McGrath, Smith, Stringer. Handy additions to the midfield.
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Essendonās Andrew McGrath ready for full year in midfield after being rested in Rising Star debut season
LAUREN WOOD, Herald Sun, 17 Feb 2018
BEING sidelined did not sit well with Andrew McGrath.
As a first-year player at Essendon, the No.1 pick was kept in check ā for good reason, as his body adapted to the rigours of the game at the highest level.
Training sessions were cut shorter than those of senior players, with a few forced rests thrown in on occasion, both from work on the track and games.
It was what he needed, he knows that, but that did not make it any easier.
Now unbridled, the 19-year-old wants to show what he is really made of.
āThey do hold you back a little bit in your first year, which is pretty responsible,ā McGrath said.
āI was a bit frustrated early on when you get pulled out of training sessions halfway through, and miss bits here and there.
āBut itās all worth it ā at the end of the year, you realise how much of a toll the season does take on your body.
āTo have the pre-season Iāve had now, compared to last year, Iāll be a lot stronger and a lot fitter come the back-end of the year.ā
When it came to being rested in Round 7, McGrath wasnāt all that pleased.
āIād had my first few games and strung a few good games together and thought I could keep going, but they wanted to pull me back a bit and it didnāt sit with me very well at the start,ā he said.
āI wanted to keep playing, and keep my flow going.
āItās a funny way to put it, but you get in a bit of a rhythm when you are playing, and to lose that a little bit, annoyed me.
āBut the second time (in Round 20), I really needed it. I had a couple of poor games in a row and wasnāt getting through the games as I well as I knew I could. That one came at a good time.
āBut as a first year, you do need a bit of a spell. Itās a long year and youāre really not used to it.ā
Heās completed almost 100 per cent of this preseason after āless than 50ā this time last year.
The Canadian-born teenager ā who didnāt even have an Australian passport when he was drafted ā knew there would be pressure leading into his first season.
There had to be ā thatās natural when youāre the No. 1 pick.
He did his bit, winning the Rising Star award after 21 games with an average of almost 20 disposals per game.
But just doing his bit isnāt enough for the high achiever.
āYou always know thereās pressure around ā¦ being a high pick, I was exposed to that pretty early in my Year 12 year,ā he said.
āThis year, Iām approaching it in a way to really impact games a lot more.
āLast year, I was sort of content to play my role, mitigate my opponent and hope weād win. This year, Iām really taking it into my own hands to really take the team forward and improve on my game and impact on games a lot more.
āI feel like I can now as a second-year player and as a first-year player thereās a lot of āyou canāt do this, you canāt do thatā. Iām just one of the players now.ā
He knows his body better now, and unlike last year is not afraid to admit he needs a break.
McGrath was school captain at Brighton Grammar in his draft year. Vice-captain of the footy team, and led the athletics squad.
You know those guys.
He shared the captaincy at Vic Metro that year, too, was part of the leadership group at the Sandringham Dragons and was a member of his school choir.
Yes, the choir.
Essendon assistant coach James Kelly ā who may or may not have been part of a prank to catch a bird and leave it inside McGrathās locker before Round 1 last season ā describes the kid they call āPigeonā as, pardon the pun, āunflappableā.
āThe thing about Andy is, and I think why everyone loves him, is heās authentic,ā Kelly said.
āHe is who he is and I think thatās why really quickly people took a shine to him when he got to the footy club. He was just like that all the time.
āItās not like he was one of those people who would throw out a persona when he needed to. Heās a down to earth, intelligent and genuine person.ā
Not much rattles him, and Kelly knows the Bombers are lucky to have him in their ranks.
āHeās pretty much unflappable to this point in his career,ā he said.
āQuite often, peopleās football persona doesnāt match their personality, but with him and the way he plays footy is the way he is in life. Heās smart, composed and is a team player and does all the right things.
āHeās just a really good person and a really great player.ā
Thereās been talk of a move to the midfield this season, and itās one that McGrath has welcomed with open arms.
Itās a natural fit for him, he says, and one that he hopes will help him wind back the clock to the form that saw him dominate in the TAC Cup two years ago.
āI got drafted as a midfielder and played all my junior footy as a midfielder, so Iām really looking forward to the opportunity,ā the 19-year-old said.
āYour first year is a bit about learning to know the ropes a bit more and see how you find it. You can rely on other people to help you through in the backline a little bit more ā the midfieldās very ā¦ the structures are a little bit harder.
āBut now having played one year and knowing what it takes, Iām ready for that step up.
āI feel like this year I can do a lot more and play a lot more like I did in juniors compared to last year. Iāll have a little bit more freedom in the way I play and I think that will bring out my natural game a bit more and hopefully add to the value.ā
Zach Merrett has been an invaluable source, as has David Zaharakis, with McGrath picking their brains and shadowing them at training.
After the drugs saga that engulfed the club in recent years, Merrett has been open in his desire to be part of a band of young Bombers that will lead the club into the next decade.
Itās something McGrath is a pivotal part of, and heās found his voice.
āWeāve got a great young group of talent that came in just as that was happening, and just after,ā McGrath said.
āI was lucky enough to come in the year after those events, so I wasnāt really involved or didnāt really get affected by it. But just the vibe around the whole club and the mental shift that everyone involved in that took once 2016 started was just massive.
āEveryone left the events behind, learned from it definitely, but it pushed everyone forward because of what happened and the young leaders like Joe (Daniher) and Zach ā¦ they are driving that standard and really leading from the younger boysā perspective and keeping the older guys accountable and working hard still.
āI enjoy communicating with people and sharing my opinion. Iām not afraid to do that now that Iām a second-year player.
ā(Leadership) is something that sits pretty comfortably with me. Itās a really good problem to have, to have too many young guys pushing for leadership positions.ā
McGrath is learning every day at Tullamarine, and the Bombers were dealt a harsh lesson in last yearās elimination final loss to Sydney.
It still burns.
āThe fact that we got there showed big improvement and we played inconsistent footy at times last year,ā he said.
āI think weāre going to come to Round 1 really ready to go and to play a finals brand style of football.
āObviously our goal is to make finals again ā¦ we are using our loss from last year to really drive us forward.
āThat really taught us a lot about finals footy, so we take that forward and hopefully go deeper into the finals this year.ā
JAKE Stringer will play a vital role in Essendonās midfield and has already proven himself as a leader at his new club, according to Bombers young gun Andrew McGrath.
McGrath, 19, has joined Stringer in training as midfielders over the pre-season, and the Rising Star winner said he had been impressed by his new teammateās willingness to bring all of his knowledge and energy to the table.
āI get along with him really well, actually,ā McGrath said.
āHeās had a rough run over the last couple of years and we just took him on face value and thatās been great so far.
āHeās been a leader among the group and brought everything he has to the table and has really shown why heās a star of the competition.
āI canāt wait to see what he can produce in Essendon colours.ā
Stringer, 23, was traded to Tullamarine at the end of last season after 89 games and the 2016 premiership with the Western Bulldogs.
He arrived at the club amid a storm surrounding his private life, including explosive allegations of cheating and gambling by his former partner.
But McGrath said his new teammates ensured that was left at the door.
āWe all put that behind him, and really just took him for what he brought day one.
āHeās just brought a positive attitude and a willingness to work hard. Heās spent a lot of time with the midfield (group) and I think he can add another string to our bow and really help us out.ā
The teenage star, who is embarking on his second AFL season, said the preseason had flown.
And itās been a lot tougher as he ramped up his preparations to a new level compared to last season.
āThis is my first real preseason in the AFL, so it feels a little bit longer for me, I guess,ā he said
āIt was probably harder (than last year), in a lot of ways.
āI havenāt really missed a beat since we started in early November. Iāve done about 100 per cent of the workload of the other boys, which is promising when compared with my less than 50 of last year.
āI hope that holds me in good stead come the start of the season, but it has been a lot harder.ā
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If he improves form last year will be invaluable!
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Such an impressive young man.
Also sneaky pump up of stringer at the end.
pssst. SMJ. You may want to cover up your webcam.
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For once a decent article in a sensationalist paper. However its the same paper that printed a picture of Justin " blowtorch" Murphy in an Essendon jumper on the front page.
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Did Andy fall to earth in a spaceship from Krypton?
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Kelly would have to be one of the most underrated players if not the most underrated player I have ever seen play the game.
Had everything you want in a midfielder.
Canāt wait to see what Andy can do as a full time mid. Though I reckon our backline will feel the loss ( which is amazing considering his was a first year player)
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and he won the rising star award playing in the backline. Someone who knows can tell us how many other rising stars have won playing out of their junior position. Regardless, I think that says a lot about what McGrath can achieve. And how exciting it is to have him back playing in his ānaturalā position.
This kid is still a kid, but he has a head on his shoulders that says he is anything but a kid. The saga gave us an enormous amount of hurt, but at the end of it it also gave us McGrath. Not a bad way to move on.
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Clayton Oliver did extraordinarily well in his second year from being a #5 draft pick. Its not impossible for McGrath to show similar improvement. Both players gained around 19 disposals in their first year. However, probably McGrath will play more on the outside, while our older, bigger blokes try to get it done on the inside.
Its unlikely that McGrath is going to average 15 contested possessions and 6.5 clearances. However, he might end up being a more damaging player than Oliver for us in his second year.
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Heppell won playing half back when he played a lot of football as a mid.
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Pretty sure Callum Mills was a midfielder in juniors also and won the RS off HBF
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From little things big things grow.
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For me Iām going to be interested to see how his kicking holds up as a full time midfielder.
He seems like he will be a player who will always have a high proportion of handballs and he is extremely good at using his quick hands to dish off to a teammate who has some more room to operate in.
Itās his kicking though that I hope to see become a damaging skill as well. I do at present feel that itās not super damaging but of course he is very young and has heaps of time to hone that area. He wonāt quite get the same time as he did as a defender when kicking the footy.
At least with McGrath you just know that he is a perfectionist and a hard worker so he will become the absolute best he can be.
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Good point HD. His ability to deliver ālace outā from centre bounce clearances is a question mark. He is fast off the mark, gets a yard of space , but at the same time its not easy to kick a low pass well running at full speed.
We will usually have players streaming past off the back of the square at centre bounces and if he gets the clearance the handball option might be the best, particularly if he is running off the back of contest.
He has unreal vision, fast decision making and extremely quick hands . In that respect he is outstanding . He should play to his strengths.
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I donāt think I can love him anymore without getting arrested.
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Delivered a few nice lace out in afl x after getting a contested ball and not handballing straight away. Im excited.
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You are right he doesnāt seem to get much distance on his kicking at all and when he goes for extra the ball can tumble over. Might be better to stick to low flat passes under 35m like robery harvey use to do. Orā¦ im more than happy for him to use his hands 80% of the time.
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robery harvey was indeed a great of the game 
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