I have Jeka around the 30 mark myself I have some queries I can’t quite touch on yet. Nah Gardner is an outside mid/hb from the Northern Knights another in the 25-35 range for me at this stage.
So these guys are AFL academy, not Essendon Next Gen Academy? So we have no rights to them?
Yep just AFL academy
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Jeka would be tied to someone, wouldn’t he?
Nope not to my knowledge
If this is the bulked up version, he musta been hella skinny
Yep was fairly skinny and looked to have little conditioning which also looks to have improved significantly.
Courtney is listed as 199cm, as a 17 year old, so there’s a bit to fill in.
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Application/dedication?
No he just has a personality quirk which might hamper him at the elite level, hard work and discipline aren’t an issue so it’s nothing like that. He does lack a contested side to his game so I see him as a Scache type of forward so not one I’m spending a first round pick on.
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Right. I’ve only seen him a couple of times, and from that very small sample, that’s kinda what I took away at this stage - so your comment makes sense to me.
We’ve got an absolute pearler here guys. Amazing attitude and speaks as well as any player at the club. Let’s hope he gets his footy together.
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Seems focused.Good sign.
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(no link behind a paywall)
Essendon recruit Zac Clarke eyeing opportunity alongside Tom Bellchambers
Essendon recruit Zac Clarke is confident he can play in the same team as Tom Bellchambers next season, having focused on his forward craft during a year of exile from the AFL.
Delisted by Fremantle at the end of 2017 after 101 games across eight seasons, the 203cm ruckman rediscovered top form in the WAFL this year, recording 17 disposals, 50 hit-outs and kicking a goal to help lead Subiaco to a dominant Grand Final win.
That game, among others, caught the attention of several AFL clubs who put Clarke through medical examinations before the Victorian chose Essendon as his preferred destination and was listed during the AFL’s Pre-Season Supplemental Selection Period earlier this month.
Clarke, 28, began a teaching degree at university this year and took up a coaching role at a Perth high school but said his determination to return to the AFL never wavered.
“I was 27 when I got delisted and that’s obviously getting towards the older stages of an AFL career but I was really confident if my body held up my best football is capable at AFL level and that’s the way it went,” Clarke said.
“I’m really excited for the opportunity, really grateful to Essendon and really looking forward to paying them back.”
A persistent knee injury saw Clarke miss the entire 2017 season at the Dockers but that is now a “non-issue” after he did not miss a game for Subiaco this year.
Clarke kicked 19 goals from his final 11 games in the WAFL and said the versatility of both he and Bombers No.1 ruckman Tom Bellchambers to play forward meant there was every chance both could play in the same side.
“That was one of my focus areas at Subi, being able to go forward and impact on the scoreboard, which I think I did,” Clarke said.
“I’ve seen Tom play quite well forward as well. He takes a good mark. But he had a really strong season this year so it’s obviously his spot and if I have to play second ruck or whatever role that is, I’m happy to do that.”
Clarke will wear No.20 next season after being presented with his new jumper at the club’s family day on Saturday.
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“a year of exile from the AFL”
Maybe that belongs in the continuing death of journalism thread, but don’t they mean absence?
I didn’t realise Clarke was barred from the afl for political reasons.
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It’ll be interesting to see how he goes this year playing second fiddle to Drapes, he’ll be spending a lot of time in the forward line, not sure how he’ll go playing the deeper forward tbh. Although now we have a decent vfl forwardline that will stretch most vfl defenses he’s gonna have an impact as a decoy at the very least.
How they rotate Draper will also be interesting, he’ll obviously be the no. 1 ruck, but will they rest him at FF and try and improve his scoreboard impact or will they get him to work on his behind the ball defensive positioning.
No matter how they decide to play them we now have the best spine in the VFL and the best ruck department.
FB - Ambrose - Zerk-Thatcher (3rdTall)
CHB - Hartley
Ruck - Draper - Jok (Mid/Ruck)
CHF - Brown
FF - Clarke (2ndRuck) - Stewart (3rdTall)
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We also have Gown and Lav2 to potentially fit in there somewhere.
I think we may find our VFL side a bit too tall at times. We’ll see.
He played that role in AFL for about 5 years, with reasonably decent impact. Not sure why he’d struggle with it now at the level down
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He kicked 24 goals for the season in WAFL IIRC