AFL Player # 1: Andrew "Pidge" McGrath (VC)

[Beerfish]

Contract Status: Unrestricted Free Agent 2030
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 13, Vindicater

 

[P Money]

Jeez wouldn't be many though. Jack Watts would be it.

Jack Watts was a far better player in all honesty. Just got thrown to the wolves by a pathetic club leadership heaping a laughable amount of pressure on him to be the messiah he could never be

 

[Mercurial89]

I've been pretty down on him and some of the times I've been most annoyed are his tackling efforts, bouncing the ball immediately, looking at the ground when he bounces, kicking skills where he laces out an opposition player and just a general lack of intensity.

But those things probably aren't fair to hang on just him because that is a majority of our team most games.

No, the thing that is just so disappointing is that this guy has been in the league 7 years, and still he shits himself when he gets the ball. Doesn't know what to do, where to go or how to absorb or process pressure around him.
Everything is panicked, everything is in two minds.
Just watch when he tries to draw a man in to give the handpass to the player on the boundary coming out of 50. It's obviously a set play and you can see his brain ticking. Looks like he is running and processing at half speed, no instinct.

That is your vice captain and leader unsure of what he wants to do with the ball in his hands.
We kill Hep for his cruisy knacker attitude that seeps into his leadership style.
Well how would you ever take an instruction from this guy when you see him with the ball and he looks like he would rather be anywhere else.

He will be a mainstay of this team for the rest of his career because defensively man on man he's not horrendous, because he plays off his man and reacts, his opposition plays on instinct and he mimics them with his athleticism.

But actual football wise he just doesn't have it at this level.

Bump

 

[brain taylor]

he’s taking the piss at this point

 

[doug85]

I think trading him would be stupid tbh. How quickly everyone forgets how his form pre-bye (where we actually had midfield and forward pressure) was excellent.

Yes he's had a bad second half of the year, but that's also due to the fact that we've had no pressure up the field.

Do you still think it would be stupid to trade him? Not being a smart arse. But his last few performances have been dreadful. Could be best for both parties at this stage.

 

[srobbo]

Would put him up for trade no dramas. Defensive efforts are pathetic & can’t hit the side of a barn. Zero composure with ball in hand.

 

[citizen-erased]

 

[frodos gardener]

Like a bad debt owed, just sell him at a discount and move on.

 

[The Donners]

Would put him up for trade no dramas. Defensive efforts are pathetic & can’t hit the side of a barn. Zero composure with ball in hand.

He’s worth a late 2nd/early 3rd round (as a known quantity) but Dodoro would want a 1st round and so we’d use up the entire trade period squabbling over a very average player.

 

[DeezNuts]

Should have stuck to track and field

 

[yodellinhank]

He’s worth a late 2nd/early 3rd round (as a known quantity) but Dodoro would want a 1st round and so we’d use up the entire trade period squabbling over a very average player.

Average you say? Bring him in.

 

[kelvin_sheedy]

The biggest problem we have is that he'll do enough to clog the list for 200 games but have very little impact.

He won't have ambition to go anywhere and we aren't ruthless enough to make deep changes.

 

[Nicholas61]

Not sure if this is actually true. Out of curiosity I recently went back and watched a few games from 2011-2013. Heppell's kicking was absolute dogsh*t even then.

Not unusual for a top EFC draft pick.

 

[yodellinhank]

Funny passage of play where he had a clown to the left of him and a joker to the right, he tried to draw the tackle and ended up with a dump kick forward whilst caught in a tackle.

 

[Jobe Watson]

That moment where he had 20m of clear space, two handball options either side, and still somehow managed to produce a dump kick turnover under pressure just sums him up.

 

[Snake Charmer]

Might have to try him as a small forward next year or an assistant coach. Can’t have a player with those skills down back now days

 

[MiguelM]

That moment where he had 20m of clear space, two handball options either side, and still somehow managed to produce a dump kick turnover under pressure just sums him up.

Yeah, even with space he manages to work his way back into trouble.

He is the polar opposite to Ridley.

 

[CBombers17]

Toils away. Doesn't stand out as much in a bad way when we are horrendous.

Only at Essendon could you be this ordinary and also leader.

 

[brutus76]

if he is STILL using those no lace boots needs to throw them away

 

[MarkJohnson#1]

Funny passage of play where he had a clown to the left of him and a joker to the right, he tried to draw the tackle and ended up with a dump kick forward whilst caught in a tackle.

Loves a dump kick forward, in fact if there was a stat for it he’d be leading the AFL for sure!

 

[bombreys]

He is a genuine list clogger.

 

[quotemokc]

This guy is a blight on our team culture.

How can he possibly be considered leadership material???

 

[yodellinhank]

This guy is a blight on our team culture.

How can he possibly be considered leadership material???

Remember the school captain? Success was a matter of time...

 

[eth-dog]

Do you still think it would be stupid to trade him? Not being a smart arse. But his last few performances have been dreadful. Could be best for both parties at this stage.

Yes. I think he's worth more here than at the trade table.

 

[YEMOC NAYR]

Trade.

 

[naraku]

I posted this a month or so ago, but we need to drop him from the leadership group.
It worked out for Zac, maybe that puts a foot up Andy's ass.

His best and worse is like night and day. And that's a concern.