Team Mgmt. Talk about the makeup of our list - midfield balance, height profile, endurance runners

[Duckworth]

Surely we get rid of Jake Long before Brown?

Well Long will go also. So either Hartley or Brown gone, Hartley being the reasonable assumption. Though I'd have no problem at all with both.

As far as rookies go. Dea is gone, Draper upgraded and you'd assume Clarke is gone too. McNiece/Lavender gone too but they were cat b. So Snelling in, 1 of the Irish lads in, which leaves 1 rookie spot also.

I was discussing main list. Agree long gone, but it just frees up a rookie spot.

 

[JT_the_Man]

I was discussing main list. Agree long gone, but it just frees up a rookie spot.

Long is on the senior list.

 

[TheGrizz]

So as I understand it

We have 35 currently contracted on the senior list (including Cutler and Phillips) with Draper likely to be upgraded to make 36.
We also have 3 rookies likely to be kept in Snelling, Jok and Mynott, although I am unsure as to their contract status.

That leaves on the precipice:
Hartley (Re - Rookie)
Brown (1 year)
Long - Delist
Z.Clarke (R) - Delist

So I would delist Hartley and promise to 're rookie him. If he gets picked up as a DFA or in the draft then we wish him all the best. Brown's versatility is more important, personally. Z.Clarke and Long are self explanatory.

That leaves us with 37 main list players and 4 rookies (Counting Draper in the main list).

We can go with 3 draft picks to use and we pick up no rookies.
So essentially 31, 33 and 61 and Draper (no rookies)

Alternatively we can use two ND picks and include Draper and pick up another rookie.
So 31, 33 and Draper + 1 rookie

Will be interesting to see what happens

 

[Red Black and Blue]

I get the feeling that Dodoro and co are more bullish about the placement of the list than I am. Still can't fathom how we'll mix in September with poor post clearance contested ball and poor ball use.

 

[Paul_Barnard]

Essendon has been soft for a decade.
We need to bring in players who possess attributes such as hardness and leadership from the draft and state leagues.
This will compliment our core group of players who to put it politely, drop their heads when things go against them (watch the first quarter of our last final).
Richmond have set the blue print.
All of their role players have a ruthless edge to them and this enables their skilled core players to excel.

 

[Zach Package]

Makes more sense to keep Brown than it does to keep Hartley.

Hartley’s probably the marginally better footballer but we’ve got so much defensive depth with Zerk and Ridley and the prospect of Cody Brand in 2021 as well as the ability to swing Chook back and forward. I feel like he’d be getting in the way a little bit.

Brown might not offer a great physical presence and he might be a bit of a system player but he’s bloody good at what he does and spaces the ground very well for Daniher, McKernan and Hooker to play closer to goal.

 

[JayJ20]

I don't think we'll improve that much if at all.

Our midfield is still well short of the contenders. It's a shame because our forwardline + backline at full strength is up there with the best in the league. A great balance of quality smalls and talls.

The midfield is also great on the outside on paper, but completely compromised by our lack of inside mids. It means we take players like Merrett and Shiel from predominantly outside roles to carry a bulk of our contested possessions alongside Heppell.

Caracella and Rutten have their work cut out for them.

 

[ghostdog]

So we addressed ruck depth, added a bit of bulk and AFL experience to the midfield group, added 2 monster Irish athletes and retained everyone we wanted to retain.

A job well done, 31 and 33 are handy selections, as is having 61, 64 and 65 together in a bunch.

With those picks in the 60s, one wonders if Dodo is lining us up for a late gem.

 

[Paddyslam]

This would suggest Jake long has already been delisted?
Did I miss the official announcement?

 

[Vindicater]

This would suggest Jake long has already been delisted?
Did I miss the official announcement?

Or he could have permission to play it.

But I think he is delisted. Gross negligence if not.

 

[BrunoV]

Essendon has been soft for a decade.
We need to bring in players who possess attributes such as hardness and leadership from the draft and state leagues.
This will compliment our core group of players who to put it politely, drop their heads when things go against them (watch the first quarter of our last final).
Richmond have set the blue print.
All of their role players have a ruthless edge to them and this enables their skilled core players to excel.

We've got Mitch Brown and Guelfi.

 

[60sbomber]

Just looking ahead ahead bit, at the end of 2020 we will have a few players that will want to have had good years and made significant progress from where they are now, to keep their spots.
I'm thinking of Mynott, Jok, probably Snelling, Begley, Ridley, Langford, Lav, Mutch, Dylan Clarke
Not Gown (due to our shortage of young KP forwards, we would need to persevere with him even if his 2020 is poor), Mozzie, Ham, BZT, Draper.
It's quite a long list. You can't keep hanging onto guys who are stuck in the Vfl and haven't shown they can make the step up.

 

[Beerfish]

You can't keep hanging onto guys who are stuck in the Vfl and haven't shown they can make the step

Challenge accepted

 

[Maxabillions]

Happy with the trade period but still find it a bit strange we didn’t bring in an inside mid when it seemed quite a few were gettable at relatively low cost. Hopefully there is some kind of plan here. Maybe Heppel could bulk up a bit and play more of a blocking role. Probably wouldn’t be a bad thing if he kicked it a bit less...

 

[Bjchan13]

We've got Mitch Brown and Guelfi.

Guelfi is cheap depth. Plays a role when called upon and is harder at the ball than half our side. Cant ask for much more from a low paid pick 70 odd.

 

[ghostdog]

Guelfi is cheap depth. Plays a role when called upon and is harder at the ball than half our side. Cant ask for much more from a low paid pick 70 odd.

I thought the general consensus was that no-one really understands what Guelfi's role actually is.

 

[Bjchan13]

I thought the general consensus was that no-one really understands what Guelfi's role actually is.

He's a late pick and gets minimal coin. His role is utility i guess, when he gets the call up. All im saying is he has a crack and is not soft.

 

[Schnitzengruben]

He's a late pick and gets minimal coin. His role is utility i guess, when he gets the call up. All im saying is he has a crack and is not soft.

Yeah I've been a bit harsh on him but really he is just depth/a utility. We could do a lot worse.

Wouldn't hurt the bloke to get a steak or two into him, either.

 

[Yoda_]

Happy with the trade period but still find it a bit strange we didn’t bring in an inside mid when it seemed quite a few were gettable at relatively low cost. Hopefully there is some kind of plan here. Maybe Heppel could bulk up a bit and play more of a blocking role. Probably wouldn’t be a bad thing if he kicked it a bit less...

I don't think we could have found one that was going to instantly improve our team from what was advertised on the market. Bonar was available but he has size but no body of work for evidence, CEY/Greenwood mustn't be rated any better than what we have in Langford, Zak Jones is a hard head but seems to be destined to be a flanker, Brandon Ellis is not worth the pay packet he has accepted.

Brad Crouch is the only one who was genuinely on the market would appeal to us as a football club imho. He would instantly walk into our midfield group and improve it. In the end, he wasn't on the move so happy with our trade hand in the end.


Would hope that our three picks in the 60's are on the table to try and shuffle up the order this year. Would seem a waste to move predominatnly into the 60's and not improve on it for this year or next years draft hand. Still hold out hope that our two x second rounders are on the table to try and move up the draft board as well.

 

[Yoda_]

Yeah I've been a bit harsh on him but really he is just depth/a utility. We could do a lot worse.

Wouldn't hurt the bloke to get a steak or two into him, either.

Guelfi cops a bad wrap from alot of people for not being polished enough but he is a role player. Someone who gives 110% each week. Is genuinely hard as a cats head and can play multiple roles. I like him in defence because he can lock down on those small forwards who so often give us problems.

 

[BrunoV]

Guelfi cops a bad wrap from alot of people for not being polished enough but he is a role player. Someone who gives 110% each week. Is genuinely hard as a cats head and can play multiple roles. I like him in defence because he can lock down on those small forwards who so often give us problems.

Any examples of lock down roles performed? He was a disaster in defence at the start of the year.

Games when he played a noticeable role, didnt utterly panic with the ball and/or exerted a physical influence?

If he wasn't a mature aged recruit he'd get the benefit of none of these cliches.

 

[Old Stuckup]

Any examples of lock down roles performed? He was a disaster in defence at the start of the year.

Games when he played a noticeable role, didnt utterly panic with the ball and/or exerted a physical influence?

If he wasn't a mature aged recruit he'd get the benefit of none of these cliches.

He had a very nice game on Anzac Day from memory.

 

[Old Campaigner]

What's our KPF depth like at the moment?

Daniher - perma injured, potentially gone at the end of next year
McKernan - injury prone, probably only got a couple more years of AFL standard footy left in him, inconsistent
Stewart - perma injured, possibly died and is stuffed in a barrel in Justin Crow's basement, wasn't that good before he got injured
Gown - might be good in a few years time, basketball background (people keep bringing this up so I assume it's important)
Brown - not even a true KPF depending on who you ask, probably only got a couple more years of AFL standard footy left
Hooker - kicked a bunch of goals a few years ago when he wasn't on the wrong side of 30 and slower than a wet week, probably wasted up forward
Davey - undersized, delisted several years ago

As it is there's some pretty massive questionmarks going into 2020.
Can Daniher and Stewart even get on the park, let alone play at their pre-injury levels?
Can McKernan and Brown maintain their current output? Both are 29 and it is probably reasonable to assume their output will decline from here
Gown has some promising attributes but can he continue to improve? He's unlikely to be capable of holding his own for a couple of years yet.

The downside risks to that are pretty significant and have the potential to leave us horribly exposed going into 2021.

Daniher asking for a trade at the end of 2020, Stewart unable to recover from his injuries, Gown being still to raw to play senior football are all quite likely scenarios that pretty much slam shut any premiership window the club imagines we might be entering in the next few years unless we address the situation, ideally starting in the upcoming draft.

That's how it looks from the cheap seats anyway.

 

[TheGrizz]

Any examples of lock down roles performed? He was a disaster in defence at the start of the year.

Games when he played a noticeable role, didnt utterly panic with the ball and/or exerted a physical influence?

If he wasn't a mature aged recruit he'd get the benefit of none of these cliches.

He got AFLCA votes against Fremantle, was in our bests against Carlton and was lauded on this board and by the commentators on both radio and TV for his performances on ANZAC day, just from memory.

Alternatively, if you are so sure of his (in)ability - why don't you give us examples of games where he has 'been a disaster' in defence.

 

[BrunoV]

He got AFLCA votes against Fremantle, was in our bests against Carlton and was lauded on this board and by the commentators on both radio and TV for his performances on ANZAC day, just from memory.

Alternatively, if you are so sure of his (in)ability - why don't you give us examples of games where he has 'been a disaster' in defence.

I'll pay coaches votes.

There was definitely one game when he was resonbale.

I suppose that's gives his all, reliability, bla, bla got headbutted once...