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Round 22: You don't what you've got 'till it's gone! How many times have we heard that saying? I thought about it on two fronts at weekend. First was the prospect of no September action for the Bombers, and the second was when Joe & Welly announced their retirements. This is the seventh consecutive season that the Bombers have struck fear deep into the hearts of opposition players, coaches and supporters at the pointy end of the year. Some time ago, I remember reading where Sheed's was credited with saying that he thought the football year was in three parts, the Pre-season competition, home & away games and the finals. I couldn't agree more. I reckon the home and away season is a bit like the heats of the Olympics. It doesn't really matter where you finish or how you got there, it is what you do on the day that counts. No chance the Bombers? Yeah! No chance the men's 4 x 400 either! Melbourne finished four places ahead of Essendon but under the current system that doesn't mean squat. They face the prospect of being the king of the castle a month ago to being the finals pauper this week. This doesn't mean that the Bombers will win; it just means two teams, one winner no excuses! St Kilda have been flat track Telstra Dome bullies for most of the year, but at this stage the prospect of an interstate final with a couple of significant injuries has wiped the smile from their collective faces. Port Adelaide has again finished as the minor premier. But I can almost feel the collar around their necks tightening by the day. Port faces the prospect of a Geelong side who, having not one a game on the road this year, have got nothing to lose. Almost every commentator out there has Brisbane handouts past the post. Can you believe that Leigh Matthews is bleeding about the prospect of having to travel once during the finals? Poor thing, somebody get him a tissue! By Lethal's logic we should run all the lead up races to the Melbourne Cup in Brisbane. Gimmee a break! Under a fair handicapping system, if the Lions were a racehorse they'd be carrying 80Kg. There are times in life where emotion gets the better of you for reasons that are not immediately apparent. I had one of those times on Sunday as Joey did his lap of honour. Perhaps it was the knowledge that we have lost a bloke who encapsulates everything that is great about the Bombers, a nice guy with a touch of the larrikin, a guy who has bled for his team and our club. By his own admission Joe was not the worlds greatest athlete just a bloke who knew how to find the footy. Then there's Welly, after seeing the way he played on Sunday I can't help but wonder why? What I do know is that he is the best thing to come out of Adelaide for a long, long, time. Thanks guys - you won't be forgotten in a hurry. Rock On Dons!
Disclaimer: the views expressed in this column are those of the author, and are not necessarily those of the Essendon Football Club. |
 
In 2004 we welcome the newest reporter to BomberLand - Stephen Cunningham. Stephen was selected from hundreds of entrants in our Fan's Diary competition to find the most passionate Bomber fan sitting in the outer, who could bring us a fresh perspective on the 2004 season. Each week Stephen will write a report on the Bombers' match, and we hope that you enjoy reading a true red and black fan's point of view.
We would like to thank everyone who entered the competition to write the new fan's diary column, as the standard of entries was very high for the third season in a row!
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STEPHEN CUNNINGHAM - THE FACTS Name: Stephen Cunningham Age: 43 Born: England Employment: General Manager Hobbies: Movies, Cars, Reading Essendon Supporter Since: 1968 Attended Grand Finals: 1983, 1984, 2000, 2001 Favourite Viewing Position at The Dome: Right above the Pt. Adelaide Cheer Squad Favourite Footy ground: Windy Hill - Because of the memories. Favourite Essendon Player: James Hird / Alan Noonan Predicted Essendon superstar for 2004: Adam McPhee / Mark Bolton Predicted finishing position by the Bombers for the season: 1st of course. Greatest Essendon Moment: Meeting Dick Reynolds at the Champions of Essendon dinner. Team you like beating most: Carlton, Collingwood, Pt Adelaide, Richmond & St Kilda Likes: Essendon wins. Traveling. Dinner with interesting people. Dislikes: Negative Football. Bandwagon Supporters. Fans who are critical of their own players. Favourite car: Aston Martin DB7 Favourite movie: The Shipping News Favourite song: Bob Dylan's, Forever Young Favourite food: Anything that's bad for me. Favourite drink: Hoegarden Cloudy Ale |
Our 2003 Fan's Diary reporter - Darren Snowdon - now has his own column on BomberLand.
Click here to read Darren's columns...
