Triple premiership-winning coach Mick Malthouse has claimed that Essendon are his tip to win the flag in 2022.
Although the Tullamarine side has not broken through for a premiership since 2000 or a finals win since their 2004 elimination final win over Melbourne, Malthouse believes the Bombers' mix of seniority and youth will see them make a deep run this September.
While managing to return to the finals under Ben Rutten last season, the former Bulldogs, Eagles, Magpies and Blues steward claimed that the competition's fluidity would serve Essendon well this winter.
“People forget Melbourne came from ninth in 2020 [to snap their premiership drought in 2021],” Malthouse wrote for The Herald Sun.
“Essendon made the finals last season and will be close to complete this season.”
Despite the Dons falling well short of eventual grand finalist the Western Bulldogs in the opening week of the 2021 finals, Malthouse was still effusive in his praise of the Bombers' 'attack first' mentality to clinching contests.
“I enjoyed the way they played last year,” he said.
“I thought last year they gave up a score to get a score. They were prepared to have 13 or 14 goals kicked against them and they still thought they had the capacity to kick 15 or 16.
“That’s not great tactics. But it was probably what was needed for the team to come to grips with the fact that they needed to defend better and then have the capacity to score.
“That has to be reversed this year. They have got to keep getting scores, but learn to hold sides to lower scores.”
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Despite leaking 20 scoring shots to the Dogs in their season-ending battle in Launceston, the 68-year-old pedagogue-come-pundit stressed that, on paper, Essendon's back-six was a force to be reckoned with.
“They have an adaptable backline who can take talls, smalls and mediums,” Malthouse continued.
“They can take the quicks but also big leading forwards like Tom Hawkins and Josh Kennedy.
“I think their backline is in the top echelon.”
While proving able to average 86-points per week across the course of last season, injuries to leading goalkicker Jake Stringer and the absence of Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti should feasibly hinder Essendon's early-season assault.
However, with 29 separate players contributing to the club's seasonal haul of 291 goals in 2021, Malthouse held the view that this ability to share the load would deliver the Dons silverware by season's end.
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“Their forward line is not reliant on a bloke kicking 50 per cent of their score,” he said.
“Every team that wins a premiership needs to have some luck with injury and the same goes for a team like Essendon if they want to compete with the best.
“But if they can hold up, their side is quick and exciting and they can get better defensively.”
“Unlike last year, hopefully, they won’t need to kick massive scores to win matches.”
Essendon's 2022 campaign got off to a sound start with a six-point win over the Pups at the Hangar last Wednesday, with their red and black ball set to continue rolling into a date with the Saints during the AAMI Community Series at Marvel Stadium on Saturday, March 5.
The foundation club's 150th season will officially commence when they face Geelong at the MCG in Round 1 on Saturday, March 19.
