""Why would you have played 23 games of football going into a semi-final and play a poor first quarter like we did?"" Sheedy said today. ""We didn’t generate enough positive play early and that really hurt us. I spoke to the boys about it before the game and emphasised how important it was for us to be in the game at half time.""
""I was bitterly disappointed that we would go out and play a first quarter like that after all the training and planning that went into the game. Geelong had the sort of game last week that would tire them and they did get tired in the last quarter. We lost two or three players and the game changed.""
The Bomber’s late surge had Cat fans a little anxious in the dying minutes of the game but there was simply too much ground to be made up. A 43-point lead was reduced to just 10 by the time the final siren sounded.
""I said to them at three quarter time to take every risk in the book and enjoy their last quarter. Get the ball down there as quick as you can and play with real freedom. I was pleased with their spirit and competitiveness late in the game. We have been inconsistent all season but played off for fourth position,"" Sheedy said.
But it is consistency that has been lacking for much of Essendon’s season - not just last Saturday night at the MCG. You could count on one hand the number of times the side could honestly say it produced four quarters of quality football. Port Adelaide was probably its best effort for the season.
There were glaring examples littered throughout the season. A record nine-goal opening term against Collingwood in Round 20 turned into a grinding 34-point win. An eight-goal to zero burst from the Swans in the second quarter of the Round 21 game at Stadium Australia ensured the home side got the four points.
In Round three against West Coast, Essendon kicked the first eight goals of the game but had to call on some James Hird magic late in the game to salvage a six-point win. Against Brisbane in Round 12, Essendon produced a high quality first half and then basically went home, eventually going down by 66 points.
""There are many reasons and part of it is the balancing game between youth, experience, fitness and injury,"" Sheedy said today.
""We have consistently had to bring back injured players. We have had a problem with hamstrings this season and you are always weighing up whether they are ready. How long have they been out? When should we bring them off and rest them before they do it again?
""It also depends a bit on how many younger players you have in the side, how many older blokes you have in the side and which players are carrying them team at the time.
""If you have got an older side you have players that can’t play 120 minutes. Geelong for example have Peter Riccardi – he was playing about 70 minutes a match and doing it quite well off the bench.
""Then if you have too many new kids coming in for their first few games – the likes of Brent Stanton, Ricky Dyson and Kepler Bradley – you will naturally get that inconsistency.
""Brisbane very rarely have to bring more than one or two kids into the side – it is a great position to be in when you are blooding kids. We are probably just trying to find a way of doing that at the moment. We are about the sixth best side at doing it, Brisbane are the best quite easily.""
""They played Richard Hadley in his fourth game in a Grand Final. They could play a young ruckman (Dylan McLaren) one out as a ruckman in a final last week with Jonathon Brown helping down forward and (Justin) Leppitsch giving him a hand in the forward line and he just runs between the two 50m arcs.""
The balancing act will continue as the Bombers prepare for trade week and the 2004 National Draft.
