There is a whole thread about this issue of Paul at Essendon, worth maybe revisting.
1 Like
Claiming any (real world) decision is ever as simple, & black and white as that is Trumpy too!!
Somerville had a very, very good year that year, even polled an outrageous 12 BL votes. He looked a good thing!
So I can understand a coach losing patience with paying big bikkies to an older bloke constantly on and off the injury list, when it looked like he’d effextively replaced him with a younger bloke.
Sometimes timing just lines up right for one guy, at another’s expense.
I think Salmon left because he wanted to, not because Sheeds wanted him to.
And I don’t think it was a case of Sheeds not rating him as a ruck, he just really really rated him as a full forward, and that was more important in his eyes. Salmon saw it differently.
3 Likes
Not kicked out exactly, but I don’t think Sheeds tried super hard to hold onto him.
We already had FF sorted with Cummings and Lloyd, and thought we had ruck covered with Alessio and Somerville.
Hindsight is 20/20…
Why Sheeds could be right about Phillips
Julian Trantino
Oct 17, 2019 4:38PM
Few would have been happier than Kevin Sheedy to see Andrew Phillips don the sash.
The Essendon legend and inaugural Greater Western Sydney coach, who signed Phillips as a Giants foundation player in 2010, had long floated the idea of the ruckman becoming a Bomber.
And yesterday, he finally got his wish when Phillips became the first player traded to Essendon from Carlton since Justin Murphy in 2003 – a year Sheedy helmed the Bombers.
“Ever since he was at GWS, ‘Sheeds’ kept telling me we’ve got to get this kid to the club,” Essendon general manager of list and recruiting Adrian Dodoro said on Wednesday.
“We’ve finally got him, so I hope Sheeds is happy with that.”
Phillips arrives at Essendon via a late swap of picks and with little fanfare, having played just 41 AFL games across nine seasons at GWS and Carlton.
The lack of notoriety won’t bother the laid-back Tasmanian, though, who’s no stranger to flying under the radar.
Playing second fiddle to Shane Mumford (GWS) and then Matthew Kreuzer (Carlton), he’s had to fight for opportunities, with injuries also impacting his output.
But a closer look at his numbers suggests the 28-year-old could be poised to step into the limelight at his third AFL club.
From his five games in 2019, Phillips ranked inside the competition’s top 10 averages for centre clearances, hitouts and contested marks - Nic Naitanui the only other ruckman to better Phillips in the latter.
He set new career-high averages for disposals (11.4), hitouts (29.8), tackles (3.4), inside 50s (2.6), marks (3.6), clearances (3.2), metres gained (185.2) and intercepts (3.2), ranked by Champion Data as ‘elite’ for contested marks and hitouts to advantage.
An old-fashioned ruckman who can impact the scoreboard, he was among Carlton’s best in its win over Adelaide just a few months ago, replacing an injured Kreuzer to earn a vote from the coaches in the AFLCA Champion Player of the Year Award.
It was that performance in particular that spiked Dodoro’s interest in Phillips, who will bolster a Bombers ruck division that had its challenges this season.
“Andrew’s a beautiful ruck technician,” Dodoro said.
“When he did play senior football for Carlton this year, he actually got coaches votes in one of the games later in the year and showed he’s a very, very adequate AFL ruckman.
“We’re really happy to get him on board."
Should Phillips thrive at Essendon, Dodoro might just have Sheedy to thank for planting the seed all those years ago.
14 Likes
Is this saying that Sheeds was coaching GWS and at the same time advising jackets how to improve our list - with GWS players?
ps if so, Sheeds and only Sheeds could get away with this.
2 Likes
Another injury prone Tasmanian ruckman.
To collect pants to match his hair.
He did go to Hawthorn, so most likely had access to the good stuff…
1 Like
Belly isn’t lazy just plays half injured all the time. When fit he is a good player. That is for about 5 games a year though
Way to overhype him, Disco
3 Likes
Gawn > Grundy
Nic Nat fully fit > Both
Come at me
Bellchambers in my opinion has really been a disappointment in so many ways. Injuries are not what held him back.
3 Likes
Struggling to recall what year he left. Was Madden still around?
Pretty sure Madden retired in 1992
How ive missed Sheedy’s antics
Yeah, ok. Damn. Is this the beginning of dementia…
At one point in time didn’t we have both Maddens, Salmon, Roger Merrett, vdHaar and Terry Daniher all on the list together?
You’d be hard pressed to find a better collection of talls at the one club at the same time in the history of the game, all but one of them played 300.
2 Likes
Mad Monday celebrations after our 17th Flag next September
“Hey Az, I’ll go as you today & you go as me, we can both swap jumpers and it’ll be funny as ■■■■“
6 Likes
Okay. The three of them make the rest look ordinary! Hopefully Draper can make it to that level.
2 Likes
I had no idea that ruckman were allowed or supposed to tackle. Good luck Andrew.