Hmmmm.
I keep seeing an argument that people don't realise they're making, and that I think has merit.
But you can't outright say it, at least on Blitz.
Just on stants. i think we have changed his role a fair bit as the year has gone on. Watching him pretty closely on saturday he seemed to be positioning himself very defensively and doing a lot of coverage running to defend space. he was doing far less running from behind to receive and create overlap. indeed he actually started in defence quite often. bomber is trying to build a very very flexible team and stanton has been pushed into a new role as part of that.
We are placing more emphasis on run and link coming from zaka, colyer, zmerret, pig and demps (becuase they are all quicker than stants) and i suspect stanton's role has been shifted towards getting back and covering transition and providing support from behind rather than trying to get ahead of the play as soon as we create a turnover.
i suspect you will see him unleashed from time to time as an offensive runner depending on match ups and game situation but i think recently he has been playing a very team focused game with far less attention to running to provide link up or running to get a head of the ball.
he is the kind of guy though who could become very very damaging late in quarters and games if he is suddenly told to go for it and starts driving hard fwd of the play and into space.
*edit: his clearance numbers are well down this year which suggest to me he isn't playing as close to the ball or as a true follower like previous years if that makes sense
** edit: his contested ball has dropped too
Big hard bodies come finals.......leave the light kids outta this year, regardless.
People dropping stants :wacko: . He's still top 10 in terms of performers and importance to the side.
Watson
Ryder
Carlisle
Heppel
Hooker
Hibbered
Goddard
Zaka
Hurley
Stanton
He's dropped to about the 5th mid but still very important. Hoping Myers goes past him soon.
Stants has not performed well as a mid for many weeks now. I would ask him to play a role up forward, using his excellent running ability to offer push-up lead again and again. Would run most backmen absolutely ragged. His delivery to a player has been very sus also, so have him shooting at goal more often. He finds space at opportune times, I reckon he could develop quickly into a valuable HFF.
But as a mid he has not shown any improvement for a long long time. Still runs hard, Still points well.
Lol.
People dropping stants :wacko: . He's still top 10 in terms of performers and importance to the side.
Watson
Ryder
Carlisle
Heppel
Hooker
Hibbered
Goddard
Zaka
Hurley
Stanton
He's dropped to about the 5th mid but still very important. Hoping Myers goes past him soon.
Stants has not performed well as a mid for many weeks now. I would ask him to play a role up forward, using his excellent running ability to offer push-up lead again and again. Would run most backmen absolutely ragged. His delivery to a player has been very sus also, so have him shooting at goal more often. He finds space at opportune times, I reckon he could develop quickly into a valuable HFF.
But as a mid he has not shown any improvement for a long long time. Still runs hard, Still points well.
Lol.
better than Maxwell?
Do we really need to have the Stanton debate AGAIN?
- One of only 3 players to play every game this year (Zaka, Hooker)
- 5th in average disposals per game (equal with BJ)
- 8th in average tackles per game (equal with Zaka, Ambrose)
- 8th in average goals per game (equal), (ignoring Jetta and Hardingham he would be 6th)
- 5th in total goals (more than "goal kicking mids" Goddard and Zaka)
and the best one, despite playing more games he has less clangers than Hepp, Zaka, Hurley, Hibberd, Dempsey and a few others that no one would dare suggest we drop (and rightfully so).
You know how commentators still call him "much maligned" and we get all hissy about it? They are completely justified. He is much maligned, still, among Essendon fans.
FTR, I'm not on the anti Stants bandwagon ... just thought that was funny.
#noStantsHate
FTR, I'm not on the anti Stants bandwagon ... just thought that was funny.
#noStantsHate
He also enjoys flapping his arms around when standing on the mark.
He's played a bit of half back especially in this last third of the year, with Hibberd out. Useful string to his bow.Just on stants. i think we have changed his role a fair bit as the year has gone on. Watching him pretty closely on saturday he seemed to be positioning himself very defensively and doing a lot of coverage running to defend space. he was doing far less running from behind to receive and create overlap. indeed he actually started in defence quite often. bomber is trying to build a very very flexible team and stanton has been pushed into a new role as part of that.
We are placing more emphasis on run and link coming from zaka, colyer, zmerret, pig and demps (becuase they are all quicker than stants) and i suspect stanton's role has been shifted towards getting back and covering transition and providing support from behind rather than trying to get ahead of the play as soon as we create a turnover.
i suspect you will see him unleashed from time to time as an offensive runner depending on match ups and game situation but i think recently he has been playing a very team focused game with far less attention to running to provide link up or running to get a head of the ball.
he is the kind of guy though who could become very very damaging late in quarters and games if he is suddenly told to go for it and starts driving hard fwd of the play and into space.
*edit: his clearance numbers are well down this year which suggest to me he isn't playing as close to the ball or as a true follower like previous years if that makes sense
** edit: his contested ball has dropped too
Best 25 for finals:
B: Baguley Hooker Steinberg
HB: Hibberd Hurley Dempsey
C: Stanton Watson Zaharakis
HF: Goddard Carlisle Winderlich
FF: Chapman Daniher Ambrose
RR: Ryder Heppell Hocking
I: Myers Howlett Colyer SUB: Z.Merrett
EMG: Bellchambers Hardingham Gleeson
Best 25 for 2015, assuming Fletch goes on:
B: Baguley Hooker Fletcher
HB: Hibberd Hurley Dempsey
C: Stanton Watson Zaharakis
HF: Z.Merrett Carlisle Goddard
FF: Chapman Daniher Ambrose
RR: Ryder Heppell Hocking
I: Myers Howlett Colyer SUB: Gleeson
EMG: Bellchambers Steinberg Kommer
He's played a bit of half back especially in this last third of the year, with Hibberd out. Useful string to his bow.Just on stants. i think we have changed his role a fair bit as the year has gone on. Watching him pretty closely on saturday he seemed to be positioning himself very defensively and doing a lot of coverage running to defend space. he was doing far less running from behind to receive and create overlap. indeed he actually started in defence quite often. bomber is trying to build a very very flexible team and stanton has been pushed into a new role as part of that.
yeah, since the port game i think. Earlier in the year bomber was bemoaning that we have mids that can play fwd but not enough mids that can play back. We already had hepp and myers and i think bomber has swapped stants from a mid/fwd to a mid/def with good results.
as someone else in this thread already observed he could also be capable of using his tank to play as a hit up high forward.
flexibility seems to be a real mantra with bomber and he has thrown the side around to great effect over the last 3rd of the year for some good results.
port - licha, stants back
WC - licha moved fwd 2nd half and hepp to backflank
GC - hurley fwd
against the tigers too he threw it around a bit and half way through the last it looked like it might get us over the line.
Thanks for the welcomes, everyone!
Pretty spot on mate. Only thing is, are you talking about our best team right now to take into the finals series? Because if you are Kommer can't be in your squad, nor can Fletch (although there is talk he may be a chance if we progress a little further). On the other hand if you are talking about next season then Winderlich can't be considered and potentially fletch but we wait to see.
What I am asking is who would be in our best 22 assuming every player on the list was fit.
Some great responses so far!
welcome aboard - you must be new to supporting essendon otherwise you would know that we never have a full list to choose from - :P
sorry i derailed your thread by shifting it to a finals focus but that is what i felt like talking about.
No Ivan, the point of this thread is to dream about what our best 22 would look like if we did have a full list to choose from. Rarely any club ever has a full list to choose from...
He's played a bit of half back especially in this last third of the year, with Hibberd out. Useful string to his bow.Just on stants. i think we have changed his role a fair bit as the year has gone on. Watching him pretty closely on saturday he seemed to be positioning himself very defensively and doing a lot of coverage running to defend space. he was doing far less running from behind to receive and create overlap. indeed he actually started in defence quite often. bomber is trying to build a very very flexible team and stanton has been pushed into a new role as part of that.
yeah, since the port game i think. Earlier in the year bomber was bemoaning that we have mids that can play fwd but not enough mids that can play back. We already had hepp and myers and i think bomber has swapped stants from a mid/fwd to a mid/def with good results.
as someone else in this thread already observed he could also be capable of using his tank to play as a hit up high forward.
flexibility seems to be a real mantra with bomber and he has thrown the side around to great effect over the last 3rd of the year for some good results.
port - licha, stants back
WC - licha moved fwd 2nd half and hepp to backflank
GC - hurley fwd
against the tigers too he threw it around a bit and half way through the last it looked like it might get us over the line.
You look at his Geelong teams. how many guys could rotate through the middle. Nearly every small. He also wasn't afraid to put Kelly or Bartel in the back half either (and of course fwd).
Have no issue with him trying to make us less reliant on Stants as it means we build true depth.
Also, for those at the games, has Stants been occasionally playing as a defensive HF? Reckon he has been doing that a bit recently (or is that just him running since we no longer have set positions).
Myers has played back, Chap mid, Hepp went back in one game, God has been both , Howlett mid/fwd, Jobe was fwd to start the 2nd vs GC.yeah, since the port game i think. Earlier in the year bomber was bemoaning that we have mids that can play fwd but not enough mids that can play back. We already had hepp and myers and i think bomber has swapped stants from a mid/fwd to a mid/def with good results.
He's played a bit of half back especially in this last third of the year, with Hibberd out. Useful string to his bow.Just on stants. i think we have changed his role a fair bit as the year has gone on. Watching him pretty closely on saturday he seemed to be positioning himself very defensively and doing a lot of coverage running to defend space. he was doing far less running from behind to receive and create overlap. indeed he actually started in defence quite often. bomber is trying to build a very very flexible team and stanton has been pushed into a new role as part of that.
as someone else in this thread already observed he could also be capable of using his tank to play as a hit up high forward.
flexibility seems to be a real mantra with bomber and he has thrown the side around to great effect over the last 3rd of the year for some good results.
port - licha, stants back
WC - licha moved fwd 2nd half and hepp to backflank
GC - hurley fwd
against the tigers too he threw it around a bit and half way through the last it looked like it might get us over the line.
Flexible means sexible.
I think next year, gleeson could be a like for like swap with licha off half back
FTR, I'm not on the anti Stants bandwagon ... just thought that was funny.
#noStantsHate
He also enjoys flapping his arms around when standing on the mark.
Better than standing 4 meters behind the mark and not even putting any pressure on the kicker.
FFS no way is Stanton getting dropped
Agree . passed his peak in 2012, but got over 60 brownlow votes over his career. Still a very good player and still can out run most of the other players on the team. Still in the best 22 IMO, but there are 2 under threat, and that doesnt include Zerret. He is the best of the newbies of 2014 and is definitely in the top 22.
No offence to Kommer at all, but he’s been out all year and last season had quite a ways to go in terms of composure, great tackling, but needs more time to fulfill that potential. Not sure why he’d be penciled in at best 22 at this current time.
No offence to Kommer at all, but he's been out all year and last season had quite a ways to go in terms of composure, great tackling, but needs more time to fulfill that potential. Not sure why he'd be penciled in at best 22 at this current time.
We are defficient in MONGREL so hes a lock for the 22
No offence to Kommer at all, but he's been out all year and last season had quite a ways to go in terms of composure, great tackling, but needs more time to fulfill that potential. Not sure why he'd be penciled in at best 22 at this current time.
Kommer is the only player in my 25 (emergency) that hasn't played this year. His statistics don't really reflect my decision to have him as an emergency, but it's because of the forward pressure he applies. It's fair to say that forward pressure is something we have lacked this season, it only really came from Chappy, Zerrett and Ambrose. He also held his spot in the side, playing 19 games last season and ranking highly in tackles and assists. You can expect him to make a real contest whenever the ball enters our forward 50 and I feel that our team looks better when he's there- sort of like Ambrose, who I feel has been going through a slight rough patch the last few weeks. I have Kommer listed as an emergency, but had he played this season, he could very well have been in the starting 18.