{"id":97850,"date":"2025-08-26T19:27:18","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T19:27:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/97850\/"},"modified":"2025-08-26T19:27:18","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T19:27:18","slug":"how-the-essendon-bombers-can-pull-off-a-miracle-against-damien-hardwick-and-the-gold-coast-suns-on-the-eve-of-the-afl-finals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/97850\/","title":{"rendered":"How the Essendon Bombers can pull off a miracle against Damien Hardwick and the Gold Coast Suns on the eve of the AFL finals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Loading<\/p>\n

If it bleeds…<\/p>\n

Scott was part of the Brisbane unit which scalped the dominant Bombers in round 10, 2001 after coach Leigh Matthews delivered his famous line: \u201cIf it bleeds, we can kill it\u201d. The line, borrowed from the movie Predator, spurred the Lions, who went on to record a stunning win. Scott needs to remind his men that the Suns are human, and capable of error.<\/p>\n

If that doesn\u2019t work:The Bombers must make an early statement\"Will<\/p>\n

Will Damien Hardwick\u2019s men wilt under the pressure?Credit: AFL Photos<\/p>\n

The pressure is all on the Suns, who need to win to frank their maiden finals campaign<\/a> in club history. They know they are expected to win, and even win big, where they could vault into seventh spot and face Fremantle in an elimination final. So, if the Bombers were to boot the opening three or so goals, not only would it give the visitors momentum, but it could also have a psychological impact on the Suns, who suddenly would be under enormous pressure. That\u2019s when \u201chero ball\u201d could kick in, with the Suns looking to individual brilliance, rather than the team structures, to get back in the game. And that can be dangerous.<\/p>\n

Verbal warfare<\/p>\n

Skipper Noah Anderson said on Tuesday the Suns were excited about being in a \u201cvery special place at the moment\u201d. But the bottom line is this: They have never qualified for finals before. Why not remind them of their losing history, and, with suitable words, ask whether they truly, truly believe they should be a part of September? The Suns appeared nervous and played safe in their loss to the Power on Friday night, when a win would have kept them in the hunt for the double chance. The stakes are even higher on Wednesday night. \u201cWe understand there is a little bit more pressure about tomorrow [Wednesday] night, but, you know, we spoke about earlier in the week,\u201d Anderson said.<\/p>\n

Believe in themselves<\/p>\n

The Bombers have nothing to lose, and can play in a carefree manner, which should encourage them to play their best attacking football. Matt Guelfi booted three goals against Carlton last Thursday, while emerging star Isaac Kako added two, and was a threat all night. The Bombers need to give their forwards space to work in.<\/p>\n

\"Pressure:<\/p>\n

Pressure: Matt Rowell and the Suns hope to be all smiles come late Wednesday night.Credit: AFL Photos<\/p>\n

Keep it tight and contested<\/p>\n

The Suns like to run and gun. They are at their best when the contest is free-flowing. But, as we saw in their narrow escape against Collingwood in round 18 when they actually squandered a six-goal lead but rebounded late<\/a>, they don\u2019t like it when the contest tightens. The Bombers cannot afford to turn this contest into a track meet, and must match the likes of Anderson and midfield bull Matt Rowell at stoppages. Conversely, the Suns will need to curb Zach Merrett, while half-back Andy McGrath typically finds plenty of ball.<\/p>\n

\"Bombers<\/p>\n

Bombers coach Brad Scott.Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n

Enough is enough<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all seen that look of disdain on coach Scott\u2019s face when he is angry. Perhaps he needs to direct some tough love to his troops at each of the intervals, even the threat of them having to walk home if they don\u2019t lift. That\u2019s right \u2013 walk home. The players need to be asked: Is a 12-game losing streak, regardless of injuries, really acceptable for a club that traditionally was known as one of the so-called \u201cbig four\u201d? Are they almost as bad as the suspension-hit 2016 list that dropped 17 straight? Or the teams of 2006 and 1933, which lost 14 straight?<\/p>\n

So, the challenge is before the Bombers – it\u2019s time to believe in fairytales.<\/p>\n

Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Loading If it bleeds… Scott was part of the Brisbane unit which scalped the dominant Bombers in round…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":97851,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":["post-97850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97850","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97850"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97850\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}