Essendon's Tough Players

[The Donners]

I am finding it difficult to name hard and tough players at the Essendon Football Club, this is by no means an insult to the players currently on our list as I believe we have some highly talented footballers- but tough players we don't.

What I would regard as tough players (or at least with a bit of mongrel):

Kyle Reimers
Nathan Lovett-Murray

Potentially:

Jay Neagle

Further to this, something DaSawx posted really resonated with me, a premiership could be closer than we all think. With that in mind I was thinking of what we need other than an A-grade midfielder (sounding like a broken record), execution of defensive skills and finally I thought, tough players ala C Brown, S Dew, J Lewis and to a lesser degree, Chance Bateman.

Can anyone think of any other current player on our list that has a bit of mongrel or toughness about them or even who you would like (realistically) at the club that could provide said toughness?

 

[bomberstomake8]

I am finding it difficult to name hard and tough players at the Essendon Football Club, this is by no means an insult to the players currently on our list as I believe we have some highly talented footballers- but tough players we don't.

What I would regard as tough players (or at least with a bit of mongrel):

Kyle Reimers
Nathan Lovett-Murray

Potentially:

Jay Neagle

Further to this, something DaSawx posted really resonated with me, a premiership could be closer than we all think. With that in mind I was thinking of what we need other than an A-grade midfielder (sounding like a broken record), execution of defensive skills and finally I thought, tough players ala C Brown, S Dew, J Lewis and to a lesser degree, Chance Bateman.

Can anyone think of any other current player on our list that has a bit of mongrel or toughness about them or even who you would like (realistically) at the club that could provide said toughness?

mcveigh and welsh > reimers, NLM

hille as well - no so much in the physical intimidation sense but definately by the way he throws his body around when he needs to (refer to the brisbane match this year when he levelled mcdonald (i think) and black within 5 seconds of each other.

tom hislop will be tough in a couple of years if he is still on our list.

i agree that we need a bit of physical intimidation on our list, we dont really have it especially in defence where we were the toughest team in the comp with solomon, MJ, hardwick etc.

 

[Spikey]

Laycock obviously

Hi Ben!

 

[Burzum]

Sam Lonergan.

 

[Enki]

I was going to say in before the Hislop fanboys but someone already mentioned him (not accusing that poster of being a fanboy though).

Hocking will be a hard at it player if he makes it at AFL level.

 

[Smyth94]

I am finding it difficult to name hard and tough players at the Essendon Football Club, this is by no means an insult to the players currently on our list as I believe we have some highly talented footballers- but tough players we don't.

What I would regard as tough players (or at least with a bit of mongrel):

Kyle Reimers
Nathan Lovett-Murray

Potentially:

Jay Neagle

True toughness for mine, is putting your body on the line when you know you're going to get hit time and time again. NLM might know how to throw a few but I've seen him go the soft option a few too many times

Add McPhee, Slattery, Welsh, Lloyd, Hille and McVeigh to the group

 

[The Donners]

True toughness for mine, is putting your body on the line when you know you're going to get hit time and time again. NLM might know how to throw a few but I've seen him go the soft option a few too many times

Add McPhee, Slattery, Welsh, Lloyd, Hille and McVeigh to the group

Courageous, not tough.

NLM has mongrel, I said tough or mongrel.

 

[Smyth94]

What's the point of being able to throw a few punches around? It is outlawed in today's game.

I want players who put their bodies on the line, not players who know how to fight.

 

[tristo]

Sam Lonergan.

Quite possibly the toughest at the club!

Hislop

 

[AndyLesPaul]

True toughness for mine, is putting your body on the line when you know you're going to get hit time and time again. NLM might know how to throw a few but I've seen him go the soft option a few too many times

Add McPhee, Slattery, Welsh, Lloyd, Hille and McVeigh to the group

courageous is tough really isnt it?

 

[M29]

Lonegran.

 

[Slattery_20]

Not enough
There are different brands of toughness
The Mitchell/Slattery style throw yourself on anything courage, can inspire team-mates
The Guerra/NLM style of sneakily kneeing and ankle tapping, can put good opponents off their games and make others think twice.
Gut running, a la Robert Harvey - getting up and going again, can also be considered tough

We are deficient on all three.
Mind you, anyone who says McPhee is not involved in the sneaky stuff needs to watch closer. Pretty boy does not necessarily mean he doesn't get his hands dirty, I have had questions on him in the past but he relentlessly throws himself in now and can be considered tough in anyone's language. The fact that 3 Hawthorn blokes targetted him of all our players in the line in the sand game tells you how they regard him.

I think a lot of our deficiencies may be filled in time - Hocking's no shirker (& I love his build & approach, even if he's not quite there yet), Reimers loves it physical, and Slatts should learn a few sneaky back pocket black arts in time. Hislop too if he gets it together.

 

[Slattery_20]

What's the point of being able to throw a few punches around? It is outlawed in today's game.

I want players who put their bodies on the line, not players who know how to fight.

Brent Guerra was recruited for his
a) Pace
b) Athleticism
c) Overhead marking
d) Because he's a dirty little unit who does what it takes

 

[aintplayin03]

McVeigh is the most relentlessly tenacious, obstinate player on our list, and is a great leader who will hopefully be with us for years to come. He embodies all the competitive fierceness that is encouraged in our sport, and would have to be one of the invariably "tougest" players in the competition.

 

[The Donners]

courageous is tough really isnt it?

There is a distinction.

Courageous is the state of mind to face danger and fear with confidence and resolution whereas toughness is physically or mentally strong and able to cope with hardships or contests. Difficult to define the difference, but there is a difference.

 

[MarkJohnson#1]

Intimidating might be the word you are looking for Donners, we lack any real presence of intimidation in our side, i.e. someone who could make the opposition think twice before taking him on or going in for the ball etc. In his prime Solly used to offer that to us along with the likes of Mark Johnson, Hardwick, Wallace, Barnard to name a few.

At the moment Longergan stands out as one of the tougher, more courageous players on our list but we lack any real tough/aggressive types. Monfries has plenty of courage no doubt, though lacks the size and perhaps aggression to really hurt the opposition physically. The one player that does generally throw his weight around and use it to his advantage is Lloydy (aka the Velvet Sledgehammer), and despite what many people may think can physically punish an opposition player if they get in his way.

Slattery is a hard unit and can tough at time but also has the tendency to be reckless and not smart about the way he goes about it.

NLM and McPhee are not tough IMO.

 

[Slattery_20]

 

[Enki]

There is a distinction.

Courageous is the state of mind to face danger and fear with confidence and resolution whereas toughness is physically or mentally strong and able to cope with hardships or contests. Difficult to define the difference, but there is a difference.

So going by that definition and you comment about players a few above you don't think McPhee, Slattery, Welsh, Lloyd, Hille and McVeigh are physically or mentally strong and able to cope with hardships or contests? McPhee may be a little soft in his mentality sometimes, but apart from that I think those players fit your definition.

Time to create a better definition.

EDIT: That Reimers/Thomas photo still makes me laugh, look at daisy's expression.

 

[Thrust]

Sam Lonergan.

that took 3 posts too long

 

[The Donners]

Intimidating might be the word you are looking for Donners, we lack any real presence of intimidation in our side, i.e. someone who could make the opposition think twice before taking him on or going in for the ball etc. In his prime Solly used to offer that to us along with the likes of Mark Johnson, Hardwick, Wallace, Barnard to name a few.

At the moment Longergan stands out as one of the tougher, more courageous players on our list but we lack any real tough/aggressive types. Monfries has plenty of courage no doubt, though lacks the size and perhaps aggression to really hurt the opposition physically. The one player that does generally throw his weight around and use it to his advantage is Lloydy (aka the Velvet Sledgehammer), and despite what many people may think can physically punish an opposition player if they get in his way.

Slattery is a hard unit and can tough at time but also has the tendency to be reckless and not smart about the way he goes about it.

NLM and McPhee are not tough IMO.

Thanks MJ, "presence of intimidation". Beautiful!

 

[windyhill]

Welsh. Lonegran. Reimers. These boys have **** in them. We are way down on this type unfortunately. Maybe throw in Buddah Hocking as well.

 

[AndyLesPaul]

There is a distinction.

Courageous is the state of mind to face danger and fear with confidence and resolution whereas toughness is physically or mentally strong and able to cope with hardships or contests. Difficult to define the difference, but there is a difference.

Kk,
but there similar.

 

[horj89]

McVeigh no doubt is our no.1 hard man. Followed closely by Lonergan and Welsh.

 

[danzan22]

Courageous, not tough.

I would definately class McPhee as tough, anyone remember earlier in the year when he tackled a bloke with one hand while holding the ball in the other.

 

[Sir James]

I would put Lloyd first with McVeigh a close second.
when Lloyd cleaned up cornes a few years back it lifted us..
Also the Judd hit this year...... Bloody made me proud of our great club