Are the Bombers really premiership contenders?

BRENDON Goddard has said believes the external expectations around Essendon heading into 2022 are “too big” saying they’re still a little “bit off”.

After making an unexpected finals appearance last year, Goddard said his former side is a couple of players short of being a competitive team consistently.

Former Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse made a huge claim last week that the Bombers are his tip for the premiership this year, while Richmond great Matthew Richardson believes they will be a genuine contender.

Goddard doesn’t agree, saying he is worried they don’t have the personnel when it comes to going deep in September.

“Probably too big of expectations externally, I’m the other side of the fence being a former Essendon person and still am, just trying to cull expectations and I still think they’re a little bit off,” Goddard said on Sportsday.

“I think they out-did their own expectations last year, they did really well and made some real in roads and we saw what the future holds but I still think they’re a couple of guys thin on being a competitive team consistently and particularly when it comes to talking about September and going deep into September.

“They’re one team that I think will be in the bottom half of the eight or competing for those last couple of spots as we’ve seen in the last couple of years.

“I think it’s going to be fiercely competitive at that end … there will be five or six teams battling for those two bottom eight positions.”

Essendon will kick off their 2022 campaign against Geelong on Saturday, 19 March at the MCG.

– BY HUGH FITZPATRICK/ SEN