I have watched the last two weeks and I believe our midfield is presently not good enough and a problem.

Midfield being starting line up in the centre and wings, thats five players.

Moloney and Jones are not up to it. So who do we have left ??

So in search of a premiership team my top five prediction for end of year is

Gysberts

McKenzie

Scully

Sylvia

Trengove

I invite others to nominate their five best at end of year as this will be our future premiership

team.

Keep names to five and assume Scully will stay so no comments on that topic

Don't forget players on the interchange & other positions can be rotated through the midfield. I don't think it's as simple as saying pick 5 or 6. You may have as many as 12 players being rotated or pushed up the ground. If your talking about centre bounces I'd like to see a combination of Scully, Gysberts, Moloney, Tapscott, Jones, McKenzie & Trengove at the centre bounces during the course of a game. Scully & Trengove were playing on a wing a lot last season, would like to see them pushed into the centre bounces more.

Collingwoods model to win a flag was to have aggressive mobile players that persistently pressure the ball carrier coming out of defense. They also have an extreme work rate when they have the ball. Are our current group capable of playing a style that can match or supersede that style of football? Essendon looks to be trying to implement that style already. We need to be ahead of the game I think if we are to succeed.

I have watched the last two weeks and I believe our midfield is presently not good enough and a problem.

Midfield being starting line up in the centre and wings, thats five players.

Moloney and Jones are not up to it. So who do we have left ??

So in search of a premiership team my top five prediction for end of year is

Gysberts

McKenzie

Scully

Sylvia

Trengove

I invite others to nominate their five best at end of year as this will be our future premiership

team.

Keep names to five and assume Scully will stay so no comments on that topic

Mate the fact is that a team sheet lists 5 midfielders but in reality you have a squad of them that rotate through the pockets, flanks and bench, so you end up taking about 9 to 11 midfielders to a match. You need that whole group to be a solid performing unit, you can't have any weak links when you are takling premiership sides. So the challenge is for the group below:

Davey - obvious gun, has skill and creativity like nobody else in the side and few in the comp. However, can definitely go missing under pressure.

Moloney - as tough and as passionate as you could ever get but lacking in class, brains and speed

Sylvia - probably our best all-round footballer who has found a level of consistency. Explosive at times, he is crucial to the recipe

Jones - see Moloney

Bail - decent player who cannot kick. Worth persevering with though

Grimes - may spend more time off HBF than in the midfield. Great player with a few disposal question marks. Quality clubman

Morton - like Watts has been spoilt with natural gifts but is yet to capitalise on them. Could be anything even a KPP

McKenzie - good all round player.

Blease - ?

Scully - possibly the no.1 AFL star of the next decade

Gysberts - ?

Trengove - see Scully

and Jack Viney - ?

All in all it is a pretty good group, but only the ones I have bolded can I say at this stage I am confident they are worthy of being part of a premiership midfield squad

Edited February 27, 201114 yr by Curry & Beer

Not sure but didnt Mckenzie and McDonald lead our tackles last year? we are going to start the season without both of them. That is really going to hurt our ball winning ability around stoppages even further.

Sylvia - probably our best all-round footballer who has found a level of consistency. Explosive at times, he is crucial to the recipe

Like many, I'm a massive fan of Sylvia but has he really found true consistency? Question mark still hangs for mine. He has the tools to mix it with the Pendleburys, Hodges and Cooneys but has not yet taken his game to that level. It's critical that he does.

C'mon Col, let's see a top 10 in the Brownlow and a club best and fairest this year ...

Like many, I'm a massive fan of Sylvia but has he really found true consistency? Question mark still hangs for mine. He has the tools to mix it with the Pendleburys, Hodges and Cooneys but has not yet taken his game to that level. It's critical that he does.

C'mon Col, let's see a top 10 in the Brownlow and a club best and fairest this year ...

Good post , I agree 100%.

Has the tools to be even more damaging than the 3 mentioned IMO .

Has skills , speed and power , question mark in application tho' .

Viney ?

What do Sylvia, Moloney, Gysbert, Tapscott, Trengove, McKenzie, Jones have in common.....modest pace. I believe we still have a way to go before we have a premiership mid-field at the club.

What do Sylvia, Moloney, Gysbert, Tapscott, Trengove, McKenzie, Jones have in common.....modest pace. I believe we still have a way to go before we have a premiership mid-field at the club.

Sylvia doesn't have modest pace

Viney ?

correct

What do Sylvia, Moloney, Gysbert, Tapscott, Trengove, McKenzie, Jones have in common.....modest pace. I believe we still have a way to go before we have a premiership mid-field at the club.

Sylvia's got good acceleration. Trengove has got gears too. He can be misleading with his style but he can go.

Gysberts, Trengove, Scully, Mckenzie and Moloney.

They need to play and get those games up.

Sylvia is explosive with pace mate, hardly say he'd be 'modest'

Midfield not good enough (Yet)

That's all i will say....

If you doubt Sylvia's pace , pay particular attention at around 2:40 .

If you doubt Sylvia's pace , pay particular attention at around 2:40 .

Or about 4:15.............

I have watched the last two weeks and I believe our midfield is presently not good enough and a problem.

Midfield being starting line up in the centre and wings, thats five players.

Moloney and Jones are not up to it. So who do we have left ??

So in search of a premiership team my top five prediction for end of year is

Gysberts

McKenzie

Scully

Sylvia

Trengove

I invite others to nominate their five best at end of year as this will be our future premiership

team.

Keep names to five and assume Scully will stay so no comments on that topic

Gysberts found the footy in his first few outings but i think its a big call to have him in a top 5 when he's such an unknown. Same goes with Blease. And those that are saying Jack Viney is a future super star are also being more optamistic than i'd like to be - maybe make that assesment in a few more years!

I'm not a huge fan of Jones or Beamer in current form, but they can play a role. Jones was very promising in his 1st year just like the current crop. Jones is still pretty damn young so could eaily shape his game and become a valuable player for us.

And finally I hope we go on to win flags with this crop, but im not going to sit here ragging out on the guys who put their all into playing for the club just because i dont think they're flag potential - they all deserve our support

carn the Dees!

Our midfield isn't good enough for what? To make the finals this year? To win a flag in five years?

All premiership sides have second tier players whose contributions are raised to a higher level by the champions.Does anyone recall the heiferlump in the 2000 Essendonn side touted (not by me) as one of the best premiership sides.The lump was supposed to be a prospective Essondon capatain but struggled at Melbourne. I suspect that Jones and Beamer fall into this category, without carrying the comparisons beyond my initial statement- both are infinetaly better than the lump.

I agree that, with modern football and the influence of the interchange the concept of "a centre line" becomes a bit fuzzy. For what it is worth I hope that Tapscott can be added to your list. I expect Davey to add a bit of pace.