Sooo... here is Lloydy's assessment of what we should be looking at.
Go all in': Lloyd hatches plan to replace Dons star
Story by Anna Pavlou • Yesterday 1:36 pm
Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd says the Bombers' midfield is already stacked and they must avoid searching for another cog, if out-of-contract star Darcy Parish decides to leave the club at season's end.
Lloyd said Essendon's middle men have already proven themselves so far this season, urging the eighth-placed Bombers to go searching for a key position big man instead.
"I'd wait and go all in to see if I could get a star centre half back or a star centre half forward, before I sign up another midfielder," Lloyd said on Nine's Footy Classified on Monday night.
"The midfield's there with [Ben] Hobbs and [Archie] Perkins and these guys. They're set there."
It comes as out-of-contract Parish, an ex-Geelong Falcon, has been linked to a move to the Cats in free agency at season's end.
But Lloyd says the prospective move shouldn't worry the Bombers, whose midfield is already full of good young talent.
"I think they can cover a midfielder like him," Lloyd said.
"I love what Hobbs is doing in the midfield. I love what [Jye] Caldwell does and Archie Perkins."
Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes backed Lloyd's analysis of Parish, saying the Bombers won't miss the 134-gamer, despite his prolific 29 disposals in his side's four-point loss to Port Adelaide after the siren on Saturday night.
"I think his ball use lets him down," Cornes said on Footy Classified.
"You don't want to lose very good players, but even in the last quarter on the weekend, his ball use let him down."
Essendon, who are sitting in equal seventh, have recorded eight wins and seven losses this year, one win more than during their entire 2022 campaign.
Replying to Caroline Wilson's question about the Bombers' finals chances, Lloyd said 2023 feels different for head coach Brad Scott's men.
"This year, Caro, I believe in the coach far more than I have in the past," Lloyd said.
"What I thought would have been a false dawn in the past, whereas at the moment, I would be more than happy for them to play finals, because they've matched every top team there is.
"That's the substantial game plan they play."
The Bombers host the Adelaide Crows, who sit just above them on the AFL ladder by percentage, in a must-win clash to keep their finals hopes alive on Sunday at Marvel Stadium.
