Traded #10: Aaron Francis - Traded to Sydney w. Pick 42 + Future fourth rounder for Pick 37. Thanks Frang!

[Beerfish]

Contract Status: Out of contract 2022
Injury Status: n/a

My Boy Draft 2022: Pick 29, Mr Bultitude

 

[Ambrosia]

Think he’s building. I’d say he took the points against Cameron

 

[Yoda_]

I liked the fact that gave him the big job. He did a good job. Made a couple or mistakes but there was some fierce pressure on the back 6 at times. I thought it was a big tick for him to be the main man in the back 6. They can not just play him as a flanker forever. Between him , Ridley and BZT they have to transform into the back 3 combo for the future.

Agreed with this. People may want to give the respected players the big roles (Hurley on Cameron etc.) but Francis strikes me as someone who relishes a challenge.

Did that well on Friday night, despite a couple of bad clangers (drop marks the bug one) he kept at it and did a reasonable job. Just ran out of puff toward the end.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Agreed with this. People may want to give the respected players the big roles (Hurley on Cameron etc.) but Francis strikes me as someone who relishes a challenge.

Did that well on Friday night, despite a couple of bad clangers (drop marks the bug one) he kept at it and did a reasonable job. Just ran out of puff toward the end.

I'd just prefer our players were played where they perform best and have the best impact on the game. On the evidence we have I think it's pretty hard to argue that for Francis, that's as a marking HBF.

With Hurley and BZT in the side, playing Francis as basically our #1 key defender just seems... yet again... to be spiting ourselves.

 

[Yoda_]

I'd just prefer our players were played where they perform best and have the best impact on the game. On the evidence we have I think it's pretty hard to argue that for Francis, that's as a marking HBF.

With Hurley and BZT in the side, playing Francis as basically our #1 key defender just seems... yet again... to be spiting ourselves.

Would you say that Francis was disgraced on Friday night ?

 

[Nuggs Bunny]

I'd just prefer our players were played where they perform best and have the best impact on the game. On the evidence we have I think it's pretty hard to argue that for Francis, that's as a marking HBF.

With Hurley and BZT in the side, playing Francis as basically our #1 key defender just seems... yet again... to be spiting ourselves.

Personally I don't think that the defender-opponent match ups could have been any better on Friday night. Hurley was on the most mobile of the talls in Himmelberg and kept him to one. Zerk was on the biggest in Finlayson and kept him to one. Francis doesn't have the leg speed to keep up with Himmelberg and probably doesn't have the bulk to play on Finlayson so Cameron ended up being the logical choice for him and he managed to keep him to two. I don't think Francis will ever play as a marking HBF again, because Ridley is too damn good at it, so he's going to need to be responsible for another player for the bulk of his game otherwise he doesn't have a future in the team. As shown on Friday though, that responsibility isn't above him and he did pretty well.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Would you say that Francis was disgraced on Friday night ?

Of course not. Would he add more to the team overall on a more favoured position? I think so.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Personally I don't think that the defender-opponent match ups could have been any better on Friday night. Hurley was on the most mobile of the talls in Himmelberg and kept him to one. Zerk was on the biggest in Finlayson and kept him to one. Francis doesn't have the leg speed to keep up with Himmelberg and probably doesn't have the bulk to play on Finlayson so Cameron ended up being the logical choice for him and he managed to keep him to two. I don't think Francis will ever play as a marking HBF again, because Ridley is too damn good at it, so he's going to need to be responsible for another player for the bulk of his game otherwise he doesn't have a future in the team. As shown on Friday though, that responsibility isn't above him and he did pretty well.

I don’t for a second believe we can’t have both Francis and Ridley playing as flankers. As long as we have Ambrose, Hurley, BZT, Gleeson and Saad doing jobs.

 

[Ambrosia]

I'd just prefer our players were played where they perform best and have the best impact on the game. On the evidence we have I think it's pretty hard to argue that for Francis, that's as a marking HBF.

With Hurley and BZT in the side, playing Francis as basically our #1 key defender just seems... yet again... to be spiting ourselves.

I'm not sure he was better there. He definitely had more wow moments but he gave his opponent far too much leeway and was caught ball watching often.

 

[Yoda_]

Of course not. Would he add more to the team overall on a more favoured position? I think so.

The betterment of the team is Francis doing what is best for the team. He is capable of holding down a KPD position. It allows us to continue playing the current back 6 group together,

 

[Nuggs Bunny]

I don’t for a second believe we can’t have both Francis and Ridley playing as flankers. As long as we have Ambrose, Hurley, BZT, Gleeson and Saad doing jobs.

I do, because how many tall & slow half back flankers can we have? If Francis plays on the HBF then where do Redman & McKenna play? Francis and Ridley on opposing flanks plus Ambrose, Zerk and Hurley is the makings of one of the slowest back sixes of all time even if Adam Saad was Usain Bolt, we'd be murdered if the ball went to ground.

 

[VexOh]

Honestly, plays like the biggest sack of shit going around.

 

[TheGrizz]

Was so bad tonight. King took him for a ride.

He would be the one i dropped for Hurley to come back in over BZT

 

[andleanback]

It’s often said the best quality all the great defenders have is they hate to be beaten, they do anything they can to make it hard for their opponent. Francis doesn’t have that.

 

[eth-dog]

Was so bad tonight. King took him for a ride.

He would be the one i dropped for Hurley to come back in over BZT

I'd play both next week.

 

[andleanback]

I'd play both next week.

Just have to keep getting games into him.

 

[boncer34]

Was so bad tonight. King took him for a ride.

He would be the one i dropped for Hurley to come back in over BZT

Say what?

King had 8 touches, took 3 marks and kicked 2 goals, 1 from a freak ground effort. Even the other one was from a mark prime Silvagni wouldn't have spoiled.

 

[BrunoV]

Say what?

King had 8 touches, took 3 marks and kicked 2 goals, 1 from a freak ground effort. Even the other one was from a mark prime Silvagni wouldn't have spoiled.

Agree with this but didn't want to go there first because I don't want to just be a contrarian.

I didn't think Francis' game was that much different to any other he played this year. He seemed psyched out by King's size but he basically did what he had to do. King is also a freak.

That coast to coast score was embarrassing. We couldn't get an ounce of pressure on the ball from a kick in and left an acre for King to lead in to. Francis would need to have been Usain Bolt to get a fist on that one.

 

[boncer34]

Agree with this but didn't want to go there first because I don't want to just be a contrarian.

I didn't think Francis' game was that much different to any other he played this year. He seemed psyched out by King's size but he basically did what he had to do. King is also a freak.

That coast to coast score was embarrassing. We couldn't get an ounce of pressure on the ball from a kick in and left an acre for King to lead in to. Francis would need to have been Usain Bolt to get a fist on that one.

I mean Francis had more disposals and marks. No idea how anyone think King wiped the floor with him.

 

[Legend Lucas]

Why why why would we play him at full back on King who is 200 cm and too quick for him and not Zerk Thatcher. He is an intercept back flanker and that’s his only position. Makes so many simple mistakes and turns the footy over every time. We have plenty of back flankers time to trade him for something. Will be best for his career as we have stuffed him as a player.

 

[boncer34]

Why why why would we play him at full back on King who is 200 cm and too quick for him and not Zerk Thatcher. He is an intercept back flanker and that’s his only position. Makes so many simple mistakes and turns the footy over every time. We have plenty of back flankers time to trade him for something. Will be best for his career as we have stuffed him as a player.

DE of 92%.

But yeah turns it over everytime.

 

[BrunoV]

DE of 92%.

But yeah turns it over everytime.

DE is for the toilet.

His kicking was poor.

 

[boncer34]

DE is for the toilet.

His kicking was poor.

It's certainly not a perfect measurement but I'm comfortable enough using it to show he doesn't turn it over everytime.

 

[Legend Lucas]

Whenever he tries a tough kick he turns it over every time. Stats would only be padded up by sideways 10m chips like Hurley does. Watch the game.

 

[Vander18]

Why why why would we play him at full back on King who is 200 cm and too quick for him and not Zerk Thatcher. He is an intercept back flanker and that’s his only position. Makes so many simple mistakes and turns the footy over every time. We have plenty of back flankers time to trade him for something. Will be best for his career as we have stuffed him as a player.

There aren’t too many good match ups for King....BZK certainly isn’t. Barely taller than Francis and miles slower. The things King did were things almost nobody in the AFL can stop. If he gets a run and jump at the footy nobody is spoiling it.

 

[Red Black and Blue]

He was better than I thought he would be. King had 4 on us last year and should have done more tonight considering the lack of height down there. Made a few errors with ball in hand, though I think his early turn over was partially the receivers fault for not working hard enough.