Retired #18: Michael Hurley 🐻 - Staying on in a coaching and player welfare role! - 3/10

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18 - Hurley.jpg
Contract Status: Retired
Last Game Played: Currently in the side
Injury Status: Comes back from injury to play his final game for the club this weekend - 18/8
2022
He's back! Playing a half in the VFL this weekend - 15/7
Joins main training in the next couple of weeks! - 15/6
Had a calf setback, now running again - 28/4
Wants to play a half in the VFL in the next couple of weeks - 30/3
Joined main training? - 3/3
Ahead of schedule, doing some big running loads - 16/2
Progressing well, R1 'too soon' to return, no time frame - 11/1
On track for playing return around Round 6 - 12/3

2021
Ahead of schedule, running soon - 15/12
Hip replacement surgery - 10/10
Placed on the inactive list, will not play in 2021 - 31/5
Hopes to play the last 6 weeks of the season if not sooner - 26/4
At the club daily doing 1-2 hours of exercise for recovery - 23/3
On the mend - 19/3
Apparently using the hot/cold pools at the club, progress? - 5/3
Limping on crutches with an IV at the preseason game - 25/2
Discharged, recuperating at home... again. No time frame on return - 17/2
Apparently back in hospital - 15/2
Discharged from hospital, recuperating at home. No timeframe - 9/2
In hospital with an infected leg - 4/2

My Boy Draft 2022: Claim here
 
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I love Hurls, but as a leader, it is unacceptable to put yourself out there when you clearly shouldn't. Yes some of the blame lies with the selection committee and medical department, but the player themselves needs to take some responsibility for believing they are match fit when they clearly aren't.

No way he should have played. As with Hooker, Heppell and Fantasia.
 

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Shoulder complaint aside, it was a horrible night from Hurley. There isn't a more accurate depiction of a peak Essington player than Michael Hurley.

One week - he looks unstoppable. Towelling up Buddy Franklin. Intercepting everything that comes his way. Clean possession and a heap of aggression.

The next week - terrible. Gets beaten by first year players, doesn't give any second efforts and looks scared to show physicality.

At this rate, he'll finish his career and be remembered as an 'ok' player when he has ALL the tools in his arsenal to be mentioned amongst the great modern defenders.

Don't know what it is with him. Mental? Physical? Who knows. But if we ever get 22 H&A games out of him at 100%, we'll be a top 4 side no question.
 
Schnitzengruben said:
Shoulder complaint aside, it was a horrible night from Hurley. There isn't a more accurate depiction of a peak Essington player than Michael Hurley.

One week - he looks unstoppable. Towelling up Buddy Franklin. Intercepting everything that comes his way. Clean possession and a heap of aggression.

The next week - terrible. Gets beaten by first year players, doesn't give any second efforts and looks scared to show physicality.

At this rate, he'll finish his career and be remembered as an 'ok' player when he has ALL the tools in his arsenal to be mentioned amongst the great modern defenders.

Don't know what it is with him. Mental? Physical? Who knows. But if we ever get 22 H&A games out of him at 100%, we'll be a top 4 side no question.
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Over the course of his career he has had many, many more good weeks than off weeks, so the entire premise of your post is completely flawed.
 
Doss said:
Over the course of his career he has had many, many more good weeks than off weeks, so the entire premise of your post is completely flawed.
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Even if the ratio is 2 good games for every 1 bad one, that would prove my point correct - he's inconsistent, and an accurate representation of our playing list a as whole.

If you think his output is consistent and he can't perform any better; you may want to turn your Bomber blinkers off.
 
Schnitzengruben said:
Even if the ratio is 2 good games for every 1 bad one, that would prove my point correct - he's inconsistent, and an accurate representation of our playing list a as whole.

If you think his output is consistent and he can't perform any better; you may want to turn your Bomber blinkers off.
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Yeah that's not what I said. Of course he has off games, he's human. Of course he could be better sometimes.

If you want a personification of 'Essington' there are far better candidates than Hurley though.
 
Schnitzengruben said:
Even if the ratio is 2 good games for every 1 bad one, that would prove my point correct - he's inconsistent, and an accurate representation of our playing list a as whole.

If you think his output is consistent and he can't perform any better; you may want to turn your Bomber blinkers off.
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A pure Essington player would never have a 2:1 ratio.

More like 1 good game in 14 games to renew the hope.
 
Honestly if you could sum up Essington in one player it would be Zaka
 
Doss said:
Yeah that's not what I said. Of course he has off games, he's human. Of course he could be better sometimes.

If you want a personification of 'Essington' there are far better candidates than Hurley though.
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Nah, you're wrong. Zach Merrett has off games. McKenna has off games. Hurley is just flat out inconsistent and has been for many years. Even when his health can't be used as an alibi; you seriously never know what you're going to get.

If you can find a better Essington candidate whose name isn't David Zaharakis; I'm all ears.
 

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Schnitzengruben said:
Nah, you're wrong. Zach Merrett has off games. McKenna has off games. Hurley is just flat out inconsistent and has been for many years. Even when his health can't be used as an alibi; you seriously never know what you're going to get.

If you can find a better Essington candidate whose name isn't David Zaharakis; I'm all ears.
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Log off please
 
Schnitzengruben said:
Nah, you're wrong. Zach Merrett has off games. McKenna has off games. Hurley is just flat out inconsistent and has been for many years. Even when his health can't be used as an alibi; you seriously never know what you're going to get.

If you can find a better Essington candidate whose name isn't David Zaharakis; I'm all ears.
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Bellchambers, Laverde immediately spring to mind.
 
So you've gone from saying there isn't a better Essington personification (oh except that Zaharakis guy, he's better!) and you've also gone from saying he is terrible one week and good the next to saying the ratio is 2 to 1.

Right.

I'm comfortable well and truly with his consistency overall, but hey, knock yourself out.

We've had a very long line of players who've not produced their peak form anywhere often enough over the past decade but yes, let's single out Hurley.
 
Doss said:
So you've gone from saying there isn't a better Essington personification (oh except that Zaharakis guy, he's better!) and you've also gone from saying he is terrible one week and good the next to saying the ratio is 2 to 1.

Right.

I'm comfortable well and truly with his consistency overall, but hey, knock yourself out.

We've had a very long line of players who've not produced their peak form anywhere often enough over the past decade but yes, let's single out Hurley.
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Slight hyperbole on my part sure but if you're more hung up on semantics than the actual point I raised then this is a wasted conversation.

If you reckon Hurley is consistent - hey, you're entitled to that view. But after watching for the last decade, it's clear that it's not the case.

Mr Consistent getting bodied by a first year player to seal the game.
 
He's been far more consistent than most of our players over the past decade, end of story really.

You raised the whole Essington point in the first place (whatever worth that even is), so don't get annoyed when people debate the semantics of it.

And yes, he lost that contest to Worpel that time. Remember that one time Sam Mitchell got tackled and was pinned holding the ball by Josh Green? Clear proof he was an absolute shithack by the end!
 
Saying there are players 'more inconsistent' than someone else (at a completely inconsistent club, mind you) doesn't hold as much merit as you think it does. If anything, the "there are players that have been worse" argument actually proves my point.

I provided that link because efforts like that are probably the only consistent part of Hurleys game.

Please don't get me wrong; I'm not saying he's trash. He's a great player, and one of our best. But I think any rational supporter could see that he is inconsistent. Hurley at 95% is a world beater. We just don't often get to see it.
 
Shoulder reconstruction, will join pre-season training after Christmas.

Sustaining a shoulder injury against Collingwood in round 23, Hurley underwent a shoulder reconstruction on Monday and is expected to train fully post-Christmas.
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www.essendonfc.com.au

Injury update: Post-season

A host of Bombers are set to undergo post-season surgery.
www.essendonfc.com.au www.essendonfc.com.au
 
Given he's not meant to be back in training until after Christmas, its good of him to turn up to pre-season before the seniors are even due back... and in training gear too!

HurleyNov18Training.png
 
He should be able to do a fair bit of running if it's just his shoulder that is stuffed.
 

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Retired #18: Michael Hurley 🐻 - Staying on in a coaching and player welfare role! - 3/10

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