AFL Player #17: Todd Goldstein - re-signed for 2025 - 20/9

[VelvetSledge]

Contract Status: Out of contract 2024
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 25, Vander18

Welcome aboard, big fella.

Never thought I'd see the day when Todd Goldstein

17

Todd Goldstein

Age

36

Ht

201cm

Wt

101kg

Pos.

Ruck

Career

Season

Last 5

D

13.2

3star

K

5.7

2star

HB

7.5

5star

CL

3.1

5star

HO

32.5

5star

D

16.7

4star

K

9.3

4star

HB

7.4

4star

CL

7.0

5star

HO

32.9

5star

D

5.2

2star

K

2.6

1star

HB

2.6

3star

HO

10.0

5star

plays for Essendon, but here we are

 

[Milanista28]

May end up staying due to a very limited field of rucks to be the third guy on the list.

Draper, Bryan, Vigo with support from 2MP and Cox if absolutely necessary is enough surely? Would be wasting a list spot if he stays on for mine.

 

[ant555]

Draper, Bryan, Vigo with support from 2MP and Cox if absolutely necessary is enough surely? Would be wasting a list spot if he stays on for mine.

Vigo is not ready for the ruck. We have not actually got a lot of list spots to turn over unless we are filling them with draft picks after 40 or delisted free agents.

 

[Beerfish]

draft picks after 40 or delisted free agents.

 

[Mercurial89]

Vigo is not ready for the ruck. We have not actually got a lot of list spots to turn over unless we are filling them with draft picks after 40 or delisted free agents.

This is true but after seeing what we have found outside of top 40 draft picks I wouldn't be opposed to having as many lottery tickets as possible.
If we aren't that close to really contending then take those swings now so when we are closer to contending you hold onto those "just in case" players because that's when results matter.

 

[Milanista28]

Vigo is not ready for the ruck. We have not actually got a lot of list spots to turn over unless we are filling them with draft picks after 40 or delisted free agents.

Goldstein adds little value, take another 22 year old project ruck on base wage if we want extra back up.

 

[P Money]

If we're playing Bryan and Draper in the ruck most weeks next season (please make it so) then we need a decent ruck in the VFL team and Goldy can be that. We've had a dogshit VFL program for years and young players can't develop without a semi-functioning reserves team. As long as he's told in no uncertain terms that he's VFL and break-glass-in-case-of-emergency then I'm happy for Goldy to go around again

 

[Runk]

Would love for him to get another year. His experience is just invaluable to whomever we deem fit as the next developing ruck. Got to hold onto him imo.

 

[ant555]

Goldstein adds little value, take another 22 year old project ruck on base wage if we want extra back up.

Please do name him .
It may be more valuable to keep Goldy for 1 year to keep working with Draper and Bryan than using the list spot on someone you may have to commit to for 2 years.

 

[joey_jo_jo]

Please do name him .
It may be more valuable to keep Goldy for 1 year to keep working with Draper and Bryan than using the list spot on someone you may have to commit to for 2 years.

Yeah agree, I think a number of guys were floating Ladhams as a potential target, but he reminded everyone last week he hasnt got much better Footy IQ as draper. Cant think of many other ready to go Rucks on market.

 

[Milanista28]

Please do name him .
It may be more valuable to keep Goldy for 1 year to keep working with Draper and Bryan than using the list spot on someone you may have to commit to for 2 years.

I don't even think we need to grab another ruck, but we could try for Dante Visentini. I'd rather grab another kid in Goldsteins spot, we need as much young talent as possible.

And if we want Goldy to work with Draper and Bryan, give him a coaching role.

The best team in the comp has, Oscar McInerney, Darcy Fort and Kalin Lane in their squad, pinch hitting from Joey.

Draper, Bryan, Vigo, 2MP is enough, Cox can even chop out around the ground. Giving Goldys list spot to another kid is a better play for mine.

 

[ant555]

I don't even think we need to grab another ruck, but we could try for Dante Visentini. I'd rather grab another kid in Goldsteins spot, we need as much young talent as possible.

And if we want Goldy to work with Draper and Bryan, give him a coaching role.

The best team in the comp has, Oscar McInerney, Darcy Fort and Kalin Lane in their squad, pinch hitting from Joey.

Draper, Bryan, Vigo, 2MP is enough, Cox can even chop out around the ground. Giving Goldys list spot to another kid is a better play for mine.

Vigo is not even close. Draper has an injury every year. Vigos brother will cost draft picks we do not have .

Kids after pick 50 are a very low percentage of making it and you have to sign them for 2 years.

The play may be better to have the one year back up and have an open spot for next year.

If it was at the expense of top 50 picks then no but we have 3 draft picks and if we open up extra spots the picks we get will be in the 60 plus range.

Youth is good but if you want to maximise your chances it needs to be picks inside the top 40 .

 

[faible]

So long as he's happy to run around in the VFL and only play if both Draper and Bryan are unavailable, and do some ruck coaching with Draper / Bryan / Visentini. I don't think there's another option floating around that fits us better. We'd really only want someone on a 1 year contract atm anyway while we see if Bryan can make the grade week-in-week-out.

Plus it'd probably be a very good development opportunity for our midfielders playing in the VFL to have someone with Goldstein's experience to help them learn how to setup at centre bounces.

IMO there's a lot more positives than negatives, given we'd likely just be finding a fringe ruckman from somewhere else anyway.

 

[Milanista28]

Vigo is not even close. Draper has an injury every year. Vigos brother will cost draft picks we do not have .

Kids after pick 50 are a very low percentage of making it and you have to sign them for 2 years.

The play may be better to have the one year back up and have an open spot for next year.

If it was at the expense of top 50 picks then no but we have 3 draft picks and if we open up extra spots the picks we get will be in the 60 plus range.

Youth is good but if you want to maximise your chances it needs to be picks inside the top 40 .

How many list changes would you make this year? I think not taking a couple extra players in the draft because the hit rate drops away after 40 is silly, we need to do more than move on a couple of auxiliary players who hardly played in 2024.

I'm not scared of becoming a worse team because we turn over more players on our list, I'm scared of staying exactly where we are with the same list.

 

[ant555]

How many list changes would you make this year? I think not taking a couple extra players in the draft because the hit rate drops away after 40 is silly, we need to do more than move on a couple of auxiliary players who hardly played in 2024.

I'm not scared of becoming a worse team because we turn over more players on our list, I'm scared of staying exactly where we are with the same list.

If we are trading players for picks then it is different. We need list changes but we do not need more high risk list cloggers for two years.
For the picks in the 51 - 70 range (which we would generate if we delisted Goldy ) only 24 out of every 100 make it to 60+ games. I chose 60 as that is in the decent range . If you stretch that to 100+ games it becomes 18/100 . 200+ games where you are getting into the area of good players it is 8/100.
I think you have to look longer term. Why take a spot for 2 years with risk that you can look at filling next year with a higher selection.
Why draft in the 60+ range this year if there is a chance to draft more in the under 50 range next year when the odds are better. It is about maximizing your chances over a period of years and not throwing all the darts in one year when you have limited top end picks which may get used up on Kako if things do not go right . Do you really want to be taking 3+ picks after 50 ?
It is like Menzie . They shopped around looking for another small forward . Looks like there are none so offer the bloke who gives 120% every week another year on the cheap and develop a couple of the others we have. Draft Kako and then see where you are at next year.
My view is it is okay to take a couple of picks at the back end but we would be looking at 3 or 4 if there are no delisted free agents that we fancy.
The way to generate list spots is to trade some decent players for decent picks but I doubt it happens. Stringer will sign for 2 . Parish or McGrath will not be traded. I would be very surprised if Hobbs was. They need to keep Bryan . The best way to do it would be trade out Shiel for a late second or third round but that may be the only move.

 

[ant555]

So long as he's happy to run around in the VFL and only play if both Draper and Bryan are available, and do some ruck coaching with Draper / Bryan / Visentini. I don't think there's another option floating around that fits us better. We'd really only want someone on a 1 year contract atm anyway while we see if Bryan can make the grade week-in-week-out.

Plus it'd probably be a very good development opportunity for our midfielders playing in the VFL to have someone with Goldstein's experience to help them learn how to setup at centre bounces.

IMO there's a lot more positives than negatives, given we'd likely just be finding a fringe ruckman from somewhere else anyway.

Agree . It is not about him playing games as such. It is more about coaching and being the back up.

 

[Vindicater]

So I assume he wants to play on again or else he would have likely retired by now right?

Cannot play in front of a healthy Bryan or Draper next year though surely.

Break glass stuff along with coaching/mentoring.

 

[The Donners]

So I assume he wants to play on again or else he would have likely retired by now right?

Cannot play in front of a healthy Bryan or Draper next year though surely.

Break glass stuff along with coaching/mentoring.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. We have 2.5 young ruckman (I include Visentini along with Draper and Bryan) that can use his experience and guidance.

 

[Lore]

So I assume he wants to play on again or else he would have likely retired by now right?

Cannot play in front of a healthy Bryan or Draper next year though surely.

Break glass stuff along with coaching/mentoring.

So far as I understand it he doesn't have a lot of well-paying job opportunities outside of football. He'll stick around as long as he can, and if that's as the third string and playing ruck coach then that's all good. I reckon that would've been his role already this year if Draper didn't require further surgery at the end of last year and had a slow start to the season.

Also, I reckon the stats probably favour him, in the sense that when he played first ruck this year we won more than without him.

 

[windyhill]

Goldy is a master of his craft, if boof head could learn some of this craft, yeah, not gonna happen.

 

[the PILL]

Goldstein commits for 2025

Veteran ruck extends.

www.essendonfc.com.au

 

[eth-dog]

Eh. Not sure why.

 

[Donflicted]

Eh. Not sure why.

VFL Depth/Coach

If he retired we would have had to go get another depth ruck to cover

 

[eth-dog]

VFL Depth/Coach

If he retired we would have had to go get another depth ruck to cover

Not really. If we traded either Draper or Bryan we would have.

 

[Donflicted]

Not really. If we traded either Draper or Bryan we would have.

Vigo is a rookie draft pick how many years till Bryan got a senior game?

100% would of gone and picked up another Ruck if he left

 

[eth-dog]

Vigo is a rookie draft pick how many years till Bryan got a senior game?

100% would of gone and picked up another Ruck if he left

I'm not saying we wouldn't have. I'm saying it was unnecessary.