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Retired #29: Patrick Ambrose - Officially retired - 11/8

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The Donners said:
Please enlighten me. What is Ambrose’ role and how does it allow Hooker and Hurley to play their natural games? Explain to me why our side needs 3 tall defenders when Hooker and Hurley are All Australian defenders in sides with only 2 tall defenders - Fletcher wasn’t playing as a defender and hadn’t been for 5+ years.

5th in regards to skill and ability. A subjective opinion of mine is that Hooker, Hurley, Saad and Redman are all better than Ambrose in this regard.
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Completely wrong.

Cale Hooker, All Australian in 2014 in a year where he played alongside Michel Hurley & Dustin Fletcher. Fletcher was taking players like Kersten, Lobb, Stringer, Membrey.

Michael Hurley, All Australian in 2015 in a year where he played alongside Cale Hooker, James Gwilt (11 games as a Key Defender, taking players like Bruce, Ben Brown, Schulz, Dawes, Patton) & Jake Carlisle for the last 6 games.


Edlt:My bad. Hooker was AA in 2014, not 2013.
 
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Kakkle said:
Completely wrong.

Cale Hooker, All Australian in 2013 in a year where he played alongside Michel Hurley & Jake Carlisle. Carlisle alternated between the #1 and #2 key fowards.

Michael Hurley, All Australian in 2015 in a year where he played alongside Cale Hooker, James Gwilt (11 games as a Key Defender, taking players like Bruce, Ben Brown, Schulz, Dawes, Patton) & Jake Carlisle for the last 6 games.

Also completely wrong on Dustin Fletcher as well.
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Hurley was forward when Hooker and Carlisle were back.

Hooker played forward when Gwilt played back.

Wrong re Fletcher? He was a loose man in defense for nearly 10 years. One of the best at it, ever, but he was no longer a defender. That’s how he lasted til he was 40.
 
The Donners said:
Hurley was forward when Hooker and Carlisle were back.

Hooker played forward when Gwilt played back.

Wrong re Fletcher? He was a loose man in defense for nearly 10 years. One of the best at it, ever, but he was no longer a defender. That’s how he lasted til he was 40.
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Sorry I got the years mixed up.

2014 - Hurley & Hooker were in defence for the whole year. Fletcher played on a mix of talls and smalls. He was absolutely a defender. He had a direct opponent every game.

2015 - Hooker played 12 games in defence before we had a mix of Carlisle, Gwilt & Steinberg alongside Hurley.
 
I enjoyed Fletcher transitioning to the midfield late in his career.
 

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Kakkle said:
Sorry I got the years mixed up.

2014 - Hurley & Hooker were in defence for the whole year. Fletcher played on a mix of talls and smalls. He was absolutely a defender. He had a direct opponent every game.

2015 - Hooker played 12 games in defence before we had a mix of Carlisle, Gwilt & Steinberg alongside Hurley.
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No real biggy with the years. I won’t agree with you re Fletcher, I loved him to bits (and it was the greatest thrill and honour meeting him) but I’m not about to re-write history.

Surely we can agree Steinberg was rubbish.
 
Developing his intercept marking too, in that now he does it a little bit, when he used to not really offer any of that at all.

He’s moneyball Daniel Talia, just wrapped to be there and lives off belting into people
 
I think Ambrose has been enormous for us in the first half of the season. Firstly he's been rock solid on his direct opponents, barely conceding any goals. Secondly his presence frees up Hurley and Hooker from having to chase opposition players up the ground as much which allows them to focus on more intercept work and rebounding. You need balance in your back 50, can't have all the players being offensively minded. No he doesn't offer a lot offensively but we also don't need him to. We have him sharing a defense with Hurley, Hooker, Saad, McKenna and Redman who are all capable users of the ball and all rebound aggressively. We probably already have one of the most offensively geared defenses in the league, most teams run with at least 2-3 blokes whose primary job is just to beat their direct opponent.
 
Kakkle said:
He get's herald as the underrated player, because there is a select group of fans like you, who don't have a basic understanding of what his role actually is, and how it allows Hooker & Hurley to play their natural game.


Ambrose is 5th of our current defenders in regards to what? Literally no context provided.
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Something that seems to be missed is that with Ambrose taking the oppositions best KPF Hurley has been regularly destroying dangerous medium sized forwards.
 
I don't know who I'm annoyed at more.

Ambrose for playing footy that is undeniably good enough to keep Francis out of the side or Francis for not building from the end of last year and failing to play footy that is good enough to command a spot in an AFL side.

I'd have to say the answer is Mark Baguley. That guy really annoys the shit out of me.
 
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So uh, Top 5 in the B&F to date?
 
yodellinhank said:
You see, what I was getting at is I don't see why you pick him to play on... Pertrucelli?
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He was on Darling I thought? Though I was only half watching the game
 

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Put Ambrose on the opposition’s best leading key forward ie: KENNEDY!!
He’s not slow and he has endurance. Scoring shots on Hurley in a half = 8
Scoring shots on Ambrose in a half = 1
 
Giving a player averaging less than 10 touches a game a 2 year deal, classic Essendon.
 

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Retired #29: Patrick Ambrose - Officially retired - 11/8


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