Not really a question for you but does club spending like this not come under salary cap?
I dont think we need a pure midfielder anyway, perhaps an inside/outside one like Noah Williams but these ‘‘other’ types are more appealing to our list build
Soft cap spending is for footy department resources. Salary cap spending is for player salary.
So I’m pretty sure the Academy expenses fall outside of both of those.
2 Likes
I would have other priorities, but I do like the sound of Williams. I do think we still lack a bit of speed and real endurance running.
He is a bombers supporter
4 Likes
Surely every “bombers supporter” under 30 years old, which includes these young draftees, hates us more than non Essendon supporters of that age.
2 Likes
FYI, their power rankings last year read like:
- Dyson Sharp
- Zeke Uwland
- Fred Rodriguez
- Willem Duursma
- CDT
- Dan Annable
- Riley Onley
- Beau Addinsall
- Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves
- Wes Walley
Don’t take it as gospel with draft order this early
4 Likes
That is the point of power rankings though, they constantly change
Robey wasn’t even on Eastern Ranges list at this point last year
3 Likes
Yeah but at the same time there were plenty of people suggesting that NHH should be one of our first round picks
1 Like
Most people in the draft space will say that early rankings are very much provisional. Some people have no choice as they have deadlines to submit articles, some people just like to kick off discussion.
Its a catch 22, there’s a demand/hunger out there for early ranking lists, and then lots of those same people demanding the lists will turn around and complain when the rankings change later on.
9 Likes
People also tend to quickly forget about the reasons why some prospects rise and fall.
NHH had significant issues with injury last year, and had a history of injury. He struggled to get continuity with his body and find form, and there were concerns about whether his body would hold up. I can’t say how much that weighed into clubs passing on him, but I’m sure it was a factor.
6 Likes
Going into the following year having a list already out shows knowledge of that next class as well as a base for everyone to work off.
Everyone has a list. At least everyone that is serious about it. That’s not what we’re talking about.
1 Like
I’ve already posted this, in respect of what it might mean for Tassie picking talent. Although they have a number of misses there, they did have 4 of the top 6 and another from the top 13.
I’d say last year was a little bit a-typical. There’s always movement, but not quite that much.
If you look at the 2024 thread on this board I posted a preseason top 10. I got the top 5 mostly right, Lalor not too far away, and I’d argue Luke Trainor would have been a chance for top 10 if he hadn’t had his concussion scare late in the season. The main miss was Welsh. Gross and Moraes slid but were still solid draftees in a deep pool.
1 Like
wasn’t having a go at you mate, just saying the people who are putting names out are often doing so for clicks (a very select few are worthwhile reading, Essendon supporters are extremely lucky to have a couple of the best might I add)
2 Likes
Yeah I realised after I posted that my reply was unnecessarily snippy, so apologies.
Its just my feeling/experience that throwing a list of names out there early in the season feels like it’ll be a bit of fun and spark discussion, but then you open yourself up to hassle… so on balance I think a lot of people end up not bothering.
Of course there are the people like Jasper at ESPN that are getting paid to do it, so completely different situation.
Sounds like you’re fishing for $$$
That’s definitely not what I intended it to sound like.