FORMER AFL list manager Matt Rendell is confident Essendon will play finals in 2023, providing they get busy in the off-season.<\/p>\n
After yet another slow start to the season, the Bombers have improved in the second half of the year.<\/p>\n
They fell agonisingly short of making it four wins in a row when going down to Collingwood in round 19.<\/p>\n
One of their biggest problems, especially to start the year, was their inability to kick winning scores. With Cale Hooker and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti both retiring after combining for 67 goals last year, Essendon lost plenty of firepower.<\/p>\n
Eight times this year they\u2019ve kicked 72 points or less, including a four-game stretch of less than 55 points between rounds nine and 13.<\/p>\n
Despite an improvement in recent games, Rendell still hopes to see the forward line bolstered in the off-season.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir biggest problem at the moment is they\u2019re relying on Peter Wright and Harrison Jones,\u201d he said on SEN\u2019s The Sporting Capital<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cJones is going to be a future star obviously, but he\u2019s still a young kid playing in that second key role, really, he\u2019s more suited as a third tall.<\/p>\n \u201cBut what they really need is a gun forward, they haven\u2019t got one since Tippa [McDonald-Tipungwuti] retired, they miss him badly.\u201d<\/p>\n Peter Wright has been a revelation for the Bombers to average 2.5 goals a game this year, while Jones has kicked 11 majors in eight games.<\/p>\n Ben Rutten has also dealt with an undersized backline throughout 2022.<\/p>\n Jayden Laverde, Brandon Zerk-Thatcher and Jordan Ridley are currently the side\u2019s three key defenders.<\/p>\n Rendell further called on Adrian Dodoro\u2019s list team to go after a bigger key back, suggesting that will get them right into the finals mix.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve got a really good young key back in Zach Reid, but I think if they\u2019re going to cause some havoc next year, and I think they can, they need to try and get a senior key back,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cJames Stewart did a really admirable job last year but hasn\u2019t been about this year\u2026 I think they had a really poor pre-season, and they paid the price for it, but they\u2019ve shown what they can do.<\/p>\n \u201cThey should make the eight next year I would have thought, with any luck with injury.\u201d<\/p>\n Reid and Stewart are both plying their trade in the VFL, with the latter swinging forward to kick 14 goals in his last four games in the reserves.<\/p>\n The club has already highlighted plans to be active in the 2022 trade period, however they\u2019re unlikely to trade their first-round pick.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n