Player Watch Zac Taylor

[MRB37]

It's difficult to fit them in when all available and playing to their potential .....McPherson unfortunately hasn't come on, but he maybe Brown's replacement going forward .....Hamill offers great rebound off HB

Just don't see those 4 in our best 22 with Crouch, Milera back, and Dawson coming in

I saw that Nicks and Luke Brown I think it was mention him in that training video as one of the ones who was working his tail off during their time off and organizing a lot of the training groups that was going on, so hopefully he's fit and firing to go next year.

 

[WaynesWorld19]

I reckon it'll work with our ball movement through the corridor too. Watching the training clips they posted yesterday with the handball drills, I can imagine the possibility of moving the ball through the middle of the ground in waves where we have runners either side of the ball holder that can be there for the handball receive. The stand rule makes that really important too because you want runners moving, have those tall guys on the flank/wings mark the ball then you're still sending waves past to support, take a handball, quick kick receive and keep moving while the defender may still be stuck on the mark.

 

[MRB37]

Have you given up on Sholl/Rowe/McPherson/Murphy?

I actually think Rowe could be one who will still work well going forward because he has the ability to go into traffic and be evasive, even if it's moving backwards through the congestion to find the runner on the outside. Scholl is the perfect guy to have as that sort of receiver IF he can get his fitness up to the point where he can cover as much ground as he did at the start of the year all season long. He's got the ability to hit targets using either foot, quick and has a little burst of speed he can use.

 

[hendo8888]

It's difficult to fit them in when all available and playing to their potential .....McPherson unfortunately hasn't come on, but he maybe Brown's replacement going forward .....Hamill offers great rebound off HB

Just don't see those 4 in our best 22 with Crouch, Milera back, and Dawson coming in

That's fair. I think you've gone a touch too tall in the backline, so I'd probably swap Chayce/Moose in for one of the tall 4 (probably Fish, but I'm hoping he takes over from Murray next year).

 

[Crowboto]

The kid looks very impressive by foot and in traffic. Can't see how anyone could be disappointed with this pick

 

[Cap]

I actually think Rowe could be one who will still work well going forward because he has the ability to go into traffic and be evasive, even if it's moving backwards through the congestion to find the runner on the outside. S

It will be interesting how his time with Burgo goes.

Given his desire to succeed he seems like the type of person that will excel. He has a good footy IQ, if he gets a tank he should do even better than last year

 

[hendo8888]

The kid looks very impressive by foot and in traffic. Can't see how anyone could be disappointed with this pick

Seems the majority of the whingers are pointing to the fact we drafted 3 180cm M/Fs, which on the surface is a fair criticism.
But realistically, Rachele is a genuine goal scoring forward, Taylor is almost entirely a midfielder (literally kicked 1 goal this year) with skills and accumulation skills and Soligo is a hard at it type. They're all very different, even though their listed position and size is the same.

 

[MRB37]

It will be interesting how his time with Burgo goes.

Given his desire to succeed he seems like the type of person that will excel. He has a good footy IQ, if he gets a tank he should do even better than last year

Whether he makes it or not, he's one where I don't think it'll be because he didn't try hard enough. He's living his dream ATM and I don't think he'd give it up without putting everything he's got into it.

 

[crowsarethebest]

He doesn't look quick but looks real evasive and nippy. The one thing I love though is that he seems to have so much composure and time through traffic which is the sign of a good player. Great decision maker under pressure - We have enough players that get the ball but bang it long on their boot - we have got in 4 players in Dawson, Solingo, Taylor and Rachelle who can lower the eyes and be creative with their kicking instead of banging it long. It's clear we have been trying to target good decision makers and I imagine this trait was rated pretty highly by our recruiting team this year.

 

[ams4crows]

I reckon it'll work with our ball movement through the corridor too. Watching the training clips they posted yesterday with the handball drills, I can imagine the possibility of moving the ball through the middle of the ground in waves where we have runners either side of the ball holder that can be there for the handball receive. The stand rule makes that really important too because you want runners moving, have those tall guys on the flank/wings mark the ball then you're still sending waves past to support, take a handball, quick kick receive and keep moving while the defender may still be stuck on the mark.

So basically how we played in 2016 and 2017 when we were one of the highest scoring teams

 

[Redleg Crow]

VIA FOXSPORT PRE DRAFT RANKINGS:

20. ZAC TAYLOR

Position: Midfielder

Size: 180cm, 74kg

Club: Calder Cannons/Penola Catholic College/Vic Metro

AFL player comparison: Jy Simpkin

12

Jy Simpkin

Age

26

Ht

183cm

Wt

77kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.0

4star

K

7.9

3star

HB

8.1

5star

M

2.4

3star

T

3.3

5star

CL

2.9

4star

D

20.6

5star

K

11.0

4star

HB

9.6

5star

M

2.0

2star

T

3.5

4star

CL

5.5

5star

D

10.0

3star

K

5.6

3star

HB

4.4

4star

M

2.8

3star

T

2.4

4star

CL

0.2

2star

Another first-round bolter following a terrific end to his 2021 campaign. After averaging 19.8 touches from his first four NAB League matches, Taylor upped the ante significantly in his final three games, finishing with 32, 34 and 37 disposals respectively. His 1.6 assists per match were equal-second in the NAB League among players who played five or more matches. Taylor also got the call-up for an Essendon VFL game, finishing with 10 disposals against Frankston. An efficient, clever distributor with a strong inside-outside balance, Taylor is one of the most well-rounded on-ballers in this year’s pool but could ultimately be a small forward at AFL level. He can kick on both sides of his body, while he’s composed in traffic but has the ability to accelerate out of stoppages.

 

[MRB37]

So basically how we played in 2016 and 2017 when we were one of the highest scoring teams

I reckon we've potentially got a bit more marking power outside the forward line and ability to move the ball than those years too. Don't have ball-stoppers down back in Kelly or Talia either and certainly have the potential to have a more robust midfield.

Our forward line being as good as those two years is a question mark still, but we've got time to add to that still.

 

[Danger in Texas]

It's difficult to fit them in when all available and playing to their potential .....McPherson unfortunately hasn't come on, but he maybe Brown's replacement going forward .....Hamill offers great rebound off HB

Just don't see those 4 in our best 22 with Crouch, Milera back, and Dawson coming in

Jones will be the Brown replacement, but with more rebound to his game. Moose isn’t on the same level defensively as Brown whatsoever

 

[BRL121]

Jones will be the Brown replacement, but with more rebound to his game. Moose isn’t on the same level defensively as Brown whatsoever

Moose is much more comfortable on the HBF running forward.

 

[Thylacinus]

Jones will be the Brown replacement, but with more rebound to his game. Moose isn’t on the same level defensively as Brown whatsoever

Patrick Parnell in the discussion, surely?

 

[Danger in Texas]

Patrick Parnell in the discussion, surely?

Hard to get a read on his defensive game while he’s as raw as he is right now, but yep, he’s another one

 

[Golumless]

Patrick Parnell in the discussion, surely?

Patrick is more of a half back/wing long term. Though I suppose Jones is also wasted in the back pocket as well.

 

[Crow till I die]

EDFL

Selected at Pick 44

essendondfl.com.au

In total, Taylor played 141 games of junior football for Oak Park and three games for Pascoe Vale, kicking 129 goals along the way.

 

[Stiffy_18]

Agree with this and supports the exercise I did the other day, where we are in fact a tall list ...with the marking strength on the wings / flanks .....with speed & agility thru the mids ....a different approach, maybe somewhat influenced by the "stand" rule

Last year Paddy Cripps as that tall mid, really struggled with the pace thru the corridor ......also remembering that ball-ups were down, tackles were down ....so does all these rule changes influence the makeup of the midfield going forward ?
Stoppages, tackling down, leaving radical AFL rule changes ...
https://www.theage.com.au › Sport › AFL › AFL 2021

4 days ago — A drop in contested possessions, tackles and stoppages has backed Brad ... The average combined numbers of throw-ins and ball-ups per game .

In ideal world you want strong, tall, bog body midfielders with pace. Those are a bloody hard to find. The last thing you want in the modern game is a tall, strong, bog body slow midfielder. The new rules are bout speeding the game up and less stoppages so the quicker and cleaner (with their skills) your players are, the better off you are.

Would I like a more of a mix through our midfield in terms of size, sure but I would rather a great, match winning player.

 

[Bay62]

Patrick is more of a half back/wing long term. Though I suppose Jones is also wasted in the back pocket as well.

I’ve heard that Billy Frampton is the answer to all our needs down back…

When the ball bounces off his hands up forward it’s a dropped mark. When it happens down back it’s called “punching the ball away”

It’s all just a matter of context

 

[WaynesWorld19]

In ideal world you want strong, tall, bog body midfielders with pace. Those are a bloody hard to find. The last thing you want in the modern game is a tall, strong, bog body slow midfielder. The new rules are bout speeding the game up and less stoppages so the quicker and cleaner (with their skills) your players are, the better off you are.

Would I like a more of a mix through our midfield in terms of size, sure but I would rather a great, match winning player.

I'd be satisfied with an Oliver or Petracca shaped midfielder .....187 / 186 .....with speed and /or power

Now I think Schoenberg can play the Oliver role .....we just need the Petracca power now (insert Roo) .....could that be Pedlar ?
I do think those two will be powerhouses going forward though .....Pedlar at 183 is a giant within our midfield now

 

[WaynesWorld19]

I’ve heard that Billy Frampton is the answer to all our needs down back

You must have visited the same pub as me ..... i heard that too

 

[conVINCEd]

Zac seems like a Ned clone to me.

Small stature, runs with a straight back, loves a tackle.

 

[Coopers]

Zac seems like a Ned clone to me.

Small stature, runs with a straight back, loves a tackle.

Seems similar, looks less... frenetic, with much better disposal.

 

[hairy biker]

Enjoy.
Some decent moves here (obviously just click through);
(Not my work CTOP, I was just hoping the Swans would pick him up)