Player Watch #40: Eddie Ford - re-signed until end of 2025

[giantroo]

The spin and then the snap

I’m choosing to ignore the whole game and replaying that moment

View attachment video-1650098873.mp4

 

[Northwards]

Was light on for impact but definitely need to persist with. Knows where the goals are and in a non-dysfunctional forward line will be very dangerous. Quite versatile as well can mark and crumb.

Has played against 2 really strong sides this year in beltings. Would like to see what happens when he gets 5 games in row and can get in a rhythm

 

[Kangaroos4eva]

Was light on for impact but definitely need to persist with. Knows where the goals are and in a non-dysfunctional forward line will be very dangerous. Quite versatile as well can mark and crumb.

Has played against 2 really strong sides this year in beltings. Would like to see what happens when he gets 5 games in row and can get in a rhythm

He is too good for the vfl atm. Needs that block of games. His leg speed and transition work is underrated.

 

[Northwards]

He is too good for the vfl atm. Need that block of games. His leg speed and transition work is underrated.

Absolutely agree

 

[Carey4life]

Could you play ford, zurhaar, ziebell and Curtis in the same forward line?

Mahoney and KT to come out.

 

[Kangaroos4eva]

Could you play ford, zurhaar, ziebell and Curtis in the same forward line?

Mahoney and KT to come out.

Probably chuck in CT too for periods.

Ford, Zurhaar and Curtis are all very quick, strong in the marking context, can tackle and can be very mecurial goal-kickers. Whilst similar, both Ziebell and Taylor offer something a bit different. Considering we lack an effective third KPF that can link-up, I think we can play all of them, assuming Mahoney and KT (or goes to the backline) come out.

 

[King Corey]

Play him play him play him and play him some more.

No dropping to get more VFL touch. He's a talent get him to 100 games asap.

 

[Flawed Genius]

He has to keep playing. I far prefer to have him get five touches a game as a 19 year old than to see Kayne chasing Caleb Daniel

5

Caleb Daniel

Age

28

Ht

171cm

Wt

72kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

21.3

5star

K

11.5

4star

HB

9.8

5star

M

3.5

4star

T

2.9

4star

CL

1.4

4star

D

19.5

4star

K

11.1

4star

HB

8.4

4star

M

3.6

4star

T

2.0

3star

CL

1.0

3star

D

16.4

4star

K

7.2

3star

HB

9.2

5star

M

3.4

4star

T

2.6

4star

CL

0.2

2star

or Lachie Whitfield

6

Lachie Whitfield

Age

30

Ht

185cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

22.7

5star

K

13.4

5star

HB

9.3

5star

M

6.3

5star

T

2.7

4star

MG

411.8

5star

D

21.4

5star

K

12.5

5star

HB

8.9

4star

M

5.6

5star

T

1.8

3star

MG

350.6

5star

D

17.6

5star

K

8.2

4star

HB

9.4

5star

M

4.6

5star

T

2.4

4star

or Jayden Short

15

Jayden Short

Age

28

Ht

178cm

Wt

75kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

17.4

4star

K

13.3

5star

HB

4.1

3star

M

4.3

4star

T

1.5

3star

MG

430.8

5star

D

19.0

4star

K

14.1

5star

HB

4.9

3star

M

6.3

5star

T

0.8

1star

MG

447.1

5star

D

7.8

2star

K

6.4

3star

HB

1.4

2star

M

3.2

4star

T

2.4

4star

MG

185.2

3star

around for 4 quarters getting six touches, four of which are handballs

He's such a obvious talent and clearly has barely scratched the surface. Play him often

 

[LuvtheKangas]

He has to keep playing. I far prefer to have him get five touches a game as a 19 year old than to see Kayne chasing Caleb Daniel or Lachie Whitfield or Jayden Short around for 4 quarters getting six touches, four of which are handballs

He's such a obvious talent and clearly has barely scratched the surface. Play him often

And the other two are free kicks after he typically commits the body, then waits until the opposition get back to cover leads and squares it 15 metres sideways.

 

[shinboner magic]

He is too good for the vfl atm. Needs that block of games. His leg speed and transition work is underrated.

Yeah this kid is a footballer - was a bit quiet but usually he’s hitting up at the ball and dangerous inside 50.
Leave him in for a month and he’ll repay us

 

[king of the road]

And the other two are free kicks after he typically commits the body, then waits until the opposition get back to cover leads and squares it 15 metres sideways.

While allowing our defence to set up so we don’t get scored against on the counter, again, having been run ragged trying to defend for extended periods of time without the ball against quality opposition.
Ideally we can then own possession, take some heat out of the game, hold it in our F50 with multiple entries and score.

 

[LuvtheKangas]

While allowing our defence to set up so we don’t get scored against on the counter, again, having been run ragged trying to defend for extended periods of time without the ball against quality opposition.
Ideally we can then own possession, take some heat out of the game, hold it in our F50 with multiple entries and score.

So, on balance, Turner never moving the ball quickly after a mark or free is a net positive in your opinion?

Ummm, ok.

 

[ferball]

So, on balance, Turner never moving the ball quickly after a mark or free is a net positive in your opinion?

Ummm, ok.

The reason Turner, and nearly everyone else don't move the ball quickly is there is no movement or space to move quickly to.

WE talked about this comparing systems like Richmond's or Footscray's to ours. (Which is barely happening atm.)

Time and again you see our players get the ball, look to a spot and then hesitate. I assume its cos there is no one moving to the spot they should be moving to or the opposition are covering it.

I dunno if this is why Turner did what he did in the instances you mention but its very frustrating when other players do it all the time. It isn't necessarily on them either. I used to think it was all Josh walker ever did but then I noticed that when there's motion he's quick to deliver the ball toward it. Since then its become obvious to me that what stops us moving the ball quickly is lack of movement ahead of us. Its especially obvious because of the use of behind the goal footage these days.

Why do we kick it to Mahony so often? Because he's one of the few players moving and providing an option.

Same with Eddie in his first game against the Brions. He had six marks and presented until he ran out of puff.

I noticed the same thing with GWS last night against the Dees. They were static on that behind goal footage and didn't move the ball fast/fluently either.

 

[king of the road]

So, on balance, Turner never moving the ball quickly after a mark or free is a net positive in your opinion?

Ummm, ok.

If the oppo have a spare man back and he’s just won a two on one and there’s no one to go to quickly, then on occasion, it can be a net positive. Not always. Depends on the circumstances.
Just providing some context and nuance to a lot of the simplistic ‘analysis’ on here.
Kick it long! Go quick! If it were that simple - don’t you think a professional footballer would think to do so?

 

[LuvtheKangas]

If the oppo have a spare man back and he’s just won a two on one and there’s no one to go to quickly, then on occasion, it can be a net positive. Not always. Depends on the circumstances.
Just providing some context and nuance to a lot of the simplistic ‘analysis’ on here.
Kick it long! Go quick! If it were that simple - don’t you think a professional footballer would think to do so?

Yeah, some obvious points there.

The point I'm making is that at least 90% of the times Turner gets it as a mark or free, he backpedals and looks left and right, hesitates, then chips it 15m sideways. Far more often than would warrant such negatively safe play. That's due to his limitations. Can anyone remember him biting off a creative releasing kick into the corridor?

It was a trick question, because he's never done it.

 

[The Nostradamus]

 

[shinboner magic]

Feel for this kid.

Hope he goes back to the vfl and kicks 8 and sticks it up them

 

[hotchilli]

Feel for this kid.

Hope he goes back to the vfl and kicks 8 and sticks it up them

Love what Eddie brings but he certainly isn’t lighting it up at AFL level when he comes in yet.

It’ll come but some VFL football in the meantime as a more central point of the attack isn’t going to harm his development.

 

[Themanbun]

Love what Eddie brings but he certainly isn’t lighting it up at AFL level when he comes in yet.

It’ll come but some VFL football in the meantime as a more central point of the attack isn’t going to harm his development.

I think Eddie has shown better crumbling instincts than the two blokes we usually play as small forwards to be honest. I reckon he could play that role, he's quick and agile. I don't think his extra few centimetres of height makes too much of a difference.

 

[hotchilli]

I think Eddie has shown better crumbling instincts than the two blokes we usually play as small forwards to be honest. I reckon he could play that role, he's quick and agile. I don't think his extra few centimetres of height makes too much of a difference.

I feel like his ceiling is much higher but I don’t think he is making more impact right now on games as a whole offensively and defensively.

 

[Masked Avenger]

Even leaving aside my personal view this kid has special written all over him, Isn't this a development year?

Having one 5 games in the last 35 games or whatever, I'm not sure what others are bringing to the table that he's not . And don't start me on this balance rubbish.

The only thing he lacks to my untrained eye is experience. Funny that.

 

[DunderHead]

He’ll be back. Love this kid.

Kick a bag with Comben in the VFL

 

[hotchilli]

Even leaving aside my personal view this kid has special written all over him, Isn't this a development year?

Having one 5 games in the last 35 games or whatever, I'm not sure what others are bringing to the table that he's not . And don't start me on this balance rubbish.

The only thing he lacks to my untrained eye is experience. Funny that.

Like many of the young guys on our list he's also got a fair bit of work ahead in terms of physical development. The eye test is good but there's plenty of work to be done, his time will come.

He's had 12 touches and 1 goal in 2 games, we'd be calling for Mahony to be hung for those numbers.

 

[hellas_johnny]

He's the sub so won't even play vfl

 

[justroyal]

It would be pretty mental having Curtis and ford in the same forward line tbh