I genuinely think Dylan has more credits banked than Caldwell does. Caldwell has been pretty invisible while at Essendon.
3 Likes
Not a chance. Caldwell has been ok and can be expected to further improve.
Shiel on the other hand was trade bait a few months ago.
2 Likes
Yeah. Caldwell plays well for somebody that only has 50 games under his belt. Get him to 100 as quickly as possible. Heās competitive and tough as nails, 2 things we need in our side.
3 Likes
The way I see it Caldwell is just a rotation player, he hasnāt found his niche since being at the club. He is a great competitor, has shown he can kick a goal, but just hasnāt done enough in his opportunities.
Iād have him behind a fit Shiel in the midfield rotations also to be honest, heād be behind Merrett, Parish, Setterfield, Hobbs, Durham and a fit Shiel.
Heās never more than interchange in my best 22, although he has the tools to be better than that - in fact, Iād like to see him given more time as a defensive forward with his skillset, he was decent in a couple of games there last year. And Menzie doesnāt look likely at the moment.
1 Like
He just isnāt going to break into that first rotation so he needs to improve his forward craft significantly or perhaps he can orientate his game around pressure. Be nice if we could upgrade Guelfi with a defensive forward with better skills
He is also short. These inside players that are short dodoro loves, but you can only have one of them in the midfield and they have to have size around them. I think Caldwell is an ok player, but i said elsewhere, Iād look at trading him because he is just squeezing into the side playing a position not suited to him.
Playing out of position at half forward.
Wonder if it would be better for the team to have Caldwell in a midfield role, and Durham as that half forward role.
Not for mine. Durham showed excellent promise as a inside mid yesterday
3 Likes
Durham looked great.
But I think his strengths are his pace and ability to take a mark. He didnāt really rack up clearances or contested possessions.
Half forward is a really important role these days. Itās not for a slow player like Caldwell
I wouldnāt.
For me itās clear the main 4 are going to be Parish, Merrett, Setters and Duz. I like these as our highest minute getters.
Following that, itās going to be very interesting who gets minutes out of Caldwell, Hobbs, Shiel, Perkins, Tsatas, Stringer and Gresham. Itās a great problem to have.
For now, Iād have the top 4 plus Hobbs and Caldwell, with Stringer occasionally. Shiel fighting Perkins for a spot in the forward line while Gresham plays the high half forward role. Tsatas looks like grabbing a wing role with Duz and Durham playing different roles, but I wouldnāt be surprised if Scott plays Kelly over him in that role.
1 Like
This is the exact point that a lot of ppl on here miss. What caldwell does when he doesnt have the ball.
He just jogs around, never sprints and loses touch with his opponents wayyy too easily. Opposition players literally just run by him.
Offers sweet f.a up forward and kills our defensive structure when playing mid. Goes out for hobbs when hes back.
Heās the biggest victim of our ridiculously unbalanced list.
4 Likes
Caldwell and Perkins are the reason for our ridiculous unbalanced list. If they tackled and ran defensively we would have a well balanced midfield.
1 Like
Caldwell came from the Giants with a big reputation. They liked him. C captain Phil Davis thought he would be a star.
Whatās happened to his development? Is he yet another player who curiously hasnāt developed in the Essendon system? Are we moving him around too often and not playing him in positions that suit him?
Heās a player who for whatever reason has stagnated and if anything, gone backwards.
I just hope they donāt move Perkins around too much, he too looks lost and not comfortable in his role presently.
2 Likes
strong text
I donāt think itās clear at all who the fourth mid will be but I do agree Scott wants size and we desperately need it. I think Stringer will get more minutes than Durham. Early on at least. Durham will get an opportunity however I have doubts on Tsatas/Perkins on the wing so I still feel he will play most minutes there.
You just described basically the whole list
2 Likes
Forward pocket
Good point, I reckon there are many out there that think he is pushing up around the 80 -90 game mark but heās only at 55, even Perkins has played more.
1 Like
Interesting to compare caldwell stats to Sanders tonight. Both playing half forward pushing up the ground a bit with minimal time in the center. Sanders was one of the dominant players in the groundā¦
I havenāt been to games live in a couple of years, but Iām interested to hear he adds zero defensive pressure. I thought that would have been one of the main reasons he is in the side.