One down, 22 to go.
The first eight games of the 2021 AFL season didn't just provide us with our initial set of winners and losers, it raised another series of questions.
With each of the league's 18ย clubsย set to do battle again this weekend, we attempted to answer the major issues facing their playingย listsย andย coachesย alike.
Essendon
Which half was the real Essendon?
โHow easy is this coaching caper?โ
You could have forgiven Ben Rutten for fleetingly lingering on this thought as he strode into the Dons' dressing room at half-time on Saturday night.
39- points up, no more John Worsfold over his shoulder and a raucous crowd of Essendonians at his back, you can imagine a chipper โTruck' keeping his intermission spiel to a minimum.
โMore of the same thanks!โ
A ๐ฝ๐๐ first half at Marvel.
Another one like that, boys.#AFLDonsHawks #godons pic.twitter.com/AkYeUrUJ9l
— Essendon FC (@essendonfc) March 20, 2021
Of course, my tongue is almost through my cheek here, but after the Bombers conceded 10 goals to three after the break to cough up their 39-point lead, it wouldn't take a Mensa member to predict that Rutten's tone at full-time was sterner than that of an hour prior.
With the precision of Jekyll until the main break, only for the lunacy of Hyde to appear for the remainder, spectators, players and coaches alike took a pair of lessons away from Essendon's first up loss โ they have the ability to score, but their defense is as porous as a cracked dam wall.
The Bombers sent a warning to the competition when they ran the Cats close at Kardinia Park in the pre-season. They then proceeded to double this down swiftly throughout Saturday's opening two stanzas, but with the lingering possibility that they could blast their own toes off in the blink of an eye, it is unlikely that future opponents are losing too much sleep just yet.
As Essendon's squad has an average age of just 23.9 and a mean of 57.4 games of AFL experience, Rutten should be expecting inconsistency from his list for at least the near future. Still, with a further 21 games left in their threshing floor season, the Robert Louis Stephenson-esqe swings in personality should subside before too long.
