'Stop blaming others': Icon grills Bombers stars

1 year ago 81

Essendon fable Matthew Lloyd has enactment the vigor connected the club's existent harvest of players to instrumentality ownership and "stop blaming others" arsenic they look to crook their fortunes around.

The Bombers had a torrid 2022 season, which resulted successful elder manager Ben Rutten being sacked and a wide outer reappraisal revealing respective problems some connected and disconnected the tract which had plagued the club.

There is simply a consciousness astir Essendon that a caller leafage has been turned successful 2023 nether new manager Brad Scott and astir an wholly caller administrative squad successful complaint disconnected the field, but immoderate fans person felt somewhat disappointed astatine the pre-season run which ended with a nonaccomplishment to St Kilda astatine the weekend.

Lloyd, who played successful the club's past victorious last successful 2004, has been vocal astir his club's struggles successful past seasons, and questioned the intelligence toughness of the existent harvest of stars.

"It's clip to halt blaming others. It's clip for the players to instrumentality power of their nine and go: 'You cognize what, we haven't been pugnacious enough, we haven't been mentally pugnacious enough, beardown enough, connected field'," helium told 3AW's Wide World of Sports Radio.

"I retrieve however beardown I was connected the Dylan Shiel infinitesimal past year due to the fact that they got walked each over. You can't bash that. Your pridefulness should say: 'We conscionable can't judge being walked each over'.

"A tougher, nastier marque I americium hoping we spot from the Bombers this year."

Essendon has the third-youngest database successful the AFL and portion Lloyd understands that it volition beryllium a process to spot his broadside beryllium a accordant premiership threat, helium said the effort level should beryllium a non-negotiable.

"It's a caller play … it volition instrumentality immoderate time," helium said.

"What I person mislaid with Essendon is, you conscionable don't cognize what you are going to get erstwhile you crook up. You privation to crook up and go: 'We cognize that 90 per cent they volition enactment successful an effort that you locomotion distant going, they couldn't person tried immoderate harder'.

"They are a spot young, but that (effort) hasn't been determination for a long, agelong time."

Essendon volition statesman its location and distant run erstwhile it faces arch-rivals Hawthorn astatine the MCG connected Sunday, March 19.

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