DeeSpencer

We might need a new backline coach. Our defenders refuse to play the ball out of any kind of pressure and never get to the fat side, so we always end up chip-mark in the skinny side or long bomb. Judd McVee can’t be the only defender who can actually play footy with the ball on the deck and a modicum of pressure.

What’s the punishment for a forfeit? Theres no point playing any more on this god awful surface.

Pathetic midfield zoning and our backline just hopeless when there’s no pressure on the ball.

He is, but Freo’s smalls weapon is their run and pace more than contest. If we can’t even pick up their runners we are no chance to ever force contests.

Moniz caught forward of Banfield, doesn’t go get Treacy (or instruct Rivers to). He’s a fun talent but he’s a mile off defensively. Had Woey being fit I wouldn’t have picked him this week. Might’ve gone with Howes anyway.

Yeah the knee jerk is the change back. Baited by angry Victorian teams upset about the Northern academies and especially the WA teams who think they own Indigenous players like Gina owns the iron ore. The NGAs should’ve stayed at 40+. This is a disaster for fairness. It’s recruiting zones making a comeback.

There was a photo of Sparrow next to Rivers and his legs were far bigger and Trent isn’t a small man at all. I suspect they’ll try to lighten a few kgs of muscle off Sparrow over the offseason and look for agility and speed if there’s any to find.

He’s certainly a forward for now. Unless there’s other changes around him. It’s more what do we do late in the year if results don’t go well and it’s experimental time and then over summer.

I’m still a bit confused by what Disco is and will be. 3rd tall defender especially if Lever can shuffle up to 2nd talls seems most likely given he can intercept mark and contribute to rebound. But he has something as a forward, especially with the way he times his leads which is a lost skill for most afl players and certainly most Melbourne forwards. Given his age and considering he had an interrupted preseason and even missed a couple of weeks lately there’s probably still scope for fitness and mobility improvements. Hasn’t nailed too many tackles as a forward but he’s always looked a good tackler at Casey. I hope Melk is teaching him the dark arts of the disruptor forward role and how to mess with interceptors with blocks, spoils, timing hits etc. It’s a really important role these days. I’d still be open to everything including the possibility he plays some midfield or wing if he can string healthy preseasons.

He was nothing like this in 20-22, really embarrassing how nervous he is with the ball now in contested situations, completely scared to be tackled and hot potatoes it. We’ve had players I’m scared for when they kick, with May im scared when he handballs!

Sparrow’s are fumbles! I like Tommy, he stays because Laurie doesn’t have the juice in the contest to demand a midfield or the outside pace or skill to own a half forward spot. But he needs a big preseason

Hardly a genius but had the boys prepared for wet weather footy and the selection wasn’t all that difficult especially once the conditions were confirmed. Fullarton is at best a dry day forward/ruck. Even with Petty struggling he wasn’t going to play. Tag Merrett, tag Martin as much as possible, play contest footy with a nice dose of pace on the ball when needed and not getting overly reliant on long bombs.

Bowser lost some bad contests and didn’t use it as well as he could but AMW was spent and creating huge defensive holes with his lack of concentration and work rate. Absolutely the right guy to take off. Bowser playing like a guy who had a bad injury and couldn’t do weights for a long time. I’m not too worried, although the life of an undersized defender is that you better be on your game or it gets rough quickly.

McGovern was first drafted as a rookie in 2010 (with Gaff, Darling, Lycett a great draft) and Yeo a trade (a great one but not a draft pick in that draft). So yeah, still a very good draft but with Sheed's decline it's lost a lot of what it could've been. Generally across the Simpson tenure they traded a lot of earlier picks for guys like Yeo, Redden, Wellingham, even gave up an asset in big Sinclair for Jetta and topped up with a lot of veterans too. They were following the Hawks post 2008 model which is great if you've got a young core but just like Hawthorn it can take the depth out of your list the longer you do it for. The Kelly deal isn't even that bad, but it many ways it was a big straw that killed the camel. Coaching and list management has to take the blame as well, they didn't give O'Brien much to work with, although he certainly had a string of outs. They seemed to draft a lot of nice enough safe players without athleticism or edge.

People blame the Tim Kelly trade but their recruiting from 2011-2020 was mostly disastrous. From ages 21-28 it’s pretty much Barrass, Ryan, Sheed, Waterman, Allen. And guys like Ryan and Sheed fell right away when asked to be meat of the team. We have a bit of a hole from 23-27 on our list bought about by the trades for Lever and May, which is why fixing Oliver, fixing Petty, maybe even Spargo and landing a free agent or 2 soon will be important, and why the investment in youth this year has been paramount.

Agree on Jeffo but not sure he’s a big factor until 2026 at the earliest. A dozen or so games next year would be a good result. Don’t agree on Verrall any time soon. Nice player to have on the list but not convinced he can be pencilled in for a while yet. The question I have is: Is JVR or Jeffo a number 1 target? Or are they 2/3’s in which case a number 1 is a priority. And if not a ready to go forward/ruck is still a priority. Agree the midfield is the bigger issue although there’s more pathways to improve that. If they decide they need one and can get a gun forward they have to do it and patch the midfield before further future improvements.

It’s 99.9% made up but no one is removing their coach for Liam Duggan. He just played wing for most of the game and Windsor and Langdon were 2 of the best on ground

I wouldn’t be starting a thread based on a tweet from one of the worst people on footy twitter who’s paid for his blue tick. I don’t think the Eagles would ever entertain moving Allen. Worst case scenario as a restricted free agent in 2025 you match the deal and force a trade or accept a low compo pick. But he’s their young star, captain etc. The Waterman story has more legs. They low-balled him last year and his brother has already played in Melbourne. Whilst they have the cap room they probably don’t need 2 star forwards in a deep rebuild and there’s less guarantee that he backs up this years out of the box run of form next year. If they get a deal good enough (and it would have to be really good) I could see them moving him now.

Stats wise: 5 disposals, 2 marks. 2 tackles and a goal. Country dominated the inside 50’s and scoring shots and kept Allies in it with poor conversion.

Number 1 speed in attack, number 2 speed in defense, number 2 total work rate. Really the only option would be Woey forward/wing and ANB as part of the core 4 mids tagging. It’s not crazy but Woey just seems slow to react anywhere but behind the ball and isn’t a great user either. I don’t think it helps us.

Can’t play West Coast every week but Chin was very good yesterday and was good against Brisbane too. Continuity in the talls and finally getting some run back through the middle should let the small forwards find more of the ball in space too.

Trade Chandler for what? A late second rounder? In order to play who? Spargo who’s been MIA all year? Laurie who doesn’t have the speed, power or marking game to be a small forward? McAdam, Sesto or AMW who don’t have the tanks. Chandler’s rock solid in his effort each week and a great culture guy, he won’t be traded.

Zach Merrett is so huge for Essendon, the question is can we get by with some combination of Viney and Sparrow on him, or do we need to specifically go with ANB (post centre bounce). And if we go with ANB who can we rotate as the 3rd winger? Probably has to be Sparrow again if not taking a risk and going with Kolt. I also think both Howes and Marty Hore will come in to consideration for AMW. AMW is a big time talent but he's defensively at sea at times and we just lack height down back with AMW, Bowey, McVee, Salem as the 4 flankers. For an Essendon forward line that has Peter Wright, potentially 2 rucks and/or Caddy, Harry Jones, Langford and Stringer we could do with a back pocket with some height.

Positioning/concentration still poor (but not the only Melbourne defender with that problem right now), disposal/decision making with room to improve but love his contesting and tackling. Still think it might be mid/forward but there’s an AFL level talent in there, just a matter of getting it out of him.

He was never at Carlton, he was listed by Carlton then on traded as part of their mature age draft concessions. Adelaide was his first club. He was an injury prone inconsistent talent in a poor Adelaide side who came to us unfit and unsurprisingly got injured. Why we ever felt he was worth a second round pick I’ll never know, but it’s not like it was a super early one and JT generally hasn’t valued 2nd rounders (for better or worse). I still like the gamble to get him because he can be a genuine match up nightmare. But it’s all about the preseason for him, he’ll either come in fit and be a contributor or come in underdone in which case he’ll be playing VFL if healthy.