Which Essendon player will improve the most in '13?

[Kong]

Yeah changing my nom from Melksham to Hibberd.

Feeling a really, really big season from him.

Played - and polled - extremely well when he was fit early in the year, and then again when he'd had a bit of a run on after the two injuries.

If he's able to play a full season, let alone with a bigger fitness base, look out.

 

[MG MG]

Yeah my official one is Hibberd as I said first.

 

[FlyingV]

Ive got two words for you, Tayte Pears.

...oh and two more, David Myers.

 

[revival_mode]

pears for mine, if injury free

 

[FlyingV]

Roughie, Browne. Man, we have never had a season where Myers, Watson, Zaka, Pears, Hurley and Stants have been fully fit if they go through the whole season, this shit could get cray.

 

[BroughtonMid]

sorry to intrude, but what sort of player is Alex Browne?
seems to be a pretty good size

 

[FlyingV]

Midfielder half back flanker. Good height, likes to run and carry. High hopes for him on this board!

 

[Pweter]

Midfielder half back flanker. Good height, likes to run and carry. High hopes for him on this board!

not to mention dat sidestep!!!!!

 

[Kong]

sorry to intrude, but what sort of player is Alex Browne?
seems to be a pretty good size

Heath Shaw type, IMO.

 

[Slattery_20]

sorry to intrude, but what sort of player is Alex Browne?
seems to be a pretty good size

Broughton
Would be a pretty good comparison.

Half-back-ey midfielder, or midfielder-ey half back.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

More of a midfielder than Broughton.

 

[Slattery_20]

More of a midfielder than Broughton.

Initially looking that way... but let's give him until 10 games before we make a final decision...

 

[Keystone agony]

Really need that Pears, Hibberd, Myers, Melksham group to all take their games to new levels. They are an important 4 for me and how our year will be.

 

[MG MG]

Would like Kav but,

 

[Keystone agony]

Would like Kav but,

Asking too much, he will be lucky to get many games in our starting side next year and hes still light and still has injury problems hanging over his head. Im trying to keep my expectations down on him for a while, although i really like what i see.

The 4 i named are all around that age now where they have been in the system for long enough, they could all become really good AFL players, at the moment they are barely average due to many reasons.

If you look at the big improvers this year Kennedy, Jack, Jetta, Dangerfield, Hawkins, Cotchin, Beams who basically went to the top level, all are around the same age. Im not expecting any of the above to be as good as the players mentioned but im thinking its time for at least some of those 4 maybe add in Zaka and Cram to really take that next step. (I think Zaka could become as elite as a few of those).

Edit: The reason Sydney were the best team was because of that big improvement from Kennedy, Jack, Jetta ect and ROK and Richards having their best seasons yet.

 

[MG MG]

Asking too much, he will be lucky to get many games in our starting side next year and hes still light and still has injury problems hanging over his head. Im trying to keep my expectations down on him for a while, although i really like what i see.

The 4 i named are all around that age now where they have been in the system for long enough, they could all become really good AFL players, at the moment they are barely average due to many reasons.

If you look at the big improvers this year Kennedy, Jack, Jetta, Dangerfield, Hawkins, Cotchin, Beams who basically went to the top level, all are around the same age. Im not expecting any of the above to be as good as the players mentioned but im thinking its time for at least some of those 4 maybe add in Zaka and Cram to really take that next step. (I think Zaka could become as elite as a few of those).

Edit: The reason Sydney were the best team was because of that big improvement from Kennedy, Jack, Jetta ect and ROK and Richards having their best seasons yet.

Would like Kav but,

 

[yaco55]

Good to see you some are sharing my Hibberd love.

 

[sven_inc]

Pardon the intrusion also, but i believe from an outsiders perspective stanton and zaharakis have huge potential to become elite mids.

Stanton has always interested me. With what he showed in the first part of last year, he really showed (despite probably suffering from a few image issues from the year before) that he almost had claims on being amongst the games elite. He obviously dropped away for whatever reason (injury?), but to me he was killing it and surely could do it again. Goddard and a fit zaharakis should only help him out.

I always felt the negative press he got was a little unjustified but as a hawks man he's one that i wouldn't be surprised to see go boom.

 

[Silly Billy]

I am jumping on the Pears bandwagon. Having a massive pre-season and so far is doing everything.

Don't think Kav will break into the starting line up.

 

[Slattery_20]

Pardon the intrusion also, but i believe from an outsiders perspective stanton and zaharakis have huge potential to become elite mids.

Stanton has always interested me. With what he showed in the first part of last year, he really showed (despite probably suffering from a few image issues from the year before) that he almost had claims on being amongst the games elite. He obviously dropped away for whatever reason (injury?), but to me he was killing it and surely could do it again. Goddard and a fit zaharakis should only help him out.

I always felt the negative press he got was a little unjustified but as a hawks man he's one that i wouldn't be surprised to see go boom.

Stanton's always had great games & short patches of form. Never had the consistency, strung them together for long enough - even though his stats would show a pretty solid level of effort. If he keeps up the form he showed early '12, or late '11, he would be right up there IMHO - not only finding the ball, but taking on & hurting teams by foot, getting involved around clearances, and kicking goals

If he keeps improving with experience (a lot of his errors now are just dumb decision making, that might come, or it might not) he is a good thing. Not 100% sure though.

 

[Kong]

It's a bit of a cliche, particularly on BigFooty, but...

If Stanton is given less attention due to Goddard and Zaharakis (don't even bother with Jobe), he could run absolute riot.

 

[Doss]

Stanton's form dipped right when Zaharakis got injured.

That's no coincidence.

 

[sven_inc]

Stanton's form dipped right when Zaharakis got injured.

That's no coincidence.

I've heard this before and its a valid point. Im interested to know how you think that effected him? Was it simply him now getting more attention? Or a forced change of role? Or maybe a bit of both?

Was he one of the only ones that wasn't afflicted by the dons injury woes?

 

[Rack Watts]

I've heard this before and its a valid point. Im interested to know how you think that effected him? Was it simply him now getting more attention?

Stanton was able to cop a harder tag as we had a thinner midfield.

 

[Doss]

I've heard this before and its a valid point. Im interested to know how you think that effected him? Was it simply him now getting more attention? Or a forced change of role? Or maybe a bit of both?

Was he one of the only ones that wasn't afflicted by the dons injury woes?

What BPB said. It might also suggest that Stanton could improve how well he deals with a hard tag- or perhaps more pertinently, how we'll others help him out by doing things like blocking for him.

And Stanton had injury problems in the last few weeks, too.