ESSENDON\u2019S loss to Melbourne on Friday night condemned the club to their worst start to a season since 1967.<\/p>\n
The Bombers have lost their first three games for just the second time in their history, looking a different side from the one that stormed up the ladder and played finals in 2021.<\/p>\n
While it may feel like the world is falling down around Ben Rutten, he led the Bombers to a two and six start through eight games last year before the side finished strongly to play finals.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s why Gerard Whateley wants to see how Essendon fare in their next three games before making lasting judgements, predicting the Bombers could soon be three and three.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t invent a crisis,\u201d Whateley told SEN\u2019s Crunch Time<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have lost to three terms that I think we would all feel they\u2019re behind, Geelong, Brisbane and Melbourne, and their next three are teams that notionally we would think they\u2019re in front of.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have Adelaide, Fremantle and Collingwood, so I think the \u2018stay positive\u2019 is based on that they should pick off the next three and square the ledger unless they fall into the zero and three [mindset\u2019].\u201d<\/p>\n While former Adelaide coach Brenton Sanderson agrees that the Bombers can yet influence the 2022 season, they\u2019ve shot themselves in the foot with the slow start.<\/p>\n He believes Essendon now has no room to move and can\u2019t show any inconsistencies in 2022.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can have three losses during a season at any point, you can go on a three-game losing streak and still make the finals, that\u2019s no problem at all,\u201d Sanderson said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe challenge is when you start the season zero and three, because then almost nothing can go wrong for the Bombers [if they are to play finals].<\/p>\n \u201cThey have to make sure that everything goes to plan, they can\u2019t have another three-game losing streak at some point in the season, they have to get on a roll, and it has to start this week.\u201d<\/p>\n Essendon take on the Crows at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n