Former #10 Saint Francis, off to the Sydney Diocese

[Verminaard]

Enigma.

Coulda been, shoulda been, never was.

Was like picking all the numbers in the lotto, but forgetting to buy the ticket.

[BAAKKEERRRR]

@Blummers32

Just terrible list management.

True… but, I’m not sure we (as Essendon fans) are in a position to be throwing shade on list management. Although we are particuarly well-versed in shithouse list management…

[daf]

Frang would have been a player at a better club. Lack of development really hurt him. He is another player who never for a consistent run either at VFL or AFL level in the same position for a 10-12 week stretch.

Lewis Hayes has less natural talent than Francis but has been developed a lot better. You could see this season he is starting to put together the blocks of what will be required to play. Will be interesting to see how his career goes in comparison.

[Houli_Dooley]

I reckon part of his troubles (there were admittedly a few) were that his natural athletic profile was just so poor in terms of endurance that it meant that to be a viable player at AFL level he had to go so hard to bring himself up to a borderline passable aerobic standard that in the process it blunted his power and strength.

Together with his psychological profile, which from afar never looked like a strength, it’s a lesson in how critical it is in recruiting to give due respect to the full picture. Especially with early picks.

[JuzzyB]

Dodoro just loved a ‘slider’. Francis was touted as number 1 pick early in his draft year. Same with Hobbs (not number one, but similar context). Same with Kav. There’s a reason clubs pass on these guys.

[Nifty_Nev]

Merrett was a bit of a slider too from memory.

[JuzzyB]

We got very lucky there

[Humble_Minion]

@Nifty_Nev

Merrett was a bit of a slider too from memory.

Not really. Went about where he was forecast to go.

Question on him was whether he was a real midfielder, he spent most of his u18 year as a hff, cos he was a very serious cricketer and had never done a full footy preseason before he decided to take it seriously at the start of his draft year.

[Paul_Peos]

Heppell was a slider.

[bullishish]

Yeah, nah

[Tbone]

I reckon we could say that about nearly every first round pick we have had in the last ten years

[BAAKKEERRRR]

Just the last ten??

[Michael_Long_Legend]

Sydney hanging on to Francis because they saw first-hand his kick to Bellchambers in 2018 and hope it might happen again.

[samwoods]

@Blummers32

@EssendonPride1

Makes more sense than their decision to also rookie Hamling. 6 senior games in 4 years, none this year.

They’ve held on to a lot of plodders over the years.
Robbie Fox has been on their list for 9 years.
Lewis Melican for 11 years.
Ryan Clarke was on their list for 5 years.
Dylan Stephens was 4 years.
Sam Wicks was 7 years.
Will Gould was 4 years.
Sam Reid was 15 years.
Tom McCartin was 8 years.
Ben Ronke was 6 years.
James Bell was 5 years.
Colin O’Riordan was 7 years.

And that’s just players who have been on their list since covid.
Majority of people would have delisted / not offered contracts to these guys after 2 years.
Just terrible list management.

I don’t think it’s terrible list management. Sydney are playing a different game to most other clubs because of the seemingly never ending pipeline of talent tied to them only.

Arguably they want a group of break glass in emergency type players for as cheap a price as possible to allow them to afford their elite talent. They don’t have to worry about kids so much because they have sole access to so many of them.

[dingus]

@Houli_Dooley

his natural athletic profile

I think this is the key.

Some of “us” just aren’t genetically geared for sustaining a lot of repeat efforts. The strength is there, agility and speed no problem, but no repeat efforts, please.

I’m not a fitness expert (some on here are, please chime in), but I just don’t think it’s possible for some people to become a Nick Riewoldt, run all day non stop type operator, regardless of the work out in.

Pretty sure you could say the same about Stringer, though that could also just be that he’s a bit of a twat.

The game is so much more about fitness in the modern era.

Francis and Stringer would have been multiple Brownlow winners if they played in the eighties.

[Windy_Dill]

Three sausage rolls for big red today in the last quarter. Comes on as sub and almost turns the game for Sydney.

[WesternDon]

From the highlights it looked like one was due to the defender fumbling and he picked up a loose ball, another was a Jo the goose over the back (of sorts) and the last due to a good, strong mark on the lead.

I didn’t watch the game so maybe I’m missing something but I don’t think big red is back. He peaked in that game against Port where he sat on Ryder’s head.

Edit - I don’t think he never recovered from the spray a Blitzer delivered to him at the fuel station for smiling after a loss.

[Windy_Dill]

He also gave off a few chances to teammates who duly missed.

And it wasn’t Donnington who sprayed him.

[Brewer_s_Droop]

The near-goal with fend offs was reminiscent of his famous VFL goal…

[The_New_Coleman]

I will always barrack for Francis, no matter who he plays for. I dunno why, there’s just some players that I want to see succeed.

(And maybe those endless blitz selection threads demanding that we “bring him in” have done something to my brain)