#30 - Nate Caddy - thru 2028

[Serenity_Now]

How about we move the “we don’t have enough tall backmen” discussion out of the Caddy thread?

[Heptides]

Rampe gets the benefit of being able to scrag like SOS (the original one). Would get a lot more goals kicked in him if he was umpired as an Essendon player.

[IceTemple]

@Lazer

Yeah but your comment seemed along the lines of “we only need these guys 4 times uear sp why bother” when actually you need two solid kpd. Not saying they have to be that tall (see sydney with Rampe who played on thr big boys but held his own), but they need to be competent in bodywork with those players

You make it sound like we have no other defenders.

[samwoods]

@Serenity_Now

How about we move the “we don’t have enough tall backmen” discussion out of the Caddy thread?

It’s the new version of “Forward or Back”.

[Le_Archie]

Has anyone got access to the Caddy article in the age from a couple of days ago they can share?

‘Really aggressive’: Why the Bombers traded up for Nate Caddy

[Clone_Hirdy]

I assure you there will be nothing new in the article that you already haven’t read!

[Le_Archie]

Why don’t you share it and let me judge for myself?

[Clone_Hirdy]

I don’t have access.

[FuriousGeorge]

@Dunnybrush

Really aggressive’: Why the Bombers traded up for Nate Caddy

ByMichael Gleeson

November 20, 2023 — 11.11pm

Essendon have rounded out an attempt to be transformative with their list in one off-season and traded up to secure a dynamic power forward with Jake Stringer attributes.

In his last draft at Essendon, outgoing list manager Adrian Dodoro, who will stay on to mentor his replacement Matt Rosa, completed a final cheeky trade to slip into the top 10.

Nate Caddy has joined the Bombers after a pick swap on the first night of the draft.CREDIT:JUSTIN MCMANUS

In doing so, he ensured the Bombers snared Nate Caddy, a powerful and dynamic forward who has played some time in the midfield this year.

After nine picks had been used and with Geelong poised to make a selection at 10, Essendon feared the Cats were about to select Caddy, the nephew of former Geelong, Gold Coast and dual premiership Tiger Josh.

Essendon had pick 11 so handed over that and their pick 31 in order to switch places with Geelong and take Caddy.

“We targeted him, we wanted him, so go for it that’s what we did,” Dodoro said.

Caddy celebrates with family and friends after being picked up by the Bombers.CREDIT:AFL PHOTOS

“We knew the Cats were going to think about him or Connor O’Sullivan. We knew the ball was in their court so we gave them a sweetener.

“Nate is a boy who won’t die wondering, he is a big, solid young man, he is a big boy and he wants the moment. Just talking to him, he has that enthusiasm and desire to play straight away. He is a man’s man.

“We are confident he will put his hand up at some point next year but there’s no pressure, we have a pretty good front half with [Kyle] Langford, Peter Wright, Jake Stringer, and he is for the future.

“He has a lot to learn but we think he can do that Stringer role [as a midfielder] if needed.

Play Video

[

](javascript:void(0);)[

Play video
1:42

Eagles take Reid with No.1 pick

](javascript:void(0)

Harley Reid became the third No.1 pick in West Coast’s history when he was taken first overall in the 2023 AFL draft

That Caddy is likened to Stringer might not necessarily excite all Bombers fans, for the former Bulldog has frustrated at times with his fitness and form. But in terms of style of game, Caddy has a similar power and charisma as a forward who draws the ball.

Caddy is 193 centimetres and admits he is undersized for a key forward. But he thrives on the contest.

“We were looking for another big forward, an extroverted guy up there that can attract the ball and I think we have done that tonight,” Dodoro said.

RELATED ARTICLE

Draft

Trades, twists and bolters as first round of draft stretches to 29 picks

“It’s funny, he is [a bit undersized] but he is good above his head, [has a] good tank. He will add pressure to our front half and you see the way the game is played with a Charlie Curnow – not to say he is Curnow – but these mobile forwards are important to have and he complements a guy like Peter Wright, Langford. So we thought it was important once we identified what we wanted to bring into the club to just be really aggressive.”

Interestingly, the Bombers’ move for Caddy completed an off-season of deliberate steps to address needs. Essendon have now brought in five players to satisfy concerns across the list.

Ex-North Melbourne defender Ben McKay is not a panacea player but does help with support in key defence, veteran ruckman Todd Goldstein, also from North, allows them to play a two-ruck system with Sam Draper, ex-Saint Jade Gresham at his best is dynamic in front of goal and needed a change to rediscover his best, while Xavier Duursma (Port Adelaide) adds run.

And then Caddy comes in as a player who can potentially play soon but is also a long-term power forward.

RELATED ARTICLE

Draft

As it happened AFL draft 2023: Harley Reid goes number one as trades, bids and surprises come in first round

On paper, the moves round out the list. No, the players traded in are not superstars, and who knows what Caddy, still just a teenager albeit with a lot of promise, could be.

But clubs get few chances to change. The trade period and the drafts are not equal opportunity benefactors.

Essendon have managed to address multiple concerns in one off-season and prosecute changes they wanted. In contrast, St Kilda were eager for significant change to their list this year, but couldn’t make as profound moves because of the hand they held.

Last year West Coast turned one early elite pick into two slightly later picks to bring in volume of elite talent rather than one special player.

This year facing the same dilemma they could not be enticed to part with pick one and relinquish first dibs on Harley Reid, the player popularly regarded as the best of the draft pool.

In contrast other clubs had thoroughly transformative drafts. Gold Coast through their academy brought in four first-round draft picks. North had five.

That can change a club.

In Gold Coast’s case they were just lucky this year that a bunch arrived all at once out of their academy – and they had priority access to them.

North got an extra compensation pick from the AFL and a pick for losing McKay as a free agent. Five players in the first round should set a club up for a generation even allowing for the fact no club gets every pick right.

EDITOR’S PICK

Trading and drafting

‘Political animal’: How Dodoro became ‘The Prince’ of AFL list bosses

North already have a bunch of elite players from recent drafts but this will be the one that most fundamentally sets them up.

Melbourne again traded into the draft and had picks at seven and 13. List manager Jason Taylor said it was serendipitous that the players they regarded as the best available talents at that pick also happened to fit needs they had on their list.

Koltyn Tholstrup is 186cm tall, a powerful forward who can run, while Caleb Windsor is an elite ball-user and very quick.

If you asked what type of players Melbourne needed right now they would be close to being it.

Quit yer moaning, you too.

@Dunnybrush posted it earlier in the thread.

[Le_Archie]

he was right, i learned nothing

[dambuster]

@Dunnybrush

He is a man’s man.

Are you allowed to say that these days?

[Bully]

I have concerns about dodoro staying on to ‘mentor’ rosa, going by the videos we’ve seen he is definitely the alpha in the group and gets his way. People like that struggle with taking a back seat.

[MattyKnights]

@FuriousGeorge

He could be the Big Bodied Mid we’ve been looking for all this time!

No

He’s the 50+ goal a season mid sized forward we’ve been looking for all this time.

[Clone_Hirdy]

@Le_Archie

Why don’t you share it and let me judge for myself?

Did you learn anything?

[chris_64]

I looked at our end of season figures:
Bottom 4 in points for, and bottom 4 in points against.
We are really a bottom 4 team.
So we really, really needed both a better KPD and a new 3rd tall forward

Its not unheard of to go from the bottom 4 into the 8, so there is still hope for 2024.
To that end I hope Nate Caddy plays round 1 and takes the AFL by storm.

[Speedy_Gonzales]

We copped it for injuries in 2nd half of season, it’s the main reason for our drop off

[Clone_Hirdy]

That is every year.

[Mainland251]

Yeah the blow out games cooked the books a bit. I think with a fit side a more professional attitude by some of the younger lads we can have a more competitive year in 2024.

[Froffking]

@chris_64

I hope Nate Caddy plays round 1 and takes the AFL by storm.

I also hope this.

Although I thought I’d look it up for reference and Charlie Curnow kicked 5 goals in season 1 from 6 games and 20 goals in season 2 from 21 games.

Will likely take 2-3 years minimum before return on investment at afl level

[justinr]

Rare blokes of that size (>190cm) are ‘very good’ or better players for the first 3-4 years