How many panic thread blitz have?
There’s been no panicking since this morning. This worries me.
Yes, easily.Hmm yes, I think so. Especially after another pre-season and hopefully a few extra kilos of weigh/muscle gain.
But as to best 22 - within Blitz it depends on who you ask.
Rise and repeat.
Great competition for spots down back. With 3 talls and Bags locked in, you’ve got 2 spots and a mid/back spot for Dea, Gleeson, Kelly, Walla and maybe a Goddard type moving back.
I remember being not too sure about this guy earlier this year. Didn’t have the start to the season I was hoping he would and I feared he went backwards.
As the year went on, he got better and better. He looked as confident as ever, taking a lot of marks under heavy pressure from opposition kicks. I have never seen this side of him before. Not only was he great when he ball was in his hands but he could shut down too.
There was massive hype around him when he broke into the side in 2014 but this added responsibility of being one of the mature heads in the backline has developed him closer to the player we all know he’s going to be.
Well done on a great year.
Too easy. Watch the Fu¢karlton match. He's best 22 now.
41 games across the last 2 seasons seems to say he’s well entrenched. Obviously a new year is a new year, and how it fits together is open to discussion, but right now he’s best 22. How b the return of Hurley, Hooker and Baguley affects the defensive setup will be interesting, but he’s been core for 2 years.
I remember being not too sure about this guy earlier this year. Didn't have the start to the season I was hoping he would and I feared he went backwards. As the year went on, he got better and better. He looked as confident as ever, taking a lot of marks under heavy pressure from opposition kicks. I have never seen this side of him before. Not only was he great when he ball was in his hands but he could shut down too. There was massive hype around him when he broke into the side in 2014 but this added responsibility of being one of the mature heads in the backline has developed him closer to the player we all know he's going to be.Well done on a great year.
Agree. And yes, his intercept marking has become a key feature of his game. The fact that he’s grown to the stated height of 190cm from his drafted height of 186cm helps in that regard. However, there’s a number of blokes who are 190cm that don’t take the marks he does, so he is showing that he has developed his overhead skills and has the willingness to put himself under, or run forward or back to the ball.
I note that Marty was only 70kg when drafted and now sits at a reported 74kg. Putting muscle onto his frame would be a key component of his summer you’d think.
If Marty had walked into Essendon from off the street as a mature aged recruit aged 21 (he’s just turned 22yo) and played the season he just played, Blitz would be in meltdown about how good this kid is. His improvement has been incremental, it’s snuck-up on people how good he’s become.
And might I add, at draft pick 53, I reckon Marty was a bit of a speculative pick.
Like Goat Boy said. Congratulations Marty on your great year - playing consistently well in a backline that was constantly under pressure.
Marteh parteh
I like him a lot but I am not sure that he can fit in to the best 22. There are 8 of the nine senior players who have signed coming back assured of a spot. Assuming Dea and Kelly are signed that leaves 12 spots in the best side to be filled.
Parish
Joe
Zach
B.J
Zaka
Bags
Fantasia
Loony
Brown
Hartley
Ambrose
Lav
Who on this list would Gleeson oust?
Then you have Langford and Bird.
If Jobe comes back it will be even harder to fit him in.
I like him a lot but I am not sure that he can fit in to the best 22. There are 8 of the nine senior players who have signed coming back assured of a spot. Assuming Dea and Kelly are signed that leaves 12 spots in the best side to be filled. Parish Joe Zach B.J Zaka Bags Fantasia Loony Brown Hartley Ambrose Lav Who on this list would Gleeson oust? Then you have Langford and Bird. If Jobe comes back it will be even harder to fit him in.Sorry, add to that list Tippa.
I like him a lot but I am not sure that he can fit in to the best 22. There are 8 of the nine senior players who have signed coming back assured of a spot. Assuming Dea and Kelly are signed that leaves 12 spots in the best side to be filled. Parish Joe Zach B.J Zaka Bags Fantasia Loony Brown Hartley Ambrose Lav Who on this list would Gleeson oust? Then you have Langford and Bird. If Jobe comes back it will be even harder to fit him in.
And Tippa - Noted.
Let’s wait and see how Marty fronts up at the start of season 2017. If he puts on 7kg or more, he begins to look a still underweight but pretty fair player. If injuries should befall someone such as BJ, or Ambrose, or Dea, then Marty is a shoe-in to fill their positions.
It’s also horses for courses, if another side plays a tall forward line with no small crumbing forwards. Marty might oust a smaller backman for the game.
I reckon if Marty’s not getting a game, Essendon are in a good position - and well done to the guys that are keeping him out.
If Marty puts on 7 kg over pre-season then look out.
The vast majority of issues he has in his game are a result of him not having the size to match his ambition. A bit more size to help him stick his tackles, and hold his own when tackled, then he is a ripper.
If Marty puts on 7 kg over pre-season then look out.The vast majority of issues he has in his game are a result of him not having the size to match his ambition. A bit more size to help him stick his tackles, and hold his own when tackled, then he is a ripper.
Also marking contests. More strength and weight and he would hold on to a few more and spoil more easily too. At his current size he doesnt add much weight to a contest.
I like him a lot but I am not sure that he can fit in to the best 22. There are 8 of the nine senior players who have signed coming back assured of a spot.
No one is assured anything.
There will be plenty of competition, which is what it’s all about.
If Marty puts on 7 kg over pre-season then look out.The vast majority of issues he has in his game are a result of him not having the size to match his ambition. A bit more size to help him stick his tackles, and hold his own when tackled, then he is a ripper.
7kg is a hell of a lot over one pre-season, especially your 5th
If Marty puts on 7 kg over pre-season then look out.The vast majority of issues he has in his game are a result of him not having the size to match his ambition. A bit more size to help him stick his tackles, and hold his own when tackled, then he is a ripper.
7kg is a hell of a lot over one pre-season, especially your 5th
Yep, I’m guilty of putting a suggested weight gain against Marty’s name for the off season. A bit ambitious at 7kg, but I was kind of basing this on previous posts which stated he had been still growing and had experienced trouble putting on weight throughout this growth spurt over the past few years.
At age 22, I’m figuring that he’s stopped the vertical growth and might look to some horizontal growth… A lot of it apparently.
If Marty puts on 7 kg over pre-season then look out.The vast majority of issues he has in his game are a result of him not having the size to match his ambition. A bit more size to help him stick his tackles, and hold his own when tackled, then he is a ripper.
7kg is a hell of a lot over one pre-season, especially your 5th
Yep, I’m guilty of putting a suggested weight gain against Marty’s name for the off season. A bit ambitious at 7kg, but I was kind of basing this on previous posts which stated he had been still growing and had experienced trouble putting on weight throughout this growth spurt over the past few years.
At age 22, I’m figuring that he’s stopped the vertical growth and might look to some horizontal growth… A lot of it apparently.
I could probably help him. There has been a few years where I probably put on 7 kgs without a problem 
If Marty puts on 7 kg over pre-season then look out.The vast majority of issues he has in his game are a result of him not having the size to match his ambition. A bit more size to help him stick his tackles, and hold his own when tackled, then he is a ripper.
7kg is a hell of a lot over one pre-season, especially your 5th
Yep, I’m guilty of putting a suggested weight gain against Marty’s name for the off season. A bit ambitious at 7kg, but I was kind of basing this on previous posts which stated he had been still growing and had experienced trouble putting on weight throughout this growth spurt over the past few years.
At age 22, I’m figuring that he’s stopped the vertical growth and might look to some horizontal growth… A lot of it apparently.
I could probably help him. There has been a few years where I probably put on 7 kgs without a problem
Yeah, booze, peanuts, potato chips and sitting around on my fat ar$e reading Blitz has been my formula for weight gain. Ya gotta wonder when’s Marty gunna see the light and follow my lead?
He doesn’t make my starting best 22 next year but he had a very good back end and has given himself every opportunity. I’d play Bags, Goddard, Irish and Dea (if we get him) ahead of him + id have an Ambrose or Brown as a third tall.
He doesn’t need to put on much weight, his game style is cutting angles and running with the flight. As long as he is big enough to take the hits and not get injured (which he seems to do just fine), then size isn’t an issue.
As for breaking tackles, that is just as much skill as it is strength. He will learn that the more he plays I would think.