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"I don't think it's over the line." | First Thoughts - West Coast vs Essendon (01.06.26)
31 May 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What were the highlights of the Eagles vs Bombers game?
As we head to Perth last night for, I'm not sure, maybe the worst game of footy you'll ever see. In tricky conditions, it must be said. But no new coach bounce for the Bombers as they went down to the Eagles by 30 points. A team that won one game last year, of course. Harley Reid kicked one of the best goals you've ever seen. He ended up with 1-4. But there was balls going all over the place.
And unfortunately, it was a tough start for Dean Solomon. Here he is speaking after the game.
It looked like the way we wanted to play for a good period of time. There was a period from the 18-minute mark of the second quarter through the 18-minute of the third quarter where we conceded eight goals. And we lost... We lost our composure, the ball in hand, we lost our head. Our discipline was not where we needed it to be and we couldn't get the game back on our terms.
And to West Coast credit, their pressure went up, their contested possession went up and they're playing a good brand of footy and we really respect what they're doing. But I felt like we could have navigated that time within the game a lot better and we'll educate on that. But there's also periods early in the second quarter where we really liked what we saw.
There he was. Kingy, what did you make of that game that was hard to watch?
I think we've got an epidemic first before we start with coaches' press conferences that just give nonsense raps to teams that are awful and make it look like they're world beaters. Oh, they're in great form. They're a great side.
There's a lot of that going on.
We're going to call it out for you. Yeah, let's do that, actually. It's the press conference polish.
Yep.
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Chapter 2: How did Dean Solomon assess the Bombers' performance?
No, they're not. They've won about three games in two years. They're not a great side. As a matter of fact, they're far from it. The more you look at the Eagles, the more I think you have to stipulate to the resurgence of Tim Kelly.
I think he had a fight on his hands at the start of this season to be a significant contributor again for the Eagles, and I think he's won a lot of people back with just his effort and his attitude to compete. He had a lot of touches. He didn't have his best night. It wasn't an outstanding performance or anything, but he's become a – a solid contributor again. I thought we'd lost him.
I thought he was done. I wouldn't have given him two years. I thought that was it. And in fact, I was critical of them giving him two years. And he did. He lost his place in a side that was, as you said, one of the poorest sides we've seen in the last 20 years, the Eagles, and could have get a game there. So well done to McWalter for his resurgence.
Tim Gossage's man, Milan Murdoch, kicked the first goal of the game, kicked three for him.
On his birthday, I'll never forget it, you couldn't have given him less. I had to pick Goss up off the deck a couple of times.
I thought it was more worthy of the Eagles podcast than Goss runs. More so than fireball, but he's got a bit of attitude about him.
Yeah, he just brings a little bit of forward pocket spunk. You know, that's what you want, a bit of anger, a bit of presence. Hey, Dersmer and Reid, they're pairing. When you've got one, it's terrific. When you've got two, I think you make some serious inroads. They're going to play a lot of high-level footy together. They do it differently.
One's got, you know, just a level of brutality, and the other one's just got the smooth, you know, cruising speed. He just gets around the ground beautifully, does the slight delight, and they really just separated the game at the right times.
So that's the Eagles' point of view. They've got some winnable games coming up as well. I think it's Port Adelaide in Perth this week, and then it is North Melbourne before a bye, then Carlton. So a possibility that they could be winning, I don't know, four games in a row for the Eagles, which wouldn't have been done for some time.
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Chapter 3: What criticisms did the hosts have regarding coaching press conferences?
Troy Chaplin has raised his concerns around James Hurd looming and whether or not you do need to rule him in or out before you apply. Matthew Lloyd said yesterday on Channel 9 he's really confident that Essendon will get the best available coach. I'm not so sure.
If we've already had four of them question the process with the circus that is James Hurd, Kingy, do you think Essendon will get the best available coach?
uh well how do you ever know how do you ever know you've got the best because what don't you just find you the best fit for your club isn't that always the discussion who is the best person for that club at this time that's always the discussion but don't you need the pool to be as big as you possibly can be to eventually get to that decision if you've already got
I don't know where Brett Montgomery or Troy Chaplin sits in this, but if you've already got four of them essentially ruling themselves out this early, are you going to get the biggest pull, which you can then narrow down and go through the process to get yourself the best coach?
If you want to rule yourself out, rule yourself out. I just, I think it's, I understand the logic behind it, the fear of James Hurd, but there's as many detractors as there are those pushing for James. So I don't think it's over the line by any stretch. Now, if you don't want to take on that challenge, I think if Ken Hinckley went for, just use Ken, right?
If Ken Hinckley went for the job and was beaten by James Hurd, do you think one person would think lesser of Ken Hinckley in the football world for not getting that job?
Not less of Ken Hinckley, but he might think to himself, why don't I waste my time doing that?
Because the job's there.
I've been beaten by a guy who hasn't coached for 11 years.
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Chapter 4: What factors contributed to the Eagles' recent resurgence?
It's so good.
No, I'm all for it. I'm all for the content that it's going to provide us. But, yeah, I wouldn't want to be Andrew Welsh unless he wants to make the call to James and get him to remove himself, which is what I think he should do. You're completely different. I get that. We'll see how the next fortnight plays out.