Josh Wagner promoted with 2-year contract

[Moonshadow 17,678]

I like the cut of Josh's jib. Honest footballer who works hard to do the simple things right. He tired as the year went on, but will prove useful over the length of his contract. 

[La Dee-vina Comedia 17,071]

Perhaps we had to offer him 2 years or he would have left and taken his chances in the draft. (Is that possible?). I would have thought a few clubs might have been interested enough to offer him a 2-3 year contract.

[Bigred 494]

Very happy for him. Love this guy. Flys under the radar a bit but i really think (and hope) he could be something..... Any way.... what else could you do. It frees up a Rookie spot and no one better was on the cards to fill a list spot

I'd love to see this guy succeed.

 

 

Edited October 31, 2016 by Bigred

[Dante 2,739]

 

I thought Wagner played well in his first season, considering he only had one pre season under his belt he showed a lot of poise and I'd expect he will play a lot more senior football for us.  He's another one who takes the game on and that's why he's there and players like Grimes and Dunn aren't.

Good luck to him for getting a contract extension, although it was never in doubt from what I've seen of him.

 

 

[Adzman 2,154]

 People forget just how much he contributed for a first year player. There is a role in the team for him if he fit and willing. 

 

[hemingway 7,633]

4 hours ago, jnrmac said:

I liked his first year but I would say this is the area of weakness as well as hitting targets. Different views I guess....

Agree about hitting or not hitting targets. 

[Ted Lasso 19,564]

5 hours ago, Satyriconhome said:

It is your opinion he is going to struggle, as we are still 6 months away from the start of the season, not sure you can make that call, you are assuming he doesn't develop over the pre season and actually pass some of those supposedly ahead of him, a la Jayden Hunt The FD would not have done this if we were still looking for a mature age ruckman, the only people who think we need one are on here

 

I am forming an opinion based on a limited view, as is virtually everyone on Demonland, i see a half back who has been re-signed despite being linked to the club for next year already, and one who is clearly behind in my opinion, 6 others who will play the same position.

clearly though he's rated highly internally and they're backing him in so i wish him well and hope to be eating humble pie in 12 months. 

i am just a little unsure about this decision, but happy to be proven wrong.

 

[Bobby McKenzie 2,407]

Wagner shows huge potential. Good move by MFC. Congrats to Josh.

[monoccular 17,697]

9 hours ago, hemingway said:

Agree about hitting or not hitting targets. 

Note - one can win a Norm Smith, and a premiership medallion and not hit targets. But all the better if you do. 

[Redleg 42,039]

18 hours ago, Petraccattack said:

Well deserved.   His debut season seems to be very underrated.

Not by the FD.

[Cranky Franky 2,242]

Good first season HOWEVER Josh needs to add a bit more aggression & physical edge to his game if he is going to have a long career.  This is the  only potential down side to his game that I can see.

[stinga 620]

I'm rapt he is upgraded.  I rate him higher than Salem at half back because he is a hard nut, gets to contests and gets off the ground to spoil, whereas  Salem does not.  However Salem is more value up the ground simply because of his delivery.

[Adam The God 30,644]

19 hours ago, ProDee said:

One only had to look at how well Wagner did in the B&F to see that he's highly rated within the club, especially for a first year player.  And when he missed 2 games mid year with a knee he came back in immediately to the senior team and not Casey.  He faded late in the year, but if one reads the tea leaves, especially with this mooted 2 year signing, there's a clear message the club sees a future.

I don't currently have him in my best 22, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if he's in the club's.

If he's been promoted it's for a reason.  And I wouldn't water down those reasons.

I don't have him in my best 22 either, but I reckon he showed real poise and most of the time hit targets nicely. It's that sort of cool head we need off half back. I'd say they see him as a long term replacement for Jetta. 

[hemingway 7,633]

1 hour ago, Cranky Franky said:

Good first season HOWEVER Josh needs to add a bit more aggression & physical edge to his game if he is going to have a long career.  This is the  only potential down side to his game that I can see.

Interesting cranky, when i watched him play, i thought he was aggressive with a hard edge. That's what I liked about him.  Thought his potential downside was his disposal but i also thought that about Hunt

[Deespicable 2,886]

For once I'm with Stuie on this one in his Wags battle with Abe.

Clearly Abe doesn't rate Wags highly and thinks two years is inappropriate. Yet Wags was chosen last year before Hunt and only lost his way a little late in the year when illness and then tiredness got him.

I think we all get that Wags will find it a hell of a lot harder to get a gig next season with Hibberd playing his position, but that doesn't mean you don't reward him for a very solid first season - I mean he's 22, not 32. And even if he spends most of 2017 in the magoos because of Hibberd or the Smith honeymoon factor or the Jones to defence lobby, the fact that he is contracted for two years means that other clubs will look more closely at him next trade year because we obviously rate him - even if Abe doesn't. Gold Coast may even finally admit they cocked up and try and lure him back. Abe may then even admit his rating was a little out of line!

The left foot defender who is under the pump a bit is Mitch White, who is yet to show that he can handle the step up in pace to make it as an AFL defender and more than likely will just get a one-year rookie extension deal.

 

[DeeZone 10,483]

21 hours ago, Satyriconhome said:

I will ask again, even though I think this is good news, where was it announced, not on club or AFL website?

MFC website

[mauriesy 7,429]

The other day I watched a replay of the first 2016 Melbourne v Collingwood game, and Wagner was really good. There's potential there that to me makes him a better pick for a 2-year contract than some kid taken at #84. Plus he's got a more mature body, and a year of development.

In reality, it's just one spot on the list, and I'd much rather have Wagner.

[Dante 2,739]

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2016-10-31/wagner-promoted-and-given-new-contract

 

 

[Satyriconhome 10,880]

5 hours ago, Cranky Franky said:

Good first season HOWEVER Josh needs to add a bit more aggression & physical edge to his game if he is going to have a long career.  This is the  only potential down side to his game that I can see.

You have to remember he did well coming from part time footy in the NEAFL, he just ran out of petrol,

Put this before, spoke to him at function at end of season, we joked the only part of his body not sore were his eyebrows   we have so many guys who will hopefully get a full pre season under their belts and go up another level

Edited November 1, 2016 by Satyriconhome

[Ted Lasso 19,564]

17 hours ago, Deespicable said:

For once I'm with Stuie on this one in his Wags battle with Abe.

Clearly Abe doesn't rate Wags highly and thinks two years is inappropriate. Yet Wags was chosen last year before Hunt and only lost his way a little late in the year when illness and then tiredness got him.

I think we all get that Wags will find it a hell of a lot harder to get a gig next season with Hibberd playing his position, but that doesn't mean you don't reward him for a very solid first season - I mean he's 22, not 32. And even if he spends most of 2017 in the magoos because of Hibberd or the Smith honeymoon factor or the Jones to defence lobby, the fact that he is contracted for two years means that other clubs will look more closely at him next trade year because we obviously rate him - even if Abe doesn't. Gold Coast may even finally admit they cocked up and try and lure him back. Abe may then even admit his rating was a little out of line!

The left foot defender who is under the pump a bit is Mitch White, who is yet to show that he can handle the step up in pace to make it as an AFL defender and more than likely will just get a one-year rookie extension deal.

 

alright Deespicable, if Wagner plays say 7 or more games i will publicly admit i am wrong on this and change my picture to Josh Wagner for 2018

by the way i do rate Wagner as a player, i just don't rate this particular decision, and can't with my limited knowledge of the motivations behind it, fully see the value of it, given he'd have been on the list and able to play if required, either way.

[Ron Burgundy 8,588]

Wagner's upgrade has nothing to do with a comparison with who's about at pick 86. Pick 86 is hardly a valuable pick.

The club doesn't make decisions as to its list management like that - it's just not that fickle.

Clearly, in the opinion of the club Wagner deserves to be on the senior list and he has been elevated accordingly.

If anything, Wagner's upgrade and the way the club approached this trade period more generally, indicates that the club is now broadly satisfied with the composition of the list and the young talent on it, and its main priority now is to keep it together going forward albeit topped up with experienced players such as Lewis, Hibberd and Melksham.

 

[pinkshark 950]

On 10/31/2016 at 4:22 PM, Abe said:

But he'd have a spot either way, he'd either be a rookie or on the senior list, so he'd be on the list. 

to me the risk is re-signing him for two years because though he's rated highly internally i am fairly confident he's not rated more highly than Vince, Jetta, Hibberd, Hunt, Melksham and Salem who right off the bat play that position, so the risk being we might have re-contracted a guy who isn't going to get a game when we really didn't need to take any action and he could have been in the same position, at Casey putting pressure on and providing good depth. 

I get that you have 40 odd players on the list so not everyone you recruit is going to be best 22 on paper or whatever and i understand this is the club saying he's more likely to play than the player we would have grabbed at pick 84 or whatever, i guess i am just a little surprised, given we would have had him either way, and where i rate him personally within that group of half back/wing players

all this is irrelevant now though because the decision has been made and i am very happy for him.

true.

 

[Dante 2,739]

1 hour ago, Ron Burgundy said:

Wagner's upgrade has nothing to do with a comparison with who's about at pick 86. Pick 86 is hardly a valuable pick.

The club doesn't make decisions as to its list management like that - it's just not that fickle.

Clearly, in the opinion of the club Wagner deserves to be on the senior list and he has been elevated accordingly.

If anything, Wagner's upgrade and the way the club approached this trade period more generally, indicates that the club is now broadly satisfied with the composition of the list and the young talent on it, and its main priority now is to keep it together going forward albeit topped up with experienced players such as Lewis, Hibberd and Melksham.

 

Spot on RB, we are putting together a good young list and it is important we give them every opportunity to show what they are worth and to promote them if they perform. The club would have been delighted to see what he had to offer in 2016.

 

[Vogon Poetry 2,095]

2 hours ago, Ron Burgundy said:

Wagner's upgrade has nothing to do with a comparison with who's about at pick 86. Pick 86 is hardly a valuable pick.

Not sure that's right Ron.  Mahoney made the point that the recruitment of McKenna was in part because he was much better than a pick in the 80's.

I think Wagner has been promoted because the footy department are happy to have him on the list for two more years and by freeing a rookie spot we only have to commit to someone for one year instead of two.  With a very late pick that makes sense.

[beelzebub 23,390]

40 minutes ago, Vogon Poetry said:

Not sure that's right Ron.  Mahoney made the point that the recruitment of McKenna was in part because he was much better than a pick in the 80's.

I think Wagner has been promoted because the footy department are happy to have him on the list for two more years and by freeing a rookie spot we only have to commit to someone for one year instead of two.  With a very late pick that makes sense.

not sure I follow...pick 86 is not for a rookie