Essendon great Tim Watson says the Bombers have little chance of winning the premiership next season, ruling them out as a potential side to emulate the shock premiership success stories of Richmond and the Western Bulldogs.
Watson says his former side are a long way from being able to contend for their first flag in 18 years, believing they aren’t close to having the capability to emulate the pressure-laden game style the Dogs and Tigers used to great success over the past two years.
“If that’s the new way to play, we are a long way away from being able to produce that consistently so we are able to compete for a flag,” Watson said on SEN Breakfast.
“You can fall into the eight or you can find your way into the eight because you have a draw that might be a bit favourable to you and I think that’s what happened with Essendon.
“I would think we are a fair way off being able to compete for a flag based on what I’ve seen over the weekend and from what I saw over the course of the season for the Bombers.
“That’s one of the great challenges now. I think Essendon play a great brand of football. It’s open, it’s lively and it’s exciting, but the gap between attack and defence is too broad for me as an Essendon fan to think we can be a flag contender at the end of next year.”
Richmond’s 2017 premiership win is the biggest turnaround in ladder position over 12 months in the competition’s history, with Tigers rising from a 13th place finish in 2016.
Watson says the side that finished 13th this year, Collingwood, are his tip to be the surprise packet of the competition in 2018, despite being similarly bullish on the Magpies’ prospects this year.
“If you look at the way they are attempting to play, I don’t think they need to change a whole lot about their gameplan,” he said.
“Maybe they need to shift some of their players around, maybe Darcy Moore plays a new position next year… but with their depth of midfield talent, I reckon they have got the ability to jump from where they were last season, getting it right and being a real contender next year.”