""plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose"" - Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr
When Monsieur Karr penned his epigram early in the new year of 1849, he bequeathed to the world an edict – somewhat loosely translated from the French as “The more things change, the more they stay the same” – that has since seen countless numbers nodding sagely in agreement.
Certainly Bendigo Bombers supporters, having just seen their team lose an Elimination Final for the second consecutive year, would be tempted to grant their acquiescence to the apparent truth of said statement. If I may indulge and continue with the proverbs theme a trifle longer, there is, after-all, nothing new under the sun.
And yet, when I first sat down to gather some thoughts on the season just completed, even a cursory glance revealed that such agreement would be misplaced. The circumstances, though the end came in similar fashion, were tangibly different and thus the conclusions drawn need some expansion.
Just as a point of reference for the reader, I saw every Bendigo game live this season, bar one.
The Anzac day weekend saw me out of town and as such I missed the first Collingwood game. Much to my mortification as it turns out, since the scoreline from that day makes for very pleasant reading and is suggestive that I may well have skipped our finest performance of the year.
Be that as it may, seeing all of the other matches, including one or two pre-season practice runs, allows one to build a gradual picture of the evolving events, and most crucially the context of said events.
Likewise, I saw the majority of Bendigo’s efforts last year and in point of fact many matches of the “dark-periods” of 2007, 2008 and 2009 as well.
The arrival of Heath Hocking and Stewart Crameri during these times provided some brightness amidst a sullen gloom, but in general it was heavy going for Club and fans alike, and little more need be said of those times here.
But 2010 saw the re-birth and change in fortunes that lifted the side from a distasteful and unsustainable winless existence to an unexpected finals berth.
Looking at that result twelve months down the track, the general theme that strikes me was one of maturity and solidity. Hardened VFL players like Flaherty, Cloke, Scanlon, Skipworth, Shinners and Marigliani provided a core around which the side could function.
From the Essendon perspective, despite a prohibitive injury list, the positives emerged largely from three and four-year players like David Myers and Leroy Jetta finding form and confidence.
The emergence of Crameri after several years on the fringes was in a similar vein, and so too Ben Howlett and Kyle Hardingham who came from WAFL footy and shone early.
Bigger, more experienced players found their feet and started to make some headway, allowing Essendon a renewed sense of developmental progress.
Which is not to say that some youngsters didn’t add to the mix.
Jake Carlisle and Travis Colyer sowed some early seeds that would eventually bloom in the proceeding winter, but in general Bendigo drew heavily on size and age.
And this is where it gets interesting when looking at 2011.
Shinners and Ben Duscher – who arrived mid-way through 2010 - stayed on as co-captains, and gun VFL forward Matt Little crossed over, where he was joined by the revelatory Tory Dickson from Noble Park. But the likes of Cloke, Flaherty, Scanlon, Atkinson and Marigliani all departed.
Crameri was promoted and spent the year tormenting AFL defenders, whilst Jetta became a regular senior player.
As Essendon ran into the now customary injury worries, and juggled technical structural issues like playing three ruckmen, Bendigo increasingly had to cope with a younger and lighter list again. Those of us who had seen this before could have been forgiven for fearing the worst, yet most pleasingly the worst did not arise. As a result, the positives for the aligned club are myriad.
Let’s start with Essendon.
Jake Carlisle, after playing mainly as a forward the previous year, was handed the role at CHB from the first game. He didn’t so much prove a fast learner, but rather a natural who was clearly adept at using his key traits – reading the flight of the ball and outstandingly clean marking skills – as impressive defensive weapons.
The notion that we were viewing an extremely gifted young player, something that I had had an inkling of the previous season, was to be reinforced during the second half of the year when he was called into the Essendon side and acquitted himself with aplomb.
The match reviews of the Bendigo games in which he took part invariably drew the readers’ attention to the youngster making his mark – both literally and figuratively- in the defensive half.
The highly talented, yet oft erratic, Kyle Reimers was placed on a learning curve as he was given a role at half-back, and then midfield. A best on ground effort at North Ballarat in round 2 provided a pointer towards not just his gifted nature, but a new-found willingness to knuckle down and get the job done.
Many of his Bendigo appearances were characterised by exquisite delivery to teammates further afield - often dictating to the receiving player where they best needed to be - and a previously unsuspected ability to win midfield stoppages. Reserves sides are always a vehicle for teaching and moulding players to roles, and none was more evident than Reimers this year.
His eventual solidifying of a senior spot – despite the occasional slip into old habits - would become a loss to Bendigo as the season wore on.
As, indeed, was the case with Travis Colyer.
The second year player started the season in sparkling fashion, clearly the shining light in a gloomy Round 1 match that saw a heavy defeat by Northern Bullants.
Mixing speed and dash with improving footskills, Colyer added a penchant for kicking remarkable goals from the boundary. The round six clash with Werribee at Windy Hill was notable for a blistering 2nd term from the pacey rover, during which he kicked three scintillating goals in a 15 minute period to carve the game open. It remains one of my enduring memories of the year, and a pointer to the possible player Essendon may have on its hands. His good form continued on, but a mixture of seniors footy and injury added to the midfield drain felt by Bendigo in the latter parts of the year.
And it’s that latter fact that brings us to the defining issue and that which truly separates 2011 from the preceding year in my mind. As the numbers of Essendon players available to Bendigo dwindled, it was the first-year draftees and rookies who increasingly shouldered the burden.
Michael Ross and Alex Browne became constant figures in an at times astonishingly young midfield by VFL standards. Despite differing physiques, neither have yet been shaped by full pre-seasons but both stood up at varying times throughout the year. So much so that both earned senior games as a reward.
The effort of the two 18-year-olds to get through a full season of football in a hardened league was a good feat in, and of, itself. To play on-ball roles at stages merely added to the performance.
Ross’ ability to evade traffic and convert inside play to outside play was evident reasonably early in the year. He was perhaps the most surprising of all given he actually improved as the year progressed, contrary to what may have been expected from such a light player. The evasiveness and handy pace is matched by equal comfort disposing of the ball with either foot, and generally better-than-average usage. Possibly the most impressive trait was a willingness to take the game on even under trying circumstances.
Browne had plenty of opportunities playing in the centre square and it seems likely that a role as a clearance midfielder beckons. He attacks the ball hard and generally runs straight lines. An understanding of when and how to spread from the stoppage, and the likely improvement of disposal granted by better fitness, should result in a steadily improving young player.
He has that intangible “something” that often marks one young player from others of similar standing, and imparts a confidence that he will be a very good player not necessarily shown in raw statistics. As much as anything, he plays with intent to be damaging even if it doesn't always work out.
These two youngsters were joined by fellow draftee’s Ariel Steinberg and Luke Davis who, incredibly, played every game of the year in semi-key positions at either end of the ground.
With Shinners missing 7 or 8 weeks with a broken arm, Carlisle being called into the seniors, and the likes of Pears and Hooker hardly being available for Bendigo at any stage, Davis did a remarkable job in the defensive half.
Whether fast-tracked by the tutoring of Sean Wellman, the reality of sheer necessity or simply the possession of latent defensive understanding, the extremely solid year enjoyed by Davis should not be underestimated.
One suspects that all of the aforementioned factors played a part in his progress.
On the evidence provided thus far, he is a very cool and calm defender, possessing an ability to take strong defensive marks when the situation calls for it, but also the nous to evaluate when it doesn’t. A versatile height with seemingly good understanding of positioning and patterns of play, the young man was not only able to physically tackle a diverse range of opponents but most importantly had the mental flexibility to stay calm when things were going astray.
None summed up this trait more than the round 8 showdown with Port Melbourne. Davis stood one of the competitions goal-kicking machines, Patrick Rose, in front of a midfield that was gradually overpowered. Rose kicked 6 goals for the afternoon, yet Davis enjoyed just as many one-on-one victories in marking contests and provided some good rebound. The inclusion of both players in their sides “Best” list was illuminating for a player barely out of junior football.
Steinberg spent his time up forward, notionally playing as a pocket or flank. This, however, belies his true game-style as he is a hybrid mix of high-flying pack mark and mercurial ground player, and he was willing to work up the ground. His style of game is a demanding one, often getting crunched in packs and having to use his arms rather than core strength in marking contests meant a lot of grabs didn’t quite stick.
Nonetheless, plenty of others did and in most games he looked to be capable of creating a threat to the opposition. Various match reports during the year suggested that he was a real chance to have an impact on the scoreboard when things clicked for him, and that day arrived in Round 12 against Box Hill. Five goals arrived via a mix of contested marking, clever snaps and opportunistic positioning.
A combination of Jack Riewoldt and Steve Johnson would seem to sum up Steinberg, in style if not ability.
Twenty five goals for the year was not only a good return, but in fact was the most kicked by a 2010 draftee at VFL level this season.
Some wayward kicking, and visible signs of tiredness late in the year, reduced the tally somewhat but the ability for a youngster with just one reduced pre-season to play the role he did, and do so for a full year against much bigger opponents, cannot be overstated.
A more judicious understanding of when to stay on the deck, rather than be third or fourth up, will allow him to stay “alive” in more contests. That said, he keeps his feet quite well.
I cannot recall an entire Essendon draft crop coping so well with their first year out of juniors for some time, and the fact that they are all different in positioning and player-types adds immeasurably to both the balance of the list, and the optimism of fans.
Check out Part 2 from Jason here
