I can’t help it with Langers.
He cops way too much abuse on here and other than maybe two or three posters gets very little defenders.
Even Myers gets defended more on here.
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It’s a fickle bunch. If Langford comes in and get 25 touches and 3 goals then he’ll be a Blitz favourite again.
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Yeah, he was tracking awesome last year.
I am a supporter of Woosha but if he does have one fault it his management of young players.
I don’t think he gives them a fair go.
Two rounds isn’t s big enough body of work for mine.
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Meh, still stand my point. 10 metre gain per touch, only two marks inside 50. Doesn’t get it enough in damaging positions.
Played a role though, a role that no one else can I guess.
He was great last year. He might have a chance to come in for Myers. That kick in the face was pretty nasty. As disappointing as some of the selections seem, the competition for spots is really starting to get interesting. It’s the first season in a while that injuries haven’t worried me too much.
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The Joe injury still worries me.
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Unsung hero strikes againWhen Essendon skipped away to an impressive 47-point thrashing of Brisbane, most of the attention naturally went to Bombers star Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti.
While the small forward’s sensational seven-goal performance deserved the praise it received, an unsung hero quietly went about his work on Saturday to put together one of the games of his career.
Mitch Brown was that man, continuing his reliable form and booting three goals. But it wasn’t just his direct impact on the scoreboard that stood out against the Lions.
Brown’s ability to push up the ground and provide an option for his teammates coming out of defence is often undersold, and it was a key part of Essendon’s victory.
An elite runner, Brown is the crucial link between both ends of the ground, using his endurance to his advantage through repeat leads. His constant efforts leading up to the ball also created the acres of space that his fellow forwards utilised so brilliantly.
He replaced key forward Shaun McKernan on the weekend and gathered 25 disposals (the equal-second best return of his career), 11 marks (equal-third best), nine contested possessions (equal-fourth best) and four inside 50s in a strong display of his value for the side.
Brown spent a game-high 98 per cent time on the ground and led the way for ground covered, with AFL.com.au’s Telstra Tracker recording the forward to have run 14.5 kilometres during the game.
It was the fourth time he has booted three goals in his last 11 games, taking his tally to 19 goals in that period – an underestimated contribution to the team given the absence of leading forward Joe Daniher.
It is hard to believe that Brown’s goalkicking teammates on Saturday could have had such an impact without his efforts up the ground, and his 88 per cent disposal efficiency highlights his effectiveness.
McDonald-Tipungwuti was certainly aware of that, praising Brown and his teammates after the game .
“I kicked seven and it was my best career return, so I’m pretty happy with it, but you can’t kick seven without your teammates giving you the ball.
“‘Browny’ came in and played his role; he played high, gave us a few contests and kicked a few goals.”
Brown celebrates one of Orazio Fantasia’s goals against the Lions at the MCG on Saturday.
Brown was omitted from last week’s senior side due to team balance, but he responded well with five goals in the VFL and was the obvious choice to replace injured forward Shaun McKernan this week.
Senior coach John Worsfold said it was great for the experienced Bomber to be rewarded on Saturday.
“Mitch is a very hard-working player who covers a lot of territory and is really getting that understanding with his fellow forwards.
“His work ethic has never been questioned.
“He went out of the side last week, not because we were disappointed – we were really pleased with how he was playing – it’s just we felt we needed to add in Zac Clarke last week taking on (Demon Max) Gawn and that meant someone missed out.
“Shaun McKernan played his role really well last week but got injured and we had the luxury that Mitch Brown played really well in the VFL and was in good touch and ready to go.”
Brown will look to continue his form when the Bombers take on North Melbourne in the Kick for the Kids game on Good Friday.
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Agreed.
I completely changed my mind on this bloke after his consistent performances from R12 (when we brought him back) to R23 last year. Was a key part of our second half resurgence & arguably should have been given the most improved award.
Smack is more mercurial, however, he is both injury prone & inconsistent. With Mitch, you can bank on a consistently solid performance. Deserves the plaudits coming his way.
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He is an accurate long kick. So he’ll drag an opposition defender with him if he runs out to the 50, which will free up space in the forward area for others. Or he takes the pass/mark and is a good chance for a set shot at goal.
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I haven’t seen any champagne comedy from scorch in here about sacking Woosha, so it must be an irrelevant thread…
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Tom Lynch at Adelaide epitomises this kind of player. They are damn useful.
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He’s a proof (for the idiots that want all of them sacked every time we lose 1 game) that role players can make a valuable impact.
No side’s ever going to have 22 x superstars, but the good, well-organised sides are able to get value out of “meat and potatoes” types.
Dea, Myers and Baguley were similar last year: all just did their thing well.
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Just the last one holding the baby.
No hard feelings, its just a funny last post before the weekends performance. Im sure the same might have happened in most players threads post our capitulation against stfailure.
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If I was a media flog then I’d say that Mitch is a barometer for the team, if I was a Brown-hater I’d say he is a downhill skier.
Reality is he is the kind of player that will look good when the team is playing well and he’ll look sub par when the team isn’t - which is true for all but the very best forwards. The one thing that won’t change is his effort and workrate, which is exactly what you want from your role players.
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He flies under the radar because people think he is unimportant and therefore no threat. That’s a big plus. Go Mitch.
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Fair enough 
I actually like Browny but not convinced he can get us through the season.
I’m sceptical of Jody having much influence this year so Brown and Smack will become critical along with the forgotten man Stewart.
He is more than a luxury. Other teams wish they had a Brown type player.
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Yep I agree he played a good game.
I still don’t believe he is the type of player that will take us to the next level.
Lots of people ready to shoot people down after a player has one good game which was preceded by many average to rubbish games.
I would love nothing better to be wrong but after so many years it’s fair to say he shown us his best as he did on Saturday. Unfortunately his lack consistency doesn’t match his heart.
Do you even watch the footy? He was very consistent for the back half of last season. He’s a good reliable player.
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The mo makes him look a lot like Kiwi comedian Guy montgomery.
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