Recommitted Ben Hobbs [signs 2 year deal]

[The Nostradamus]

Former first rounder is currently out of contract with his 2 year draft deal ending this year. Currently out of the team

Is a big body mid, setterfield seems to be in the spot he wants so one to track this year

 

[Vindicater]

Has started contract talks.

Will get done after the bye is my opinion.

 

[The Nostradamus]

I reckon game time will be the big factor in if talks get drawn out or not

 

[Lore]

Nah it’s just the length of the contract… it’s always the length of the contract. Essendon rarely signs draftees until their second year and usually the chatter coming from people with sources is around contract length. Essendon wanting longer and player managers wanting 2 years

 

[The Nostradamus]

still can’t get a game even after 27 touches and a goal in the vfl last week

 

[citizen-erased]

still can’t get a game even after 27 touches and a goal in the vfl last week

If not for sone poorly timed injuries (one in preseason, one after rd1 or 2 in vfl) i reckon he'd have come in

The challenge will be the spot he comes in for too.
For mine it was caldwell after rd1, but jye has come on.
Id have had him in ahead of snelling this week for davey if it he'd had more than one week in the vfl return.

Add travel to that
Reckon he plays anzac day. Would be one to give a role to on nick daicos

 

[The Devils Advocate]

still can’t get a game even after 27 touches and a goal in the vfl last week

Twinged a muscle.

 

[King Patty]

He will re sign with Dons end thread.

 

[The Nostradamus]

Twinged a muscle.

But named an emergency?

 

[Lore]

But named an emergency?

The twinged muscle was an ankle injury that saw him miss a game weekend before last.

He's had a really interrupted build up and ordinarily we do tend to name players as an emergency for a week or three before they actually come into the side. Also being very conservative with returns from injury, according to Scott no one comes in unless they're 100%.

Here's a timeline;
8/2: Missed the first pre-season intra-club match
13/2: Club injury report mentions that he had a low-grade calf strain sustained in training the week before, and would miss a few weeks
16/2: Misses second pre-season intra-club match
23/2: Misses unofficial practice match against Gold Coast
3/3: Resumes training, misses official practice match against St Kilda
11/3: Misses VFL practice match against Frankston
19/3: Plays in first match sim post-injury: VFL practice match against Box Hill (AFL R1)
26/3: Plays in VFL R1 game against GWS, first competitive match. 36 touches, 11 clearances, 6 tackles, 2 goals (AFL R2)
30/3: Rolls his ankle at training, has to be taken from the ground in a golf cart.
31/3: Named to play in the VFL against Sandringham.
1/4: Late out from the VFL, withdrawn due to injury. (AFL R3)
8/4: Plays in the VFL R3 game against Preston. 27 touches, 9 clearances, 7 tackles, 1 goal (while tagged). (AFL R4)
13/4: Named as an emergency in the AFL, VFL team not out yet.

So as it stands, in the middle of a fairly reasonable build up to playing AFL after a lay off that saw him miss all of the pre-season match simulation and practice games, and then go and roll his ankle again while trying to rebuild his match fitness and beat down the door of the new coach.

Not yet known if he will stay in Victoria this weekend to play VFL or travel with the AFL side as a sub/late in/held over emergency.

Last week Scott decided not to name Heppell as an out because he was going to be the sub anyway, so Phillips (who was already out) was listed as an emergency and then an hour before the game we switched them, with Phillips in and Heppell as the sub. Both Scott and Hardwick have been banging on about naming a 23 instead of a 22, and have been bugging the AFL about changing the rules so all clubs name their 23 on Thursday rather than naming the sub as an "out" only for them to play again the next week.

It's entirely possible the same thing will happen this week, and Scott has specifically said that we will have contingencies in place with our team selection depending on the weather in Adelaide (which is hard to predict on Wednesday for a Saturday game in a coastal town), so could take a couple of emergencies to Adelaide. In theory, bringing in smalls is usually a good idea in the wet, but we don't know if that will include Hobbs if it means playing on a potentially unstable ankle in the mud.

And if not, well then yes being emergency for a week or two before coming in is pretty normal for us. One time we had someone tearing up the 2s for about 7 weeks in a row, named emergency every week for the entire time... like it's a thing

 

[The Devils Advocate]

But named an emergency?

Oh right. I might be a week behind sorry. We just got internet in Tasmania.

 

[carnthedons]

Feeling pretty confident he’ll stay but it’s an interesting scenario. Too good for VFL but do we put him in the 1s and have him play most of his time forward in a role which isn’t his 1 wood and we have others more suited to or let him continue to dominate as an inside mid in the 2s?

Ultimately I’d love to see him in the middle in the seniors asap but not sure how we spread the CBAs around to enable that when we have to find space for Parish, Shiel, Merrett, Setterfirld and then have guys like Stringer, Caldwell, Perkins and Martin to run through there on occasion as well. I’m not used to depth so haven’t quite worked out how to deal with it.

 

[Lore]

Feeling pretty confident he’ll stay but it’s an interesting scenario. Too good for VFL but do we put him in the 1s and have him play most of his time forward in a role which isn’t his 1 wood and we have others more suited to or let him continue to dominate as an inside mid in the 2s?

Ultimately I’d love to see him in the middle in the seniors asap but not sure how we spread the CBAs around to enable that when we have to find space for Parish, Shiel, Merrett, Setterfirld and then have guys like Stringer, Caldwell, Perkins and Martin to run through there on occasion as well. I’m not used to depth so haven’t quite worked out how to deal with it.

Of the three most dominant players in the VFL in the last few weeks, Snelling and Hind both came in yesterday, Snelling in the 22 and Hind as the sub. Hobbs is the one who didn't play, he was a travelling emergency instead.

Caldwell is another one who is primarily a mid who has been playing forward and attending stoppages around the ground more than CBAs, doesn't seem to hurt him and can do the same with Hobbs. Probably means Menzie or Snelling lose their spot.

You'd have to add one to the midfield rotation to bring him in there atm, so instead of Parish, Merrett, Shiel, Setterfield having 75% CBAs each, trim them by 5% each and give Hobbs and Caldwell 10% each.

CBAs - DFS Australia

Centre Bounce Attendances are available from the 2020 season. Average refers to the percentage of CBAs each player has attended for the season (considering only those games they have played). Each round is denoted as percentage of CBAs attended for that round. Centre Bounce Attendance Percentage...

dfsaustralia.com

 

[Great8]

With Merrett out he should come in for ANZAC Day

 

[flaps]

Of the three most dominant players in the VFL in the last few weeks, Snelling and Hind both came in yesterday, Snelling in the 22 and Hind as the sub. Hobbs is the one who didn't play, he was a travelling emergency instead.

Caldwell is another one who is primarily a mid who has been playing forward and attending stoppages around the ground more than CBAs, doesn't seem to hurt him and can do the same with Hobbs. Probably means Menzie or Snelling lose their spot.

You'd have to add one to the midfield rotation to bring him in there atm, so instead of Parish, Merrett, Shiel, Setterfield having 75% CBAs each, trim them by 5% each and give Hobbs and Caldwell 10% each.

View attachment 1661938

CBAs - DFS Australia

Centre Bounce Attendances are available from the 2020 season. Average refers to the percentage of CBAs each player has attended for the season (considering only those games they have played). Each round is denoted as percentage of CBAs attended for that round. Centre Bounce Attendance Percentage...

dfsaustralia.com

Side note: That website is unreal. Never came across it before. Thanks for posting

 

[Lore]

Side note: That website is unreal. Never came across it before. Thanks for posting

Ya pretty obscure one. I can never remember the URL either

 

[TheGrizz]

still can’t get a game even after 27 touches and a goal in the vfl last week

Lot of context missing here.

He got a soft tissue injury a couple weeks before round 1, and then rolled his ankle in the first round of the VFL.
The last weekend was only his 2nd game back. Will likely be in this week with Merrett out.

 

[boncer34]

Lot of context missing here.

Look at who posted it.

 

[The Nostradamus]

Still can’t get a game even with Merrett out

 

[Ash1337]

First round picks generally extend their contract in their first year. If Hobbs hasn't re-signed by the end of the season then I would be a little worried.

 

[Lore]

First round picks generally extend their contract in their first year. If Hobbs hasn't re-signed by the end of the season then I would be a little worried.

At Essendon our first round draftees generally extend their contracts in the middle of their second year, in around May or June.

 

[eth-dog]

First round picks generally extend their contract in their first year. If Hobbs hasn't re-signed by the end of the season then I would be a little worried.

Essendon haven't re-signed a first round pick in their first year for at least a decade. The last one who might have would be Heppell.

 

[Donakebab]

Re-signed for 2 years.

 

[Ants]

And starting to show some really good footy!

 

[Yoda_]

And starting to show some really good footy!

not just midfield but has a fair bit of forward nous as well