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

[Beerfish]

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

 

[Squeaky]

Did he say the usual - "It's just not us. It's not the way we want to be perceived" crap?
The reality is if you have to say this once or twice a season, then it IS you!

I swear I have heard similar in the last 4 or 5 years...

Effort in a game should be unconditional - why isn't it at Essendon? Why hasn't it been?
Every ****ing year - you can nearly set your watch to it.

 

[Squeaky]

Caldwell should be VC next year

And get Duz into the leadership group. (Group?? More like a leadership void!) - it should be just a triumvirate of Zach, Calders & Duz IMO.

 

[ant555]

Did he say the usual - "It's just not us. It's not the way we want to be perceived" crap?
The reality is if you have to say this once or twice a season, then it IS you!

I swear I have heard similar in the last 4 or 5 years...

Effort in a game should be unconditional - why isn't it at Essendon? Why hasn't it been?
Every ****ing year - you can nearly set your watch to it.

For me it wasn’t even the scripted we need to be better blah blah blah .
There was no anger or disappointment in it. It looked like it did not matter and we will work hard d and it will be all good.

 

[Milanista28]

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That's 3 different interviews I believe, maybe this week will be different

 

[faible]

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That's 3 different interviews I believe, maybe this week will be different

Never again, again, again.

 

[Foxx]

Maybe he should just come out and say "we are doing our best with a shit gamplan".

 

[Mercurial89]

I wanted to hear "we are bringing the mouth guards to training on Monday "

Was sort of bland wasn't it .

I think with Andy his best action would be to come out and admit that he failed to hit the standard.

Like put himself out there and own it. Show some leadership and don't just say we, say that he was someone who didn't, and that he will be doing everything to not allow that to have again.

That would be something different, but I don't think he will, he will just hide from criticism.

 

[faible]

McGrath is very much the 'leader' we like at EFC. He's a nice guy, doesn't get in to trouble off-field, I'm sure he trains hard and turns up on-time and consistently, and he speaks well in the media. He doesn't really have that 'edge' that Merrett has, or that Caldwell and Durham seem to have. It's not really his fault, he is what he's always been. We've not drafted a whole cohort of competitive players, and just being a consistent hard worker is probably a level of leadership we lacked post ASADA, but there's a level of competitiveness that not enough players have on our list that McGrath doesn't appear to have either.

 

[joey_jo_jo]

McGrath is very much the 'leader' we like at EFC. He's a nice guy, doesn't get in to trouble off-field, I'm sure he trains hard and turns up on-time and consistently, and he speaks well in the media. He doesn't really have that 'edge' that Merrett has, or that Caldwell and Durham seem to have. It's not really his fault, he is what he's always been. We've not drafted a whole cohort of competitive players, and just being a consistent hard worker is probably a level of leadership we lacked post ASADA, but there's a level of competitiveness that not enough players have on our list that McGrath doesn't appear to have either.

he is a good leader off the field, eg it was he who organised the trip to the States. But on field he has left a lot to be desired in last few weeks, one glaring example was in the Crows game in dying minutes when he took the kick out. there was no composure, just headless chicken stuff.
TBH its looking like that whole age bracket has learnt bad habits from the group before. Which of Redman/Parish/McGrath/Ridley scream on field leader?

 

[MiguelM]

McGrath is very much the 'leader' we like at EFC. He's a nice guy, doesn't get in to trouble off-field, I'm sure he trains hard and turns up on-time and consistently, and he speaks well in the media. He doesn't really have that 'edge' that Merrett has, or that Caldwell and Durham seem to have. It's not really his fault, he is what he's always been. We've not drafted a whole cohort of competitive players, and just being a consistent hard worker is probably a level of leadership we lacked post ASADA, but there's a level of competitiveness that not enough players have on our list that McGrath doesn't appear to have either.

Wish they appointed Goddard as captain all those years ago rather than "everyone gets a medal" leadership we have to put up with.

We don't take home truths onboard.

Need onfield leaders not just nice blokes off the field.

 

[Squeaky]

For me it wasn’t even the scripted we need to be better blah blah blah .
There was no anger or disappointment in it. It looked like it did not matter and we will work hard d and it will be all good.

Agreed - Working harder has worked so far, hasn't it!
They keep saying those words - and they are just cheap words we have all heard before, and go about their business. It is about time that the decision was taken out of the players hands and the club (starting with match committee) made a strong example of this shit and there were harsh consequences felt by the playing group.
But we know they won't. Hence the cheap words.
Honestly - WGAF anymore.

 

[faible]

Wish they appointed Goddard as captain all those years ago rather than "everyone gets a medal" leadership we have to put up with.

We don't take home truths onboard.

Need onfield leaders not just nice blokes off the field.

Agreed, I thought after the way we played in 2016 with a team of rookies and retirees Goddard deserved to continue on as Captain.

 

[MiguelM]

Agreed, I thought after the way we played in 2016 with a team of rookies and retirees Goddard deserved to continue on as Captain.

He knew what was required but others didn't like the message IMO.

 

[Squeaky]

He knew what was required but others didn't like the message IMO.

Yep - piss weak and now we reap what we sow.

 

[EFC1993]

Agreed, I thought after the way we played in 2016 with a team of rookies and retirees Goddard deserved to continue on as Captain.

Nope instead we got “she’ll be right mate” Dyson Heppell as captain who as long as his pockets are getting lined couldn’t care less about team success. Here he is currently trying to squeeze out yet another contract out of the club instead of gracefully retiring like he should of in 2020. The longer this horrendous, greedy attitude from him goes on the more I’m starting to think he had something to do with removing Merrett out of the leadership group in 2020 out of jealousy.

 

[dank420_]

Never Again Is Not Now.

 

[Beerfish]

Never Again Is Not Now.

Sounds like a good album name.

 

[MightyDon]

Maybe he should just come out and say "we are doing our best with a shit gamplan".

Well saying we are doing our best wouldn’t be the truth, few of these guys don’t seem to like any of the last 3 coaches games plans. On top of that they didn’t like Rutten not driving them hard enough and now they don’t like Scott giving them a rocket

 

[TheFrenchCut]

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That's 3 different interviews I believe, maybe this week will be different

I hope this means, as a proud Canadian, McGrath has watched Shorsey.

 

[rumply]

Sounds like a good album name.

would stream.

 

[NAB777]

I wanted to hear "we are bringing the mouth guards to training on Monday "

Was sort of bland wasn't it .

I was thinking that exact phrase on Sunday...but thought 'you probably can't do that any more '.

 

[Agronomus]

He's our Lachie Bramble, if Bramble was contracted for 6 years north of 700k.

I don't even know who that is and it's funny

 

[NAB777]

he is a good leader off the field, eg it was he who organised the trip to the States.

This is the thing; that trip was a total waste of time, and it shows that they don't know what they're doing. I am not saying this in retrospect, I said it at the time. The players would not have benefited in the slightest in terms of fitness, in fact, with travelling & acclimatising, they would have gone backwards. The fact that the club let them go & didn't put a stop to it is a fair indication as to why we drop off a cliff half way through the season. Our fitness staff aren't up to it.

They could have got better results going to Lorne for 10 days.

If it was a team bonding exercise...well, you don't bond if only a portion of the team go.

 

[Old Campaigner]

This is the thing; that trip was a total waste of time, and it shows that they don't know what they're doing. I am not saying this in retrospect, I said it at the time. The players would not have benefited in the slightest in terms of fitness, in fact, with travelling & acclimatising, they would have gone backwards. The fact that the club let them go & didn't put a stop to it is a fair indication as to why we drop off a cliff half way through the season. Our fitness staff aren't up to it.

They could have got better results going to Lorne for 10 days.

If it was a team bonding exercise...well, you don't bond if only a portion of the team go.

The trip wasn’t so much about gaining fitness as it was about learning how to train in a way that the time spent training has the maximum impact.

 

[faible]

This is the thing; that trip was a total waste of time, and it shows that they don't know what they're doing. I am not saying this in retrospect, I said it at the time. The players would not have benefited in the slightest in terms of fitness, in fact, with travelling & acclimatising, they would have gone backwards. The fact that the club let them go & didn't put a stop to it is a fair indication as to why we drop off a cliff half way through the season. Our fitness staff aren't up to it.

They could have got better results going to Lorne for 10 days.

If it was a team bonding exercise...well, you don't bond if only a portion of the team go.

Weird thing to take issue with, and a pretty flawed conclusion IMO.