) – Round 21 vs Richmond, Career Best Goals (3) – Round 14 vs Fremantle

Summary: Johns has had an injury plagued start to his career and 2006 was no different. Despite Lloyd’s injury in Round 3, Courtney couldn’t manage his 2006 debut until Round 8 vs West Coast. However from his first game he showed promise that he would repay Essendon’s faith.

Courtney had a reasonably consistent season, with only the accuracy of his kicking a question as his season started. He turned in a pair of 3 goal performances against Fremantle in Round 14 and Collingwood in Round 19, finishing with a 12 goal return for the 10 games played.

He was moved around the ground a little, including a couple of defensive jobs as Sheedy looked to let the young man know what AFL football was all about.

Verdict: Known as “The Messiah” or the “Great White Hope” to the Essendon fans, Courtney gave plenty for them to be excited about in 2006. His presence in the forward line always seemed dangerous and he showed both his ability to lead and take a contested mark. His work rate was also good as he at times pushed up the wings to provide a target. Couple all this together with his ability to break apart packs and his reasonable ground level skills and there’s no doubt that Johns will be a big part of Essendon’s forward line in the future.

It seems another one of Sheedy’s experiments is set to pay off.

Result: Keep

Round	Date	vs.	K	H	P	M	HO	T	G	B	Crichton
8	21/05/2006	West Coast Eagles	4	1	5	4	0	3	1	2	0
9	27/05/2006	Port Adelaide	7	0	7	5	0	1	0	2	0
10	2/06/2006	Adelaide	6	1	7	5	0	0	2	0	0
11	9/06/2006	Geelong	7	3	10	5	0	0	1	0	0
12	18/06/2006	Melbourne	5	2	7	2	0	1	0	0	0
14	7/07/2006	Fremantle	9	2	11	7	0	0	3	4	18
19	11/08/2006	Collingwood	7	1	8	5	0	1	3	0	0
20	19/08/2006	Hawthorn	6	0	6	0	0	0	0	0	0
21	26/08/2006	Richmond	12	3	15	8	0	0	1	0	0
22	01/09/2006	Western Bulldogs	2	2	4	3	0	3	1	0	0
		Total:	65	15	80	44	0	9	12	8	18
		Average	6.5	1.5	8	4.4	0	0.9	1.2	0.8	1.8

Player: Jason Johnson

Number: 14

Played 2006 Season: 19 Career: 170

Crichton Position: 7^th

Best Game: Round 15 vs St. Kilda

Milestones: Career Best Disposals (41) – Round 15 vs St. Kilda, Career Best Goals (5) – Round 22 vs Western Bulldogs

Summary: A dual Crichton medallist, Johnson had an interrupted pre-season thanks to a foot injury and this flowed into a poor start to his season. Struggling to find form, Johnson was eventually dropped back to Bendigo for Rounds 9 and 10. Whether this was at Johnson’s request or from the match committee was a bit unclear.

Finding form with some solid performances at VFL level, Johnson rejoined the seniors from Round 11. Johnson put in serviceable performances for the rest of the year, including some brilliant ones such as his best on ground against St. Kilda where he gathered a staggering 41 possessions to play a vital role in Essendon’s near-upset.

Also worth mention is his career best 5.1 goal display against the Western Bulldogs in Round 22 after his kicking for goal was widely criticised during the season when he missed several easy opportunities.

Verdict: Whilst Jason had a poor start to the year, it’s fair to argue that this was largely due to his foot problems. In fact it could be argued that he shouldn’t have been playing. Couple this together with his solid second half of the season which saw him finish 7^th in the Crichton voting and it’s hard to understand why Essendon appears to be refusing to offer him a 2 year contract, considering this is the first time he’s placed outside the top 3 since 2000.

The possible answer is that Essendon has concerns about his ongoing fitness. Couple this with the fact that he will be 29 by the start of next season and the club may believe that he is a risky investment. In a game which seems to be steadily increasing in pace Jason may be one of the first victims, when business dictates that sentimentality cannot be part of decisions.

The flip side to all of this is that if Jason is let go, this leaves Jobe as the sole clearance specialist in the Essendon line-up. Despite the vast improvement of Watson this year, I do not believe he is ready to be the sole contributor in this regard in terms of fitness or maturity. For this reason Essendon should make sure they retain Johnson, even if it means risking a 2 year contract.

Result: Keep

Round	Date	vs.	K	H	P	M	HO	T	G	B	Crichton
1	1/04/2006	Sydney Swans	10	5	15	6	0	1	0	0	0
2	8/04/2006	Brisbane Lions	7	6	13	3	0	3	0	0	0
3	16/04/2006	Western Bulldogs	10	7	17	2	0	3	0	0	0
4	25/04/2006	Collingwood	5	7	12	4	0	3	0	0	0
5	30/04/2006	Hawthorn	12	10	22	8	0	1	0	0	10
6	6/05/2006	Richmond	17	11	28	5	0	4	0	0	0
7	14/05/2006	Carlton	8	7	15	0	0	3	0	0	0
8	21/05/2006	West Coast Eagles	12	6	18	5	0	4	0	1	17
11	9/06/2006	Geelong	16	17	33	9	0	2	0	0	22
12	18/06/2006	Melbourne	2	9	11	4	0	2	0	0	0
13	30/06/2006	Kangaroos	17	9	26	6	0	3	1	1	16
14	7/07/2006	Fremantle	16	10	26	9	0	4	2	1	21
15	15/07/2006	St Kilda	24	17	41	8	0	3	1	1	26
16	22/07/2006	Carlton	11	8	19	4	1	1	0	0	0
17	29/07/2006	Brisbane Lions	12	14	26	10	0	2	1	0	19
18	5/08/2006	Sydney Swans	12	3	15	4	0	4	1	0	5
19	11/08/2006	Collingwood	18	8	26	11	1	3	1	2	13
20	19/08/2006	Hawthorn	13	10	23	6	0	0	0	0	0
22	01/09/2006	Western Bulldogs	15	9	24	7	0	1	5	1	24
		Total:	237	173	410	111	2	47	12	7	173
		Average	12.47	9.11	21.58	5.84	0.11	2.47	0.63	0.37	9.11

Player: Mark Johnson

Number: 1

Played 2006 Season: 22 Career: 174

Crichton Position: 16^th

Best Game: Round 10 vs Adelaide

Milestones: Career Best Diposals (28) – Round 11 vs Geelong

Summary: Like the other Johnson, Mark similarly struggled for form and impact early in the season although he didn’t drop to the lows that Jason did. Johnson’s season was a long way from his Crichton medal year of 2002 or even his second placing in 2005, but was still serviceable.

His best match was arguably against Adelaide in Round 10. Picking up 25 possessions, he never stopped trying on a night where very few of his team mates could say the same. His match against St. Kilda in Round 15, though netting only 9 positions, is also worth a mention with his aggressiveness in the forward 50 leading to many scoring opportunities.

Verdict: Mark Johnson hasn’t been on many fans radars this season. He’s been fairly consistent without being brilliant. Luckily for Mark he is still listed for 2007 so is unlikely to bear too much scrutiny for a season that was arguably worse than Jason’s and without his excuse of an injury interrupted pre-season.

Result: Keep

Round	Date	vs.	K	H	P	M	HO	T	G	B	Crichton
1	1/04/2006	Sydney Swans	11	4	15	4	0	3	1	0	0
2	8/04/2006	Brisbane Lions	6	4	10	3	0	1	0	0	0
3	16/04/2006	Western Bulldogs	12	9	21	7	0	2	1	0	5
4	25/04/2006	Collingwood	8	8	16	7	0	5	0	0	0
5	30/04/2006	Hawthorn	7	3	10	3	0	4	0	0	0
6	6/05/2006	Richmond	11	3	14	2	0	1	0	0	0
7	14/05/2006	Carlton	7	6	13	3	1	2	1	0	0
8	21/05/2006	West Coast Eagles	9	9	18	4	0	4	0	0	0
9	27/05/2006	Port Adelaide	5	1	6	3	0	4	0	0	0
10	2/06/2006	Adelaide	17	8	25	5	0	4	0	2	19
11	9/06/2006	Geelong	16	12	28	7	0	5	0	0	20
12	18/06/2006	Melbourne	13	8	21	5	0	3	1	0	0
13	30/06/2006	Kangaroos	9	4	13	7	0	1	0	0	0
14	7/07/2006	Fremantle	14	7	21	9	0	2	1	0	6
15	15/07/2006	St Kilda	3	6	9	0	1	6	0	0	0
16	22/07/2006	Carlton	7	6	13	5	2	4	1	0	0
17	29/07/2006	Brisbane Lions	10	11	21	6	0	2	0	0	0
18	5/08/2006	Sydney Swans	5	7	12	2	0	1	0	0	0
19	11/08/2006	Collingwood	10	3	13	6	0	4	1	0	7
20	19/08/2006	Hawthorn	10	5	15	2	2	3	0	0	0
21	26/08/2006	Richmond	10	8	18	3	0	3	2	2	4
22	01/09/2006	Western Bulldogs	12	14	26	6	0	0	0	0	18
		Total:	212	146	358	99	6	64	9	4	79
		Average	9.64	6.64	16.27	4.5	0.27	2.91	0.41	0.18	3.59

Player: Jason Laycock

Number: 27

Played 2006 Season: 6 Career: 23

Crichton Position: 27^th

Best Game: Round 11 vs Geelong

Milestones: N/A

Summary: Essendon had big hopes for it’s ruck division this year with Hille the senior partner and Laycock showing signs in 2005 that he was ready to play regular senior footy. Unfortunately a pre-season ankle arthroscope meant that Jason could not join the Bomber line-up until Round 6.

He showed steadily improving form, culminating in his best performance in Round 11 against Geelong with a 16 possession, 8 Hit out and 1 goal game.

Unfortunately a few days after the match it was announced that Jason would undergo a knee arthroscope (his second within 12 months), effectively ending his season.

Verdict: Whilst only managing 6 games this year, there’s plenty for Essendon supporters to be excited about with young Jason Laycock. A ruck division of Hille, Laycock and Ryder would be enough to have Sheedy drooling, given all are mobile ruckmen capable around the ground or up forward.

Laycock is currently uncontracted for 2007 and the rumour mill has the young man after more money than Essendon is currently willing to pay. The most likely reason for this scenario is due to offers from rival clubs, with a ruck needy Carlton seeking to leverage it’s #1 pick in the PSD a possible culprit. Whilst Essendon has big wraps on young Laycock, with Hille, Ryder and Cartledge on the senior list and young Lachie McKinnon on the rookie, Essendon may very well choose to play hardball and trade Laycock away for either draft picks or a promising young Centre Half Back. It’s extremely unlikely that they would allow him to slip through to the PSD.

Result: Keep/Trade

Round	Date	vs.	K	H	P	M	HO	T	G	B	Crichton
6	6/05/2006	Richmond	5	1	6	3	4	0	2	2	0
7	14/05/2006	Carlton	1	3	4	1	11	2	0	0	0
8	21/05/2006	West Coast Eagles	6	5	11	2	7	0	1	0	0
9	27/05/2006	Port Adelaide	4	1	5	2	5	2	0	0	0
10	2/06/2006	Adelaide	9	4	13	4	8	1	0	0	0
11	9/06/2006	Geelong	13	3	16	5	8	1	1	1	10
		Total:	38	17	55	17	43	6	4	3	10
		Average	6.33	2.83	9.17	2.83	7.17	1	0.67	0.5	1.67

Player: Andrew Lee

Number: 32

Played 2006 Season: 5 Career: 5

Crichton Position: Did not poll

Best Game: Round 16 vs Carlton

Milestones: Debut – Round 13 vs Kangaroos

Summary: Lee is a young tall that Essendon hope will turn into a serviceable Centre Half Back. Playing 5 games in his debut season, he alternated between looking completely at home and completely at sea in the backline.

He was also swung forward on occasion and showed that he knows where the sticks are and seems unfazed by pressure, slotting 1 goal after the siren against the Roos and another from 45m on a tight angle against Carlton in Round 16.

Verdict: Essendon is desperate for some tall backmen to start showing promise. They have a plethora of mobile, rebounding half-back flankers and some nuggety back pockets, however the 2 key back positions of Centre Half Back and Full Back are looking increasingly worrisome as Fletcher’s retirement looms in the next few years.

Andrew has shown good form at VFL level and some glimpses at AFL level. The question is: is it enough? With his first season ruined by a case of Osteitis Pubis, Andrew needed to show the coaches that he was worth persisting with this year. Essendon has been grooming higher profile recruit Kepler Bradley for the Full Back position for the previous few years and have U18 AA Full Back Austin Lucy slowly building his credentials in the VFL.

Andrew will most likely be offered a 1 year contract to give him season 2007 to prove himself. He has looked relatively comfortable at AFL level and arguably more comfortable than Bradley in the backline. However if Essendon manage to trade for a 22 to 25 year old Centre Half Back prospect, Lee’s career may well be over before it’s had much of a chance to start.

Result: Keep

Round	Date	vs.	K	H	P	M	HO	T	G	B	Crichton
13	30/06/2006	Kangaroos	2	3	5	3	0	2	1	0	0
14	7/07/2006	Fremantle	2	1	3	2	0	2	0	0	0
15	15/07/2006	St Kilda	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
16	22/07/2006	Carlton	2	3	5	3	0	1	1	0	0
22	01/09/2006	Western Bulldogs	3	1	4	2	0	1	0	1	0
		Total:	9	9	18	10	0	6	2	1	0
		Average	1.5	1.5	3	1.67	0	1	0.33	0.17	0

Player: Matthew Lloyd

Number: 18

Played 2006 Season: 3 Career: 212

Crichton Position: 20^th

Best Game: Round 1 vs Sydney Swans

Milestones: Captain Debut – Round 1 vs Sydney Swans, Career Best Disposals (26) – Round 1 vs Sydney Swans

Summary: There were many who doubted Lloyd’s ability to captain Essendon from anywhere, let alone from full forward. With Round 1 of the 2006 season Lloyd sent a message to his doubters, when he lead his team to a solid first round victory against the reigning premiers. Lloyd dominated with 8 goals, 6 of which set up the victory in the first quarter. In addition to his goal contribution Lloyd was seemingly everywhere as he imposed his will on the game, taking marks on the wing and in defence.

Verdict: Matthew Lloyd is an absolute superstar and the lynchpin of the Essendon attack, his value to the club being recognised by the signing of a new 3 year deal mid year. The responsibility of the captaincy has added more presence to an already dominating player. Against both Sydney and Brisbane he demonstrated that he was capable of having a material effect on more than just the scoreboard and no doubt Matthew is as excited as any Essendon fan by the potential held by his forward line in 2007.

Result: Keep

Round	Date	vs.	K	H	P	M	HO	T	G	B	Crichton
1	1/04/2006	Sydney Swans	19	7	26	10	0	0	8	2	27
2	8/04/2006	Brisbane Lions	10	4	14	8	0	0	4	0	16
3	16/04/2006	Western Bulldogs	5	6	11	5	0	1	1	1	0
		Total:	34	17	51	23	0	1	13	3	43
		Average	11.33	5.67	17	7.67	0	0.33	4.33	1	14.33

Player: Sam Lonergan

Number: 36

Played 2006 Season: 1 Career: 1

Crichton Position: Did not poll

Best Game: Round 15 vs St. Kilda

Milestones: Debut – Round 15 vs St. Kilda

Summary: Lonergan was picked up with pick 50 in last year’s draft and was not expected to play in 2006. The lack of depth in Essendon’s line-up saw him eventually line-up against St. Kilda in Round 15. Whilst he did not have a big impact on the game, there was nothing to fault in his endeavour or hardness at the ball with 5 tackles in his first and only senior game. His endeavour was best displayed in a passage of play where he tackled a defender, causing a spillage and then dived on the ball under a pack of players to cause the stoppage on Essendon’s half-forward line.

Verdict: There’s plenty to like about Lonergan’s game and some solid VFL form coupled with his good efforts when given his senior debut mark him as another young kid who’ll be placing pressure on those who currently have senior spots nailed down. A midfielder/forward he should get at least 4 to 5 senior games in 2007.

Result: Keep

Round	Date	vs.	K	H	P	M	HO	T	G	B	Crichton
15	15/07/2006	St Kilda	2	2	4	1	0	5	0	0	0
		Total:	2	2	4	1	0	5	0	0	0
		Average	2	2	4	1	0	5	0	0	0

Player: Andrew Lovett

Number: 13

Played 2006 Season: 13 Career: 33

Crichton Position: 12^th

Best Game: Round 15 vs St. Kilda

Milestones: N/A

Summary: Lovett started the season with several strong showings however his performances started to slide, most notably in the Round 7 Carlton match where despite some near-miracle like goals, Lovett looked lacklustre and disinterested. In round 8 he was suspended for a surprising 3 matches for a jumper punch against West Coast’s Adam Hunter.

Lovett wasn’t seen again until Round 14 vs Fremantle amidst rumours of personal strife. Lovett looked more interested in his football against Fremantle, but it was Round 15 where he lit up the MCG in the wet against St. Kilda. Starting in the midfield Lovett showed poise, pace and determination with silky skills and fierce chasing and tackling. He continued his fine form in the forward fifty during the second half of the match, kicking 3 brilliant goals including a crowd-lifting banana from the boundary line.

Lovett’s season ended after the Round 18 match against the Swans when he cracked a bone in his hand.

Verdict: It’s hard to believe that 2006 was Andrew Lovett’s first season on Essendon’s senior list, such was his impact when he was elevated last year. His 2006 wasn’t quite what was expected with Lovett only managing 13 games for the season. Despite his various off-field issues and lack of games, Lovett still managed to finish 4^th on Essendon’s goal kicking list with 17 majors and polled Crichton votes in 5 of his matches.

In 2007 with his personal issues hopefully behind him, Essendon will be looking for Lovett to step up to become a vital part of Essendon’s forward line and midfield rotation. He has skill and speed in abundance, he just needs to consistently show it on the football field.

Result: Keep

Round	Date	vs.	K	H	P	M	HO	T	G	B	Crichton
1	1/04/2006	Sydney Swans	11	6	17	6	0	4	1	1	18
2	8/04/2006	Brisbane Lions	5	0	5	2	0	2	1	0	0
3	16/04/2006	Western Bulldogs	15	9	24	8	0	2	1	4	17
4	25/04/2006	Collingwood	11	6	17	9	0	0	1	1	0
5	30/04/2006	Hawthorn	9	5	14	5	0	3	2	2	0
6	6/05/2006	Richmond	11	9	20	2	0	3	2	2	5
7	14/05/2006	Carlton	9	5	14	4	0	2	2	1	0
8	21/05/2006	West Coast Eagles	10	2	12	3	0	0	2	1	0
14	7/07/2006	Fremantle	11	6	17	4	0	2	0	2	0
15	15/07/2006	St Kilda	16	8	24	6	0	4	3	2	23
16	22/07/2006	Carlton	10	6	16	5	0	4	1	2	23
17	29/07/2006	Brisbane Lions	6	2	8	2	0	1	0	0	0
18	5/08/2006	Sydney Swans	7	5	12	5	0	2	1	0	0
		Total:	131	69	200	61	0	29	17	18	86
		Average	10.08	5.31	15.38	4.69	0	2.23	1.31	1.38	6.62

End of Part 2